The king is dead, long live the king. The outgoing DS RAM 1500 Express has been replaced with the DT RAM 1500 Big Horn and it makes one hell of a tow tug.
You don’t have to look too hard to see everywhere you go things are getting bigger. Bigger caravans, bigger holidays, bigger living. It’s no surprise then that the tow tugs we haul our home away from home with are getting bigger too, and if you’re after comfort on and off the road, it’s certainly a good thing.
Over the last few years, a recent influx of yank-tanks have hit the RV market square between the eyes. Designed from the ground up for hauling serious loads in comfort, it’s not hard to see why we’ve flocked to them. RAM Trucks Australia have been leading this charge.
“We’ve sold nearly 25,000 RAMs since 2015 – across metropolitan, regional and rural areas – with many of them being used as fit-for-purpose vehicles for towing farm machinery, horse floats, caravans, boats and more,” says Jeff Barber, RAM Trucks Australia National Manager.
With their first-generation DS Ram’s winding up production, the far more modern DS models are taking over. Like what Nissan did way back with the D22 and D40 Navara side by side. RAM has just announced the Big Horn as their new entry-level into the full-size American pickup market, and we’ve gotta be honest, on paper, it sure does make a lot of sense. Let’s take a closer look.
Big wheelbase
When you’re towing, the bigger the tow-tug, the smoother it’ll tow. Imagine a 10kg dog trying to wag a 20kg tail, and you’ll understand what we mean. The increased mass is one thing, but the increased wheelbase is what really stands out to us as a must-have for adventurers towing caravans, campers, or toy haulers on big trips.
Already one of the longest wheelbases on the market, the new RAM 1500 Big Horn now gives customers a choice of either a 1700mm or 1930mm long tray on the back. The ability to load two dirt bikes up side by side without needing the tailgate down is amazing, but so is an extra 230mm wheelbase for anyone towing a larger van.
The RAM Big Horn promises to haul those larger loads around with ease, too. Up front, there’s the big old Hemi V8 people have come to know and love, and it’s capable of a full 4.5T max-braked towing capacity and offers up an ample 900kg payload. So unless you’re towing a cruiseliner or have an insane canopy setup, that should be more than enough to get the job done.
Big power
Big power is the name of the game when towing big loads, but big economy is what’ll get things done when travelling big distances. The Big Horn DT RAM 1500s aim to do both with their rather unique eTorque system. RAM did away with a conventional alternator hanging off the top of the Hemi, instead fitting a 48V motor-generator system feeding into a 430Wh lithium-ion nickel battery mounted at the back of the cab.
That system sends 122Nm of power from the motor generator for lightning-fast stop-start technology. The RAM will start rolling off the line before the V8 even fires back into life. The direct benefit to you as a driver is around 1.5L/100km better fuel efficiency, bumping the RAM down to 12.2L/100km instead of nearly 14L/100km. That puts it on par with real-world figures from many popular utes on the market.
Of course, the Big Horn RAM still packs plenty of punch for people after a more traditional driveline. That iconic 5.7L V8 Hemi engine punches out an impressive 291kW and 556Nm through an 8-speed automatic transmission and sounds a million bucks in the process.
Big comfort
There’s no way to sugar-coat it, the RAM 1500 Big Horn is expensive. When the RAM 1500s were first introduced to the Australian market with the DS, the entry-level Express was priced just a hair over $80,000. Since then, prices have risen up to just under $100,000 for the same vehicle. Now, the DT RAM 1500 Big Horn starts at $119,950 plus on roads for the short-wheelbase version and $120,950 plus on roads for the long-wheelbase version. That’s some serious money for the entry model of anything.
But despite being low-spec to utes that cost literally half as much, the RAM Big Horn does still offer big comfort. Sure, there’s the usual kit, an 8.4-inch touchscreen system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control. But you also get heated (albeit cloth) front seats, a heated steering wheel, and an electric sliding rear cab window. Match that with simply huge legroom, enough space in the back for even the largest kids, and a smooth compliant ride that nothing but mass can give you, and the Big Horn starts looking like big value.
Sure, it’s going to be well out of the justifiable price range for a lot of tourers, but compared to chopping a LandCruiser in half, it offers a convincing argument.
