Part 5 - First Drive Review: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 ST Regular Cab
Part 1: Introduction and Specs
Part 2: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×4 Crew Cab Dually Unloaded
Part 3: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×4 Crew Cab Dually Towing 16,500 pounds
Part 4: 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 4×4 Power Wagon Off-Road
Part 5: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×2 Regular Cab Dually Hauling 1,500 pounds
Part 6:
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The last truck we drove was a regular cab two-wheel drive one-ton dually diesel spec’d out as an entry-level diesel work truck with vinyl floors and a 6-speed manual handshaker and 1,500 pounds of hay in the bed. It’s the polar opposite of the Power Wagon and it shows the depth and breadth of the Dodge Heavy Duty lineup.
There’s a reason that domestic truck makers excel in full-size pickups, and this model is an example of their mastery over the segment.
With the Cummins I6 under the Ram’s hood it was difficult to tell there was any payload sitting behind the cab. The only thing that gave it away was that the rearview mirror was filled with a view of yellow straw instead of a clear picture of what was behind us.
GM no longer offers a manual transmission in its HD pickups and Ford will drop theirs from the Super Duty for 2011 but there’s a great sense of control that’s lost when you surrender your gear shifting to an automatic transmission. It’s reassuring to know that Dodge will continue to offer the manual cog swapper for at least another model year and perhaps longer.
The Ram’s 6-speed isn’t perfect – the throws are incredibly long, but then again so are the Super Duty's – but it’s easy to locate every shift gate except reverse. Reverse is about as far over to the left from first and second gears as El Paso is from Dallas and Houston.
The Ram 3500 ST tackled the road – dare I say it – lightly. It was very well-mannered and balanced. The extra weight settled the rear suspension right down. There are no hydromounts to help control beaming in this configuration.
Handling was very good, too. All two-wheel drive Ram HD pickups have a rack and pinion setup instead of the recirculating ball setup the four-wheel drive pickups have. Two-wheel drive Rams also feature independent front suspensions instead of solid front axles.
A long-term test would reveal how durable and capable this comfortable driving setup is but for the purposes of our quick drive, we walked away impressed. The short box manual shifting dually diesel is like a heavy-duty sports car that can carry home several thousand pounds.
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Part 1: Introduction and Specs
Part 2: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×4 Crew Cab Dually Unloaded
Part 3: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×4 Crew Cab Dually Towing 16,500 pounds
Part 4: 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 4×4 Power Wagon Off-Road
Part 5: 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 4×2 Regular Cab Dually Hauling 1,500 pounds
Part 6:
