I like to think America’s love of the automobile is tied up with the freedom it represents. The car allows you to travel far and wide, on your schedule. To me, few vehicles encompass that sense of freedom more than our long-term 2018 Ram 2500 Power Wagon. It really is capable of driving anywhere and doing just about everything. And—to be quite honest—when driving other vehicles, I often can’t help but think about the next adventure the Power Wagon and I will take.
While I work up to the Power Wagon’s next journey into the wilderness for a future update, I wanted to use this space to catch you up on some odds and ends from the past couple months and few thousand miles of living with the Power Wagon, including test data, fuel economy figures, and finding an excuse to use the Power Wagon’s Warn winch.
Test Day
Late into the summer, our ever-busy test team hooked our test gear up to the Power Wagon. For a three-quarter-ton heavy-duty pickup designed to drive in remote locations, the Ram performed quite well on the pavement. Weighing in at 7,316 pounds and powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 making 410 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, our Power Wagon accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 8.6 seconds, and it gets through the quarter mile in a respectable 16.5 seconds at 85.4 mph. In our 60–0 brake tests, the Power Wagon’s best stop was in 139 feet.
“Consistent,” was how road test editor Chris Walton described the Power Wagon’s acceleration and braking performance. “Long stopping distances (because off-roader), but very consistent. Far better brake performance than I had imagined,” he added.
Handling guru and testing director Kim Reynolds was similarly impressed by the Power Wagon’s figure-eight score of 29.8 seconds at 0.70 g average. “This thing handles better than you’d ever expect. Brakes and steering are vague, but it turns in pretty well, considering,” he said.
After the test team was done with the Power Wagon, we passed it off to our EQUA Real MPG test team for fuel economy results. Although the EPA doesn’t think fuel economy figures are relevant for heavy-duty pickups, given how each tank of 89 octane I feed the Ram sets me (or more accurately, Motor Trend) back about $90 give or take, I’d say it’s pretty damn important information. In Real MPG fuel economy testing, the Ram Power Wagon scores 11.6/15.3/13.0 mpg city/highway/combined. Based on real-world experience with the truck, I’d say that’s about spot on.
Software Update
A few days after the Power Wagon returned from its battery of testing, a pop-up on the 8.4-inch UConnect infotainment screen told me a software update was available and asked if I wanted it downloaded while the truck sat off and parked. I tapped yes and went on with my afternoon. A few hours later when I returned to the truck, I was greeted with another pop-up telling me what was new. It mentioned vague “quality improvements” and not much else. After I cleared the message, I noticed that the UConnect fonts had all been updated to match the graphics found on the latest 2019 Ram 1500s. Neat!
Rescue Wagon
Last but certainly not least, I finally had a good excuse to use the Power Wagon’s Warn winch during 2019 SUV of the Year testing, freeing a stuck Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Hyundai Santa Fe from the sand.
Although using a winch should be a last resort after tow straps and other vehicle recovery methods have failed, I have to admit I couldn’t help myself.
The Power Wagon’s owner’s manual provides an exceptionally detailed explanation of safe winch operation and recovery techniques, but using the Ram’s front-bumper-mounted winch is simple.
Once positioned so that the winch can pull straight back, you reach into the steel bumper to the right of the winch, feel for a metal L-shaped lever, and rotate it to release the winch’s clutch and allow the line to unspool. Next, while wearing heavy leather gloves, unclip the hook strap from its anchor point on the Power Wagon and run while holding the cloth tag on the strap, walking it out to the stuck vehicle.
Once hooked onto an anchor point—a tow hook in this case—walk back to the Ram, take the winch remote controller (we stash ours underneath the front middle seat), and plug it into the receptacle in the front bumper. Then, hop into the driver’s seat, fire up the truck, ensure the parking brake is set, your foot is on the brake, and the transmission is in neutral. Then rock the toggle switch on the winch controller back and watch as you free your stricken comrade.
With the vehicle free, simply follow the same steps in reverse order, and you’re ready for the next recovery and your next adventure.
Read more on our long-term Ram 2500 Power Wagon here:
| 2018 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Power Wagon | |
| BASE PRICE | $53,690 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $63,280 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, 4WD, 6-pass, 4-door truck |
| ENGINE | 6.4L/410-hp/429-lb-ft OHV 16-valve V-8 |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 7,316 lb (58/42%) |
| WHEELBASE | 149.5 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 237.4 x 79.1 x 81.0 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 8.6 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 16.5 sec @ 85.4 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 139 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.70 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 29.8 sec @ 0.55 g (avg) |
| REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB | 11.6/15.3/13.0 mpg |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | Not rated |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | Not rated |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | Not rated |
The post 2018 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Long-Term Update 3 appeared first on Motor Trend.
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