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

2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab Road & Track Test

Saying Goodbye to the Nuttiest Pickup Truck Ever Made

What an insane idea! Take a tough as nails load haulin full-size pickup truck, shoehorn in a thunderous 500-horsepower V10 from Americas supercar, the Viper, and go break some land speed records. Some automakers might put together a one-off skunk works project to eek out a few lines from the press, possibly garnering some front page attention, but it had to be Dodge to put it into production.

I tried out the two-door 2004 Ram SRT-10 a few years back, and was not only floored with its ridiculous power off the line but also wowed by how well it hung on around the Chelsea Proving Grounds racecourse. OK, oversteer wasnt too difficult to provoke, but kicking its tail out only made more fun to drive. If kept in check, it could haul around corners with dumbfounding precision and

A 500-hp Viper engine in a half-ton pickup truck? Insane! (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

then leave you breathless as it powered down the straights. So how could Dodge make it better? Add four doors.

Well, Im not so sure that increasing the trucks weight with a larger four-door configuration and then only making it available with an automatic makes the SRT-10 Quad Cab a better sport truck, but it certainly is more useful. As of the 2005 model year, the option of four doors has made the SRT-10 a practical family hauler that can actually make the most out of the V10s 525 lb-ft of torque; it can tow thanks

The two-door model I first tested is still my favourite. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

to that robust four-speed automatic with overdrive. And by the way, although I tested this truck ages ago as a 2005 model, the 2006 SRT-10 features the revised front end of the new Ram. It will be the most collectible, of course, being that both models are now cancelled and the latest version only ran for a single year.

I have to admit that the slushbox saps a lot of the fun factor out of this super-truck, and despite having a family of five Id probably opt for the sportier two-seat, two-door for the sake of its TREMEC six-speed manual, that is if I was crazy enough to buy

What Dodge can make a four-door pickup truck do is absolutely outrageous. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

into Dodges take on the ultimate pickup. When I first drove the two-door I couldnt help finding myself tapping away on the calculator, awestruck with its amazingly affordable price tag of $45,795. I mean, Id just driven Chevys Silverado SS that looked really nice but didnt really offer much bang for an even higher buck; comparatively the Ram SRT-10 seemed like a steal. By last year (MY 2006) the price had climbed to $48,505 and the new four-door started at $52,710, although there arent any 2007 models shown.

It only makes sense that something this good cant last forever. After all, at the rate that Chrysler Group is losing money lately,

Fast enough for you? (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

about 1.4 billion during the last quarter, somethings got to go. Ford lost its Lightning due to a shortage of development capital, even though there was an outcry from the blue-oval faithful for the 500-horsepower concept unveiled at the 2003 Detroit show, and have you seen an SSR at a Chevy dealership lately? Not likely.

Then again, as cool as the SSR was to retro fans it didnt come close to measuring up to the Ram SRT-10 when it came to performance. The sign NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughn held up after besting the old Ford Lightnings top speed of 147.54 mph to the tune of 154.587 mph in a two-way average says it all... or at least most of it. That day he set a Guinness Record for Worlds Fastest Truck at DaimlerChryslers Chelsea (Michigan) Proving

Look at that lineup of SRT cars. Its enough to make your mouth water. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Grounds, where I first tested it, but my guess is that it would win worlds quickest pickup truck to 60 mph or in the quarter mile too, as itll get there in 4.9 to 5.2 seconds, depending on the test results available, and 13.8 seconds respectively. Yeah, thats BMW M3 and Porsche 911 territory. Now that were talking numbers, itll hold on to 0.92 Gs while circling the skid-pad too, thanks to a performance-tuned strut and spring assembly, Bilstein mono-tube shocks and Viper style 22 by 10-inch alloy rims and Pirelli Scorpion P305/40R22 performance tires. How does the larger Quad Cab measure up?
Well, it takes a little longer to sprint to 60 due to its greater mass, but 5.4 seconds is still pretty amazing. Most people who actually plan to use the truck for

Even the longer Quad Cab took to Tremblants curves with the finesse of a sports car. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

doing stuff wont mind the small price in performance for the extra seats and cargo room; the Quad Cab stretches the regular SRT-10 from 17 feet, 7 inches to 19 feet, 2 inches overall, giving the latter a smoother ride as well.

This was evident over the rather horrible roads that surround Quebecs Mont-Tremblant racetrack, where I tested the limits of this monster truck. Surprisingly the souped up Ram didnt beat up my undercarriage, but rather it proved to be quite pleasant over rough, uneven pavement. Certainly it wasnt as easy on the derriere as a regular Ram, but it was smoother than the Power Wagon that I drove to this track for a Ferrari event on a separate occasion. Out on the babys butt smooth asphalt of the track, mind you, I might as well have been in a Charger SRT-8.

Yes, this is probably the best track surface

Taking the final turn before the front straight. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

in North America, and one of the more entertaining circuits. Ive lauded this racecourse at length in many previous reviews, so Ill leave such gushing for another time and only tell you of my experience with the larger SRT-10. In a word: ASTONISHING! Power comes on so strong when leaving the pits that I ramped up speed too fast, dropping down into the esses much quicker than I had initially intended, at least for my first lap. While the Chrysler 300 SRT8 I tested here on the same day could snake through these turns quicker than the big truck, I was surprised at just how nicely the Ram carved up the turns, saving me from entering the first corner too quickly by oversteering nicely when clipping the inside curb on my way out of the second turn... actually turn 5 on the track.

After a few more laps I got used to the trucks abilities and entered the esses at a more responsible

Coming onto the front straight. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

speed, allowing for a better line through turn 4 and cleaner exit out of 5, which set up the short straight and long sweeping, full throttle left bend (turn 6) and cresting right (turn seven) for maximum velocity. Its a rush going through there, as the Gs are so strong that the inherently top-heavy truck feels as though its going to fly off the track, but of course I live to tell that its meaty shoes stuck to the tarmac without even complaining. Again, with each lap I grew more confident of the SRT-10s abilities, pushing it further and further until Id reached my limit of mental adhesion... the truck never reached its limit, mind you.

Turn 8 is about as fun as any corner, anywhere, especially if you disregard exit speed and hand the tail out for maximum effect, which I did the first few times. This, unfortunately, makes for a lousy exit into an uphill straight, although the trucks outlandish output makes up for such mistakes (even purposeful ones) quickly. When I finally got serious

The sound of the big V10 echoing off of the barriers is intoxicating. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

about going as fast as I could on the tracks longest straight (OK, theres a slight bend dubbed turn 9 as the straight crests the hill and dips downward), I set up 9 properly, jumped the curb and cleanly headed for the opposite side of the track as I bled the steering out slowly, the Ram executing such apexes perfectly. Again, I couldnt help but giggle like a schoolgirl at what I was doing in a pickup truck.

Turns 10 through 12 are my personal favourites on Tremblant, hard on the brakes after nearing 130 mph and cutting across 10, staying fairly wide to set up 11 (the Gulch) and then powering up a rather steep hill, under a bridge and braking for a tight turn 12, left all the way. Up above the course bends to the right around 13 and 14, the sharpest corner on the circuit that precedes another dramatic elevation change as it straightens out for 15, the final bend before the front straight.

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