Instrumented Test
From the September 2014 Issue of Car and Driver
Although Jeep is the off-road jewel in Fiat Chrysler’s crown, few individual nameplates imply go-anywhere ruggedness quite like “Power Wagon.”
The grandest updates to the new Power Wagon, based on the Ram 2500 HD 4x4 crew cab, are the coil springs now at all four corners (replacing semi-elliptic leaf springs in the rear) and an upsized 6.4-liter Hemi V-8.
A six-speed automatic is the only transmission offered, and the standard two-speed transfer case includes a 2.64:1 low range and an old-school manual shift lever on the tunnel.
This is no desert-running Ford SVT Raptor. With a two-inch lift over normal Ram 2500 4x4s, an electronically detachable front anti-roll bar, and solid axles front and rear, the Power Wagon is a traditional, multipurpose 4x4.
The 33-inch-tall Goodyears afford excellent traction on loose, rocky trails. Locking front and rear differentials provide additional low-range mobility over boulders and up sharp climbs.
Objects in this photograph are even larger than they appear. Except for the driver; he's shown actual size.
This brute, though, is nearly as refined on pavement as a regular Ram 2500, except for the light hum generated by its off-road tires. At 7324 pounds, the Power Wagon is about 300 pounds heavier than a comparable Ram 2500 HD. The dash to 60 mph takes an additional half-second at 8.4 seconds, and the off-road meats stretched the 70-to-0-mph braking distance to 211 feet.
Three Power Wagon trim levels offer a wide range of entry points: The mid-level SLT ($50,340) has a flashy grille and stickers, but the simpler Tradesman ($45,690) and range-topping Laramie ($56,215) are more reserved, even if the latter has additional chrome bits and interior amenities, such as leather seats. If you’re worried that a fancy trim level has somehow wussified the Power Wagon, don’t—even the Laramie is worthy of the venerable badge.
