Ram Power Wagon 2016, the Off-Road King
When you think of a heavy duty truck, you think heavy for towing trailers. The Ram Power Wagon is heavy, curb weight of 7056 lbs. When you think of an off-road truck, you think light duty or Jeep size. But the Power Wagon breaks all the rules, a solid truck that can go anywhere, just like they did in World War II. We had a Power Wagon from the forties when I worked for the county with a welder and boom bed. But the new Power Wagon is an agile mountain goat. With locking front and rear differential, a 12,000 lb winch, a lift kit, skid plates and the front sway bar disconnects for tremendous wheel travel over rocks. It’s the only truck that comes with a 12,000 lb. winch from the factory. In low range 4×4 the Power Wagon has hill decent, all the things you need to chase the Jeeps on the trails in the Rockies.
Powered by the 6.4L Hemi V-8 with cylinder de-activation for fuel savings, has 410 hp and 429 lb. ft. of torque . A 6-speed automatic tranny with a 4.10 rear axle ratio which is higher than the previous 4.56 axle ratio. All this has improved the fuel mileage on the Power Wagon. Though well equipped for climbing mountains, the PW is not a luxury truck. Yes it has 10-way power seat, automatic headlights, remote start and projector headlights, but no individual digital climate control, just basic climate control. Seats are cloth, drinking is encouraged with 10 cup holders.
A manual 4×4 shifter in the hump on the floor console with cup holders, limits the leg room unless you’re bold legged for the front row center seat. This is my favorite front seat, 40-20-40 which makes the third seat or down into an arm rest and console. This truck had the Ram box option, which is great for cold beverages or I use it to safely store my motorcycle straps when I’ve unloaded the bike for the narrow trails the Ram won’t fit. On this crew cab, the rear seat folds up and a shelf folds out for a flat cargo area that works well for all my camera gear. Coil springs all around give the rock climber a tame road ride. Rated to tow a 9790 lb trailer. At the receiver hitch it’s 4 in. taller than a Ford F150 Raptor. Ram’s are the tallest trucks, Power Wagon is the tallest Ram. Nice for visibility and watching wildlife in the mountains.
Running boards tucked under, level with the frame not getting in the way for off-road fun. Has class five hitch so you have to use the 2 in. reducer that comes with it to fit most hitches. Don’t know why it has a class five 2.5 in. receiver, it’s trailer capacity doesn’t go beyond a class four 2 in receiver. The PW has the center high-mount stop lamp with bed camera. so you can watch the cargo on the go. See if the motorcycle fell over or check on the dogs. Locking tailgate locks from the key FOB. Factory trailer brake control is in the right place for fast use of the manual over-ride. The truck I tested MSRP is $57,480. No EPA fuel rating because the GVW is over 6000 lbs. My experience was 16 mpg on the high way and 11 mpg with a trailer.
I like the graphics that come with the Power Wagon and the Red inserts in the grill. If you went to the Denver Auto Show this month, you had the opportunity to see the new 2017 Ram Power Wagon. It has the same black grill as the Ram Rebel and tire tracks on the seats. There is a new Power Wagon side ways graphic on the front of the bed similar to older Power Wagons.
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