Feature > New Vehicle Reviews
New Dodge Power Wagon
A Ram of a different breed
story and photos by Bruce Smith
Great suspension articulation gives the new Ram Power Wagon tremendous off-road prowess as demonstrated on this special ramp. Front sway-bar can be electronically disconnected at speeds below 18 mph to free up axle travel.
The stance. The look. The capabilities. It’s all about attitude. No matter how you view it, the newest Dodge Ram 4x4 to grace the highways and backroads to adventure has attitude to spare — just like the Power Wagons of old.
But the 2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon has even more — of everything.
With 345 ponies from the Hemi under the hood to a suspension and traction that far surpasses any four-wheel-drive pickup on the market, the new Power Wagon does its namesake proud. Based on the popular Ram 2500, the new Power Wagon (which ceased production 25 years ago) is indeed the ultimate pickup for those who work hard and take off-road adventures seriously.
We discovered this firsthand while driving in Moab, Utah, when torrential rains did a masterful job sliming up the slick-rock trails and sent creeks raging across Eastern Utah’s backroads. But the Power Wagon took it all in stride — no other pickup on the market could have kept up with it.
“The Dodge Ram Power Wagon obliterates the competition,” says Darryl Jackson, vice president of Dodge marketing. “It is the only pickup for severe off-road work conditions. With best-in-class off-road performance and Hemi power, the Power Wagon goes way beyond anything ever created by the competition.
“The Dodge Ram Power Wagon is built for extreme off-road conditions, but will attract a wide variety of buyers,” Jackson continues. “In addition to extreme off-roaders, the Power Wagon will be used in agricultural and forestry applications and by enthusiasts in extreme recreational situations or on their daily drive route.”
Special badging designates Power Wagons from the rest of the Dodge Ram pickups. Power Wagons are only available as four-wheel-drives.
Dodge offers the Rams in Regular and Quad Cab body styles, so there’s a cab layout for everyone as long as it’s four-wheel drive. The interior, save for special buttons and switches, is the same as in any new Dodge Ram. It’s roomy, comfortable, and functional.
Remaking Power Wagon
It’s what’s under the body that makes the Ram Power Wagon an off-road tour de force.
The suspension design and drivetrain components are state-of-the-art. For example, Dodge drivetrain engineers, off-road adventurers themselves, raised the running height of the big Ram from the stock 12 inches to 14.5 inches, thanks in part to 33-inch BFGoodrich All Terrain T/As at the corners. The suspension also gives the Power Wagon a taller stance and far better off-road performance than the typical Ram 2500. The Power Wagon features solid axles at both ends, along with single-stage leaf springs in the rear and coils in front. They add another inch to the stance.
Switch for disconnecting front sway-bar is located next to seat heater switch on the dash. The knob to the left controls the front and rear electric-locking differentials, which dramatically increase the Power Wagon’s traction quotient.
“This truck was built by off-roaders for off-roaders,” says Mike Donoughe, vice president of the Body-On-Frame product team. “One test drive of the all-new Dodge Ram Power Wagon’s state-of-the-art off-road axle and suspension package, and you know it means business.”
The incorporation of an electronic-disconnecting front stabilizer bar — a first in production pickups — is a significant part in making the Power Wagon suspension so off-road capable. Dodge calls it the “Smart Bar.”
The Smart Bar allows the driver to push a button that disconnects the bar in High or Low range as long as the vehicle is traveling less than 18 mph. When the bar is disengaged, the Power Wagon’s front suspension travel, which is controlled by custom Bilstein gas shocks, makes one think of a spider climbing over stones; the amount of wheel travel is nothing short of amazing. At speeds above 18 mph, the bar automatically reengages, reducing body roll and suspension articulation needed for vehicle stability at highway speeds.
Off-Road Force
Interior of all Power Wagons is the same as far as dash and manual transfer case. Leather or cloth and a few options make the differences.
Having all four wheels on the ground is important for off-road travel. But even more important is to have each wheel providing power. When Donoughe says, “this truck is built by off-roaders for off-roaders,” he wasn’t being glib; the new Power Wagon utilizes American Axle TracRite axles with electric locking differentials front and rear along with 4.56 gears.
The driver has full control whether the lockers are engaged and if the front, rear, or both are being utilized. This gives a driver maximum vehicle control for climbing boulders in Moab, negotiating a muddy four-wheel-drive trail in the Pacific Northwest, or moving around a construction work site.
Should the momentum stop, the new Power Wagon has one more ace-in-the-hole to get going again: a standard 12,000-pound-capacity Warn winch mounted behind the front bumper. A winch also was a standard feature on the 1946 Power Wagon, but it wasn’t electric, and it didn’t have 90 feet of galvanized aircraft cable on the drum or remote control.
Hemis were around in the days of the original Power Wagon, but they were a far cry from the performance of today’s state-of-the-art, 345-horse, fuel-injected model.
Full Featured
The 2005 Power Wagon has it all, from black fender flares and 17-inch forged-aluminum wheels to the custom Warn winch, skidplates, and lockers.
Dodge says the typical off-roader would have to pay nearly $10,000 in aftermarket parts and upgrades to get the same looks and performance from a standard Dodge Ram 4x4. Dodge delivers that for $6,335, which is the difference between a comparable Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 and the $36,600 Regular Cab Power Wagon. The Quad Cab model is $39,125.
Torrential rains in Moab turned creeks into rushing torrents that flooded canyon backroads. Our Power Wagons got us safely through each time.
Options are few: five-speed automatic, three-inch black tubular Nerf bars, leather interior, heated front seats, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, sun roof, and a skid-resistant bed liner.
Everything else you need is already part of the standard Power Wagon package. The Power Wagon is an SLT model, so it comes with DVD system, power everything, foglights, roof-mounted running lights (just like on the original Power Wagons), trailer tow package, and the special Power Wagon badges. Optioned or not, Regular Cab long bed or Quad Cab short box, five-speed automatic or six-speed manual, the Hemi-powered 2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon is a remarkable performer on- and off-pavement.
Specifications
General Information
Body styles: Regular Cab and Quad Cab™ Short Box
Assembly plant: Saltillo, Mexico
Model: 4WD
Engine
5.7-Liter Hemi Magnum® V-8
Displacement: 343 cu. in. (5654 cu. cm)
Power (SAE net): 345 hp (257 kW) @ 5400 rpm, (58.4 hp/L)
Torque (SAE Net): 375 lb-ft (509 N•m) @ 4200 rpm
Fuel Requirement: Unleaded midgrade, 89 octane (R+M)/2: recommended
Alternator rating: 160-amp
Transmissions
G56-manual, 6 speed (std); or 5-45RFE Automatic 5 speed (opt)
Transfer Case
Manual NV271 Part-time; 2WD; 4WD High; Neutral; 4WD Low
Low-Range Ratio: 2.72
Dimensions And Capacities
Quad Cab-4x4 Short Box
Wheelbase: 140.5
Track, front: 69.5
Track, rear: 68.5
Overall length: 227.7
Ground clearance
Front axle: 8.4
Rear axle: 8.3
Approach angle: 35°
Ramp breakover angle: 25.5°
Departure angle: 27.7°
Fuel tank, gal. (L): 34 (128)
Regular Cab-4x4, Long Box
Wheelbase: 140.5
Track, front: 69.5
Track, rear: 68.5
Overall length: 229.7
Overall width: 79.5
Overall height: 80.6
Tailgate load height: 36.3
Ground clearance
Front axle: 8.4
Rear axle: 8.3
Approach angle: 35°
Ramp breakover angle: 25.5°
Departure angle: 27.7°
Fuel tank, gal. (L): 35 (132)
The Original Dodge Power Wagon
From Dodge Truck PR
After World War II, GIs returning home wrote to Dodge and asked, “Where can we get a truck like the ones we used in the war?” Dodge responded by building the Power Wagon. Virtually unchanged from its introduction in 1945 to when its domestic sales ended in 1968, the Dodge Power Wagon is the classic four-wheel-drive truck.
Dodge Power Wagons first appeared on the civilian market in 1946 as the model WDX. Model designations changed over the years, but the Power Wagon was offered only as a 1-ton truck through its final year of production in 1968.
In 1957, Dodge introduced a line of four-wheel-drive trucks known as Power Wagons. They were available with different engines, including V-8s, and winches were standard.
The Power Wagon was similar in design to the 3/4-ton weapons carrier — with a 126-inch wheelbase, closed cab similar to the Dodge VC series trucks — and the front shell and grille reminiscent of that on the T234 3/4-ton (also known as the Burma Road truck) built by Dodge for the Chinese army.
The original Dodge Power Wagon featured a 230-cubic-inch flathead-six engine, a two-speed transfer case, a four-speed transmission with a power take-off opening, which sent power to the front and back of the truck for operating auxiliary equipment, and big 9.00/16-8 ply tires on 16x6-inch five-stud wheels. The 1-ton-rated Power Wagon’s maximum GVW rating was 8,700 pounds. Its maximum payload was 3,000.
A pickup box that measured 8x4.5 feet also was designed. Dodge factory-built this four-wheel-drive truck for over a year and a half before the Willys 4T and 10 years before other manufacturers began producing 4x4 trucks, making it the first mass-produced civilian 4x4.
Over the years, changes were made to the original Dodge Power Wagon, including a 251-cubic-inch engine to replace the original 230-cubic-inch, as well as synchromesh transmission, alternator, and a 12-volt electrical system. Many custom-bodied Power Wagons were put into service as fire trucks and school buses. One of the finest examples is the custom Cantrell-bodied four-door woody station wagon — the original Dodge sport/utility vehicle.
The 1947 WDX featured amenities including electric wipers, a driver’s sun visor and armrest, dome light, a heater, and the Braden 10,000-pound winch. In 1957, Dodge introduced another line of four-wheel-drive trucks, also known as Power Wagons, with the model designations W100, W200, W300, and W500. More conventional in styling, these Dodge Power Wagons were available with different engines, including V-8s.
A total of 95 145 WDX-WM300 Power Wagons were sold from 1945 to 1968. Exports continued through 1971 and limited sales continued through 1978, with versions that included slant-six engines and hanging pedal assemblies.
After the 1968 model year, the Dodge Power Wagon went out of production because the nearly 30-year-old cab did not comply with new federal light-duty-truck regulations.