There’s no question that Ram engineers love what they do, and they take their trucks’ performance very, very seriously. So when the time came to take a trip out west to put the new Ram 1500 through its paces, what do you think they did?
They brought the competition along, of course, namely a Ford F-150. What happened? Hard evidence that the Ram 1500 can seriously out-tow the Ford F-150. And they proved it several times.
One of the tests that the Ram engineers performed was the ability to tow a trailer up a mountain. When trailer tow weight ratings are figured out, they’re done according to standards set by each individual manufacturer based on what they consider to be “optimal” for their consumers. Basically, there is no single standard that all truck-makers need to follow.
Let’s just say that we like to hold Ram up to a higher standard.
So the Ram engineers wanted to fully understand how the Ram 1500 stacked up versus the Ford F-150 in uphill towing. They took a pre-production 2010 Ram 1500 Laramie and a 2009 F-150 Lariat (which was further equipped with Ford’s maximum towing package) and loaded up two trailers to get to a gross combined weight of 15,500 lbs. – and put the two vehicles through a series of tests.
So, despite the fact that the Ford F-150’s gross combined weight (GCW) rating is actually higher than the Ram 1500’s — 17,100 lbs. versus 15,500 lbs., respectively — those are just numbers.
And the numbers sometimes don’t tell the whole story, especially in real life situations. Like towing a trailer up a grade at wide-open throttle (aka WOT – think “pedal to the metal”).
Why? To prove that Ram 1500 is truly superior when the towing gets rough.
The Ram has a higher combination of horsepower and torque in its 5.7L HEMI V8 – 390 hp and 407 lbs-ft to be exact. But the Ram 1500 also employs a combination of both mechanical and electronic fans to deliver a superior cooling system. And when towing those heavy loads, the Dodge Ram’s Rear Coil Spring Suspension provides 25% more lateral stiffness, resulting in a more stable and secure ride.
So the Ram 1500 not only delivers more power and stability, but also keeps its cool when needed.
Want to see proof? Watch the video of the Ram 1500 vs. Ford F-150 uphill tow:
