Just like its landscapes, fast food and waistlines, the USA’s pickup trucks are of an epic scale. To us Brits, with our narrow ribbons of hedge-lined tarmac and quaint on-street parking, a Ford Ranger or VW Amarok might seem a lump of a vehicle. But these are mere toys compared with what’s tearing around on the other side of the pond.
Take the 1500 from Ram – this all-American juggernaut is more than half a metre longer than an Isuzu D-Max, 200mm wider and 400kg heavier. And it’s one of the small ones.
This bulk is the primary reason why trucks of this size have rarely been proffered in the UK, save for a handful of grey imports that have bypassed official channels. European importer KW Automotive has bucked that trend though, making it possible to buy a left-hand-drive Ram through an approved dealer, complete with a full warranty.
To find out if that’s a sensible proposition, we got behind the wheel of a mid-spec 1500 Laramie; one of the best sellers in the UK.
V8 power
Like all regular 1500s, the Laramie is hauled along by a 5.7-litre naturally aspirated Hemi V8 that’s good for 395hp. This sort of firepower is unheard of in regular European diesel pickups, where the gutsiest models top out at less than 250hp. Consequently, it can propel its 2.4t bulk from 0-60mph in a sprightly 6sec and keep on hustling until it hits a limited top speed of just over 107mph.
Tempting as it is to gun it off the mark and let the engine sing, the modest exhaust and healthy dose of sound-deadening means the V8 roar comes through more like a pleasing burble. This is fine, because the V8 in the 1500 exists for effortless cruising and towing ability, rather than lairy noise making – there’s a 702hp supercharged TRX version if that’s more your bag.
Considering the Ram’s mammoth proportions and huge engine, its thirst for petrol isn’t as voracious as one might expect, returning up to 24mpg on a motorway cruise and about 18mpg with mixed driving. This is thanks to its multi-displacement system (MDS) that shuts the engine down to four cylinders when full V8 power isn’t required.
These running costs are still hard to stomach for UK buyers, so many trucks are specced with a Prins LPG conversion, complete with 100-, 200- or 320-litre tank bolted under the pickup bed. At current prices, KW Automotive says this makes running costs for the Ram comparable to a vehicle that does 40mpg on petrol alone.
