The New York International Auto Show was a massive auto show that involved manufactures and aftermarket brands from around the world. Held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in lower Manhattan, it covered four main floors as well as areas outside the main halls. I’ve considered writing one giant blog post about the entire event but instead I’ll be sharing the event in bits and pieces focusing each part on a different section. Of course, I’ll do my best to contain the entire show into a single episode of the podcast though because there will be even great offroading news coming out each day and we want to do our best to keep you current on all the excitement in the offroading world.
The first part of the show I want to share with you is the Dodge Ram section. Dodge has been doing some pretty exciting things lately but one of the things that was completely missing was the Ram Runner. As I stepped into the area I glanced around to see the Raptor’s competition and it was nowhere to be found. The Ram representatives were out in force so at the first chance I asked, “Where’s the Ram Runner?!” The response had me a bit puzzled. “It’s out at other events.” Really? Other events?! What other major events are going on right now? I know the Easter Jeep Safari took place at the very same time as the press days but it’s not like only one Ram Runner exists in the world…..or is there only one? I wasn’t trying to be funny when I asked the question either. I was genuinely interested in seeing this desert sand slaying Mopar beast. The simple fact of the matter is that that Ram Runner is not a true production vehicle and even still has a hard time standing up against the Raptor. I know that there has been talk about Ram offering a production truck more suited to competing against the Raptor but it will all come down to the prospect of sales. If Dodge thinks that they will sell like hot cakes despite getting low double-digit MPGs, then we’ll probably see one; otherwise you’ll be stuck building your own Ram desert assault vehicle.
It was about that time that my attentions were distracted by the other cool Rams surrounding me. Most notably was the Ram 2500 Power Wag “This was also a favorite of my 5 year old daughter who commented that, “it was a million miles tall” and she also like the colors. While it’s not actually a million miles tall, this was truly a thing of beauty and a major attention grabber. This Power Wagon had seen a great deal of customization on its appearance but underneath it all, it was still a powerful work horse that’s ready to tackle the most difficult terrain (at speeds far slower than a Raptor). The matte finish was a popular theme at the show and I’m a huge fan of the look. On top of the flat black paint was a splash of red and white across the hood, down the sides and across the tail gate. The graphics remind me a lot of the graphics from the Raptor and the Toyota Tacoma Baja edition; but I like the look so I’m okay with the look. The grill stands out clearly with the red horizontal bars and you’ll really notice them if that’s all you can see if your rearview mirror.
I spoke with lots of people that were also enthralled by this matte black and red behemoth. This four door, crew cab short box pickup featured all the same exciting features that you’d find on a normal Power Wagon such as 12,000 lb winch, electronic sway bar disconnects, front and rear lockers and tubular skid plates. The 5.7L Hemi V-8 with 383 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque motivates the Ram up and over the trails and makes it one of the best trucks for offroad use right from the show room floor.
There was also a Power Ram in the corner of the area but this was not a Power Wagon. Instead it was a Mopar accessorized 1500. It didn’t have a lot of details listed but it was sporting a 12,000 Warn winch inside the front bumper and a custom graphics package. The lift was milder than the Power Wagon but it was overall a good look.
My wife’s more rational mind (when it comes to vehicle choices, anyways) was drawn to the Mega Cab due to its enormous interior space. She’s used to driving a Suburban which suits my 2 kids and 2 dogs well even when driving long distances with lots of stuff and pulling my XJ on the trailer. I’ve tried to convince her that we should have a pickup in stead but she’s been unwilling to compromise on the large interior space of the Burb. The Mega Cab provides tons of room behind the front seats. As a matter of fact, it’s the only pickup that has so much room that it can actually recline the rear seats! That rear seat area can also fold flat for moving large cargo and also has some in-floor bins or storing things out of the way. Despite all the room in the back seat, it’s still not the same as a third row seat meaning there won’t be a Mega Cab in my driveway any time soon.
Be sure to let me know what you think of the Dodge Ram offerings in the comments below.
