Base MSRP Range: $24,970 - $51,810
Base Invoice Range: $22,104 - $45,602
MSRP As Tested: $47,915
Versions: 1500, 2500, 3500
Vehicle Category: Full-Size Pickup Truck
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Four-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive.
Standard Engine as Tested: 5.7-liter, Hemi, Overhead Valve, 16-valves, V-8, 345 - horsepower at 5400 rpm and 375 lb-ft torque at 4200 rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed automatic.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 14/18.
Optional Engine: 5.9-liter, Cummins Turbo Diesel, Overhead Valve, 24-valves, I-6, 325 - horsepower at 2900 rpm and 610 lb-ft torque at 1600 rpm.
Transmission: Six-speed manual with overdrive.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): Not Available.
Standard Safety Features: Driver and passenger airbags, "> Anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes.
Competition: Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford F-250/350 Super Duty, GMC Sierra HD, Lincoln Mark LT, Nissan Titan.
I was terrified the first time I drove a U-Haul truck.
Since I'd started acquiring bachelor junk -- a black leather sofa, cheap reproductions of modern art and other tasteless bits -- I had to find a way to move them from Texas to Arkansas, and I knew my Miata wouldn't do. I loaded everything into the orange U-Haul and hoped for the best.
Boy, it was intimidating. Compared to the zippy little Miata, driving the U-Haul felt like trying to maneuver Mount Everest down the highway. It was a big, lumbering beast of a truck that had sloppy steering, a bumpy ride and a cabin so noisy I could hardly hear the radio at full blast, but it got the job done.
Fast forward to 2005 and I'm back in Texas and married with two kids -- another on the way -- and behind the wheel of a new, $100,000 luxury car that Jaguar had loaned me to write a press review. It was a long-wheelbase version of the aluminum-bodied XJ8 that had a limo-like back seat with enough room to stretch your feet all the way forward. The back of that car was one primo place to ride.
Why do I bring up these polar opposites? Because Dodge found a way to mix them both in the 2006 Ram Mega Cab pickup.
The Mega Cab, like the U-Haul, is a beast. It has a gargantuan cabin that's 20 inches longer than the regular Ram Crew Cab, so it dwarfs everything on the road with the exception of commercial trucks. Even 18-wheelers don't look so intimidating when you're behind the wheel of this thing.
Also like the U-Haul, the supersized Ram is designed for getting a specific job done -- hauling huge stuff. The light-duty Mega Cab 1500 version can tow up to 8,750 pounds, and a properly configured 3500 model can tow almost 16,000 pounds. That's unreal.
On the downside, all that towing capacity means the Mega Cab has to use a heavy-duty suspension that's murder on your backside. It has a bouncy, rough ride that's not unlike the one in my orange moving truck.
Then there's the other side of the Mega Cab equation -- the Jaguar-like side.
For one thing, it's amazing how quiet this truck is from inside the cabin. In my test truck, a Mega Cab 2500 with a big Cummins turbo diesel engine, I could roll down the windows with the motor running and hear what sounded like jackhammers pounding under the hood -- RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT ñ with the kind of noise that would send a jumbo jet home crying to its mamma.
But when I'd roll the windows up, all that noise disappeared. It was like a six-foot-thick concrete wall had suddenly been placed between me and the engine, turning the pounding jackhammers into a gentle purr. I don't know what Dodge did to keep the noise out, but it works beautifully.
The other Jaguar-esque quality is the roominess of the Mega Cab's back seat, which seems so big you could fit a Navy battleship in the place where your legs are supposed to go. It's absolutely enormous.
It's also comfortable, especially with reclining seats, separate heating and air conditioning vents, reading lights, a big armrest with cupholders, and an optional DVD player.
The Mega Cab has a couple of downsides, not the least of which is a relatively puny bed. Dodge had to shorten the bed down to around 6 feet because of the extra-long cabin, so people who need the functionality of a long-bed pickup are out of luck.
There's also the issue of cheap materials in the cabin, which is actually quite normal for heavy-duty trucks, but I still find it unforgivable in a vehicle that can breach the $50,000 barrier. Unlike the light-duty trucks that are becoming more luxurious and carlike with each passing year, the Mega Cab still uses tacky plastics and comparatively poor construction that make it feel more like a cheap economy car than the high-dollar ride that it is.
Pricing starts around $32,000 for a 4x2 1500 model with a Hemi V8 and goes up to $47,695 for a 3500 Laramie 4x4. Add in options like a navigation system ($2,545), DVD player ($1,200) and upgraded stereo ($950), and you're looking at a luxury pickup with a luxury price tag to match.
Depending on how you see it, that's either a lot more expensive than renting a U-Haul or a lot less expensive than buying a Jag.
Pros: If you need a huge cabin and lots of towing capacity, nothing has more space than the Mega Cab. It has the biggest cabin available in a pickup and plenty of luxurious options, including a navigation system and DVD player.
Cons: Like all heavy-duty trucks, it has a cabin filled with tacky, cheap-feeling materials, which is obnoxious in a truck that can cost well over $50,000. It also has a relatively short bed at 6 feet, 3 inches.
Ratings (1-10)
- Style: 8
- Performance: 10
- Price: 6
- Handling: 2
- Ride: 1
- Comfort: 6
- Quality: 6
- Overall: 6
More Data
Where Built: Mexico
Major Options: Work Special Group, Value Groups, Sport Quick Order Package, Laramie Quick Order Packages, Big Horn/Lone Star/Thunder Road Value Group, Night Runner Group, Sound and Secure Value Group, Communication Package, Light Group, Premium Equipment Group, Off-Road Group, Trailer Tow Group. Additional options include: Curtain side airbags, Front and rear antilock brakes, Navigation system, Power sunroof, Front bucket seats, Leather upholstery, Heated front seats, Satellite radio, Cruise control, Rear defogger, Sliding rear window, Fog lights, Front hood protector, Alloy wheels, Front tow hooks, Chrome alloy wheels.
Seating: 6.
Number of Rows: 2.
Length in Inches: 247.7
Warranties: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper, 7/70,000 miles Extended powertrain, 5 years/100,000 miles Corrosion protection, 3 years/36,000 miles Roadside assistance.
Weight in Pounds: 6082 - 6179 lbs.
Cargo Capacity in Pounds: 2330 - 2430 lbs.
Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: 8510 lbs.
Towing Capacity in Pounds: 7650 - 8650 lbs.
Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 35.0
Destination Charge: $900.
