Available in three forms, the 2500 and 3500 must surely be a no-no to even the most enthusiastic of US Truck lovers simply as a consequence of their vast dimensions that would make negotiating Britain’s tight roads an extreme difficulty, leaving the more modestly-sized 1500 as the favoured option.
‘Modest’ though isn’t the word that instantly comes to mind when you first see this vehicle. With a maximum width of 2029mm and a length of 7612mm, it’s unlikely you’ll go unnoticed when heading down your local high street, and you better be sure you’ve got a pretty large garage too. The 1500 comes in three different body shapes, the work-truck orientated Regular Cab, the Quad Cab familiar from the officially imported version and the recently launched Mega Cab, which as well as providing accommodation for six passengers also includes a six-foot cargo box.
The Regular model is only available with Dodge’s 3.7-litre engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, though on account of its vast load bed and vinyl 40/20/40 split-front bench, customers may consider this the ultimate work truck, even if its 19mpg fuel consumption may not quite make it economically viable as a day-to-day runaround.
As the Quad Cab is also intended to be a work truck, the vehicle includes the same front seat configuration, along with extra cabin space for the storage of equipment. The fact is though that Chrysler’s attempts to import this model failed largely because UK customers were unwilling to splash out a large sum of money on a glorified work-truck smothered with loads of extra kit.
The Mega Cab though is the range’s genuine lifestyle model, a fact evidenced by its 5.7-litre engine, six-speed autobox and lengthy equipment lists. The top-spec Laramie trim is likely to be the most easily available to UK customers and comes with a full range of gear, including a power sunroof, dual climate control, a satellite radio, a six-CD stereo, and a sat-nav, as well as the option of a DVD system.
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