2008 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT Package (Auto Choice Lifted EDTN)

The heavy-duty Dodge Ram 3500's powerful engine choices and functional interior make it a solid choice for hard-core truck users. You'd have to be a little nutty to buy a 1-ton dually pickup truck and not really need one. Sure, those double tires and wide truck bed look tough, but the stiff-legged ride created by its beefed-up suspension can make highway cruising a jittery affair. Plus, driving a dually around suburbia is only one step removed from piloting a Norwegian Cruise liner down the Erie Canal. The 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 exists for truck buyers who need serious towing capacity, whether they're lugging around Secretariat's relatives or their own relatives in a 30-foot Fleetwood trailer. In other words, posers need not apply. Only three automakers offer heavy-duty pickup trucks, and the Dodge is the elder statesman of the group, having been introduced in 2003. An interior redesign a few years ago maintained the truck's freshness, while a new 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel debuted last year that seriously upped the Ram 3500's towing and hauling potential. Packing 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, the big diesel six-cylinder helps this biggest Ram tow up to 16,350 pounds. The Ram 3500 features a dual-wheel rear axle (except for short-bed Quad Cabs) and is available in two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive configurations, with the latter being controlled electronically on all but the lowest trim level. The four-wheel-drive 3500 has a solid front axle and recirculating-ball steering setup, while the two-wheel-drive model gets an independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. The 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 competes against the Ford F-350 and the impressive new 1-ton trucks from GM: the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 3500s. The Ram trails the GM trucks in terms of interior quality, but is much more competitive where it really matters. When equipped for maximum towing, the Ram trails the big GMs by only 150 pounds. The F-350 offers significantly less, though Ford offers a more capable F-450 model. One aspect that sets the Ram apart from its competitors is the Mega Cab, which stretches the regular crew cab by 20 inches. This provides rear occupants with nearly a foot more legroom, plus it creates storage space behind the reclining rear seatback. This is perfect for those with passenger-hauling priorities, but the Mega Cab can only be had with a short-bed design. Unless you need the 3500's maximum hauling and towing capabilities, the smoother-riding, less unwieldy half-ton Ram 2500 is a better choice. It is equipped almost identically and can be had with the same choice of engines, while its maximum towing capacity is only 3,000 pounds less than the big dually. Still, for those not-so-nutty people with a legitimate 1-ton need, the 2008 Ram 3500 will certainly serve them well.