Mega-Cab a front-runner among big trucks

This week we go full-size in our test drive, and we may never go back.

Dodge enters the full-size crew-cab market with a vengeance with its 2006 Ram 1500 Laramie Mega Cab 4x4. Impressive in every big-measurement category, Ram Tough never looked so good.

The Mega Cab had observers shaking their head at its sheer size, and it’s no wonder. The new model offers, among other firsts, best-in-class interior room, largest and longest cab, largest interior cargo volume, largest second-row legroom and the first-ever reclining rear seats.

With full-size crew cab sales up 27 percent over last year, and now accounting for 39 percent of the total pickup-truck market, Dodge has made an impressive entrance to the fastest-growing truck segment.

In stepping up to the Mega-Cab, Dodge utilized the power of its 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, offering 345 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds of torque, both numbers again best in the crew-cab class. It also made the Hemi with a five-speed automatic standard on the 1500 and 2500 Mega Cab models.

By now you have an impression of a bully of a truck ready for anything. And you’re right. Still, the comfort and ride of this monster is also “big.”

Like a luxury sedan that has you glancing at the speedometer to find you’re well above the limit, Ram Mega Cab is smooth sailing on the open road. About the only criticism we could find was some unexpected wind noise at the top of the driver and passenger front doors.

The “mega” in the name certainly applies to the second row of seating — it’s like a living room back there. If reclining rear seats and a DVD player don’t do it, the living-room concept is driven home through climate control, headrests and drink holders. Those reclining rear seats also fold forward — flat if needed — to reveal 7.7 cubic feet of storage space behind them, including hidden in-floor storage bins.

Off-road, we had the Hemi roaring in some deep mud pits on mountain trails. The anti-spin differential rear axle that’s part of the Laramie Package helped Mega Ram pull out with ease. Ram’s four-wheel-drive system features a rigid-beam front axle with a five-link, coil-spring suspension and high-tech shock tuning. Out back is a heavy-duty solid axle merging with longitudinal two-stage leaf springs. Put succinctly, the suspension was working overtime while we rode steady inside.

The long list of standard features includes next-generation front air bags, anti-lock disc brakes, shift-on-the-fly transfer case, all the powers, Sirius satellite radio, 17-inch aluminum wheels, and much more.

In addition to the anti-lock differential, the Laramie package, which makes up most of the $6,995 difference between the base and tested price — minus $490 for leather-trimmed bucket seats and $900 for destination — includes a great towing package, supplemental side air bags, power sunroof, CD/full-map GPS display navigation/radio, engine-block heater, Uconnect Hands-free communication, under-rail box bedliner and the rear-seat video system.

Important numbers include a 34-gallon fuel tank, 4,956-pound curb weight, 8,800-pound towing capacity, 160.5-inch wheelbase and 8.6-inch ground clearance. (EPA numbers were not available, but it’s by no means a gas saver).

We certainly put the new Ram Mega-Cab among the front-runners in the big-truck category, and give it a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Likes: Size, ride, living-room comfort.

Dislikes: Wind noise, step-bumpers too tight to the body to be practical.