DETROIT. In the past month-plus, Ram Trucks’ 1500 model has picked up significant recognition as the top pickup in North America. Motor Trend, Four Wheeler magazine, and the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards have all named the 1500 the top truck model on the market. Now, Ram is taking that award-winning culture and turning it loose on its heavy-duty pickups, announcing redesigned and updated 2500 and 3500 models at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“This is what happens when you take every class-leading attribute and apply it across your heavy-duty platform,” Reid Bigland, head of Ram Brand, said. “It is proof that there is a company that refuses to rest on its laurels. With the new 3500, we are raising the bar.”
The 3500 one-ton features 1,000 lbs.-ft. of torque and is capable of towing 35,100 pounds and hauling 7,680 pounds.
An optional 6.7-liter Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel, the truck “will out power, out tow, and out-perform all other heavy-duty pickups,” Bigland said. The vehicle is standard with Ram’s 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with 410 horsepower and 429 lbs.-ft. of torque. It is equipped with a TorqueFlight eight-speed automatic transmission.
The transmission uses “shift-by-wire” technology to eliminate a mechanical linkage between the transmission and gear selector and offers 40 individual shift maps to optimize shift points for fuel economy, performance and drivability.