• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

2006 Dodge Rampage Concept

Rampage Breaks all Pickup Truck Conventions

Dodge says that the 2006 Rampage concept vehicle is a pickup truck for non-conventional pickup truck buyers. A lot of new, modern pseudo-pickups claim to do this, such as the Explorer Sport Trac and the award-winning Honda Ridgeline, but then again, even by comparison to the Rampage, they both seem rather ordinary. The Rampage, instead, looks to the needs and uses of the average family and integrates them into a pickup-like vehicle. As a concept, it follows few rules, and manages to even break a bunch in the process from brainwave to prototype, but hey, thats all part of the evolutionary process.

Like a family sedan, or a minivan, when a pickup truck is being designed its form follows its function - generally hauling or towing stuff. In the case of the average all-American workhorse, the order of importance tends to fall as follows: frame, then bed, followed by engine compartment, and lastly (and most often least), cab. Since domestication of these workhorses began in the latter half of the 90s, there has been pressure on companies

Dodge has often pondered how it can advance the truck. The Rampage is proof that Dodge is constantly working. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

like Dodge, GM and Ford to find ways to make the truck more friendly to those who carry people more often than loads. Theyve done it by stretching out the cabin to create things like the unbelievably large Ram Mega Cab, but as good as this is, it only addresses part of the problem by making a traditional pickup truck more accommodating inside, not redefining the genre.

The Rampage is one of the first trucks built entirely around the idea that a pickup can be a family vehicle, much in the way that the enclosed pickups, such as the original International Scout, Ford Bronco and Chevy K5 Blazer evolved into the modern-day family SUV, or for that matter how the cargo-hauling delivery van, outfitted with windows and velour seats in the 70s and early 80s, was scaled down and turned into the much-loved minivan. Rampage and DCXs Senior VP of Design, Trevor Creed. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) />
Designers allocated much of the Rampages overall length to the cabin, followed by a five-foot long bed, leaving the rest of its overall length for the hood and engine. All of this is packaged into a footprint no longer than the current Dakota, and no wider than the Ram, allowing the Rampage to be easily maneuvered on city streets. So far, it all sounds pretty good.

It also looks pretty good too, if not a bit kitchy as this isnt exactly a prototype-style concept. It has all the standard Dodge styling cues, like the big crosshair grille and double-muscle flared fenders. Big 22-inch wheels and plenty of chrome help contribute to the Rampages tough-as-nails truck-like persona, but Dodge has stretched out on a stylistic limb, integrating some unusual sporty undertones that can be picked up on when looking at the new concepts side profile; details like the shape of the rear window, for instance, are clearly influenced by sleek coupes. One things for sure, however.

With the midgate down, Rampages 5-foot bed is extended into the cabin. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

No matter what angle you look from, the Rampage Concept is a much more substantial vehicle than the previous Rampage, a Subaru BRAT-style car-based pickup, made from the Omni-based Dodge Charger. Blech!

Inside, the Rampage has some rather neat touches. In fact, the way you enter the cabin, as well as the seating arrangement on the whole, shares a lot with the Dodge Grand Caravan. A pickup with minivan DNA? Sure, why not, if it aids in entry and exit? Like any modern minivan, the front doors swing open, but the side rear doors on the Rampage slide. And thats not all - the Rampage has Sto-N-Go seats, too, the nifty seating system which allows all seats but the drivers to neatly fold away into recesses under the rubberized, washable floor. This all comes in handy when youre carrying really large objects that dont quite fit in the bed, because the Rampage has a midgate like the Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT, that folds down to allow extra-long carry-ons to enter the cabin.
The interior is also interesting, not only in its design but for material

Clever console, which holds the stereo and sat-nav screen, swivels for easier access to the driver or front-seat passenger. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler )

choices as well. For starters, the dashboard, with its floating center console, is a rather neat design that pivots for angle; hot on the heels of the ultra-thin console found in the Volvo S40/V50/C70. Just above, the Rampage integrates an overhead console system that features storage spaces and flip-down LCD displays, offset at each side by panoramic glass roofing. The cabin has a bright orange and charcoal color theme, and uses materials like polyurethane-coated fabrics to ensure that the dashboard, panels and seats are comfortable, durable and easy to clean.

Poke your nose under the hood and youll find an engine fit for even the toughest of pickups - the Rampage is powered by DCXs star powerplant, the 5.7-liter HEMI MDS V8 engine. Nothing fancy has been done to the big V8, which pumps out 345-horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque in this application, mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox; but just aft of this rather straight-forward pickup truck powertrain, things start to get a bit different. What youre about to hear next is sure to stop a truck fans heart cold: the engine drives the front wheels. Yes, you read that right. The Rampage, a three-quarters size pickup

Sliding doors, Stow n Go seats and a tailgate that doubles as a ramp. Now thats just plain useful. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

truck, and one powered by a big, torquey V8, no less, is a front-wheel drive vehicle. Why?
 
Obviously theres a reason for this, and it has to do with maximizing storage space and overall usability. Where most pickup trucks include a bed out back, the Rampage features a bed plus clean storage; i.e. a viable trunk that can be used to store things away from the elements. Most truck owners either have to buy a tonneau cover, an enclosed bed box, or store things inside the cab, but such itself is a compromise that said owner must make in order to accommodate a pickup trucks haul-anything payload capacity. Ask any truck owner, and Im sure theyll agree, that carrying a weeks worth of groceries with four people in the cabin is not exactly the most enjoyable of experiences. The space otherwise used for the rear- or four-wheel drive running gear, allows the Rampage to hollow out an enclosed space large and deep enough to allow a stack of 4x8 plywood sheets to be concealed and carried on board. To ensure that this area of the truck isnt exposed to heat or exhaust fumes, the exhaust system exits though side-mounted pipes mounted ahead of the rear wheels.
 
Dodge has also ensured that, for normal use, the Rampages bed remains functional and useable. Because this truck is geared towards owners who have

Rampage is sure to be one of Chicagos biggest shockers with its FWD Hemi powertrain combo. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

active lifestyles, the beds tailgate features a number of built-in aids such as retractable tether hooks, formations to secure 2x4 boards, and a very clever multi-position tailgate which can double as a loading ramp for motorcross bikes, ATVs and other wheeled vehicles. The bed may only be five feet in length, but when it comes to usability size isnt the only thing that matters.

Could, or more importantly, would Dodge ever build a vehicle like the Rampage? Its uncertain, but entering into such uncharted territory would certainly take some time. The Rampage is clearly no ordinary truck, and in a way its in a class of its own as it defies so many conventional pickup truck rules, such as its minivan-inspired details, the inclusion of a proper trunk and the unusual front-wheel drive layout. Yet, at the same time, thinking outside of the "box", per se, has helped Dodge take leaps and bounds beyond its more traditional truck lineup when it comes to everyday practicality and usability, at least in areas which many consumers demand. Just how it will pull heavy trailers or haul serious payloads is uncertain, but such jobs are for buyers of its Dakota and Ram models. The times are changing , however, with new niches being formed to address the needs of smaller consumer groups. For years and years, such buyers have been forced to conform their lifestyles to the strict definition of the conventional pickup - perhaps, its time for a change.

Page:  1

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo