Are you a mans man? Do you wish your phones ringtone were a large diesel engine starting up each and every time someone calls you? Well then you are in luck! Dodge Ram and Cummins have just the ringtone for you. You can download (for FREE!) a ringtone for your cellular device that is the 6.7 liter inline six Cummins Diesel starting and then idling. Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch? Now get to downloadin and have one of those many friends of yours call you, just so you can hear that baby purr. Enjoy your new ringtone!
You have all heard about the mile high club right? Well how about the high mileage club? No? Well if you own a Dodge Ram truck with the Cummins diesel and have just broken that baby in (over 100,000 miles) then you are part of the club! Well not really, you need to sign up for the club. But, once you sign up for the club, you are part of the club! What does the club get you? Well you get a nifty grille badge to show off proudly ($4.95 for shipping and handling of course)! So vastly different then the mile high club but possibly still as note worthy to some. Head here for all the details and to apply (if you meet the requirements of course).
In a debate as old as time, we take a moment to discuss the new Duramax and Power Stroke diesel engines in the new Ford and GM heavy duty pickup trucks. This classic debate ignites the passion in many enthusiasts.
On the left we have the new Duramax hooked to the Allison transmission. Pumping out 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft to the rear or all four wheels, this engine is by no means a slouch. Slamming the go pedal at 30 mph will throw the traction control into a frenzy.
On the right we have the new Power Stroke which is all new and was developed in house by Ford. Pumping out 400 horsepower and 800 lb-ft to the rear or all four wheels, this engine is on paper, king of the hill. It is worth noting this engine has already received a factory software flash to upgrade the power to exceed the new Duramax power ratings.
So take a moment watch the video below and make your call, which side are you on?
Side note- I did this video clip in one take. I know it is lb-ft not ft-lb when referring to torque. I also know it is diesel not gas. I slipped on those two occasions and did not have time to do another take. Just wanted to mention those two mistakes before the war started in the comments.
The heavy duty truck wars are heating up, and until recently the Ford Super Duties have been the only place for luxury truck buyers to go. Not anymore though – General Motors has decided there is no reason they shouldn’t fight for their share of the pie.
The Denali nameplate already exists in the GMC showroom on the half ton Sierra. Making the leap from half ton to the three quarter ton and one ton pick-ups was nothing if not logical.
The Denali HD is more of a trim package then a complete package. The exterior has the same lines as the regular Sierras. It has a blunt front end that is squared off nicely and a rear tail gate that incorporate some sculpting.
The front and rear bumpers are painted , while the upper and lower grilles are finished in signature Denali chrome. The twenty-inch wheels look terrific and really set the stance correctly on this vehicle. You can only get the Denali HD in three colors: black, silver and white. Overall, the Denali trim is a very nice looking package on an already good looking truck.
The interior of the Denali HD is similar to any other loaded up GMC Sierra. There is more “wood” splashed around the cabin and leather covering the seating surfaces, making the interior a nice place to spend your time. With plenty of storage cubbies strewn about the cabin you definitely won’t be lacking storage space.
The optional navigation unit (which the Denali HD I was in did not have) is somewhat dated, though it gets the job done. Since I did not have the navigation screen, the rear back up camera had the screen integrated into the left hand side of the rear view mirror. I noted the lack of auto up window function on any window, and only express down on the drivers window. This seems out of place on a truck of this price. The automatic climate control is easy to operate and has decent size buttons for the most part, though a few are tiny and might be hard to operate with gloves on.
One friend commented on how well the seat warmers worked on a chilly evening and was surprised to see the availability of cooled seats. The friend also commented on the fact that they have three heat intervals, which is quite nice as the competition has just on or off. The interior is a very understated place, but still “classy” as some would call it. Sometimes the competition could be viewed as over the top. This truck would not fall into that category.
The engine really is where this beast oozes awesome. The new Duramax is a 6.6-liter V-8 turbo diesel pumping out 397 horsepower and 765 pound feet of torque. That is channeled through an Allison six-speed automatic transmission. Even with that much power I still managed to average 14.6 mpg in mixed driving. While going 60 mph on a straight stretch of highway, I was curious to see how high I could get the average fuel economy up to. Resetting the trip computer, I was able to average 23.5 mpg on a highway stretch cruising at exactly 60 mph.
The new powertrain does utilize Urea injection into the exhaust system. This is the same type of exhaust cleaning system that Ford now utilizes in the new Super Duties. With this system the days of black smoke pouring out of diesel exhaust pipes is dead. The RAM Heavy Duty is the only one of the three heavy duty trucks that does not use Urea injection in the exhaust system. GM likes to note in their new marketing campaign that the Duramax and Allison transmission combination have been put to the test. With many work trucks on the road, over twenty million miles have been logged. That is no small feat. It is also worth mentioning that Ford is now on the fourth PowerStroke engine.
The power train can tow 13,000 pounds in this configuration, which is no small number. With my family’s cabin up north closed and the boats put away, I had no boat of my own to tow. My friends had also put away their boats for the season so that was not going to work. I had tried setting something up with the local Airstream dealer, but that fell through (seeing a trend?). I did finally have something rather cool planned for my last day with the Denali , but a miscommunication caused that plan to fall through (hopefully that plan will work out next time I have a heavy duty truck sitting in my driveway). So unfortunately I did not get haul something ridiculously huge with this more-than-capable truck.
Driving the Denali HD was an enjoyable experience. With more then enough power on tap, slamming the go pedal at a stop light would immediately kick the traction control into a frenzy. The steering was light, with decent on center feel for a truck of this size. You would think a truck of this size would be a handful in the city, but you would be surprised. Handling was good and the ride was comfortable. It is truly amazing how far the ride and handling of these trucks have come in the last ten years, especially considering their capabilities.
With an as tested sticker price of $58,199, is the new Denali HD king of the luxury trucks? Until now the Ford Super Duties in King Ranch trim has held that crown with no disputes. Mainly because there has been no one in the marketplace to dispute with. I have to say, it seems to me the Denali HD and the King Ranch have very different approaches to how they execute luxury and styling.
The Denali HD is a very understated type of luxury, while the new Super Duty King Ranch is a very in your face, larger-than-life luxury. Seeing how these trucks have different approaches, one might think they will attract different types of buyers. I believe that having options in the marketplace is a great thing. Between the terrific powertrain and great looks, this new Denali HD really does turn heads. As to whether it is the king of luxury heavy duties, it will come down to what kind of luxury are you looking for.
Be sure to check out the gallery below for more terrific pictures of the Denali HD.
Full Disclosure – The review vehicle was provided by General Motors
This week I had the honor to be a guest on the best second best darn auto podcast on the interwebs called RoundAbout Show. It is truly a eye opening experience that everyone should experience at some point or another in their lives. This week happens to be a grab bag. This means each person brings a story to the table that gets submitted for discussion. This week those topics included-
The better part of yesterday journalists spent over 6 hours in a Chrysler press conference listening to their detailed plans for the coming 5-years. Of course most of the people there, including Ray Wert from Jalopnik, were live tweeting all the information for our viewing pleasure. We now know what will be coming out from Chrysler and can start evaluating the actions they are taking to achieve their plans. Seems the twitterverse started doing that immediately. So what exactly happened? Below I will touch on the highlights.
Ram-
Ram will no longer be known just as the full size pick-up name plate. Instead it will be known as the truck line of Chrysler vehicles. All trucks going forth in the future will be known as Ram. The brand is going to appeal to the commercial side of business.
Dakota will be dead after 2011
A new midsize unibody truck is under consideration to replace the Dakota in 2012
Light duty full size pick up (current Ram) major refresh in 2012
Heavy duty full size pick up (current Ram Heavy Duty) major refresh in 2012
Chassis cab pick up (current Ram chassis cab) major refresh in 2012
New large and small commercial vans from Fiat come branded as Ram’s.
Jeep-
They said Jeep is going “back to its roots”. What that means is yet to be seen.
Small SUV based off a Fiat comes in 2013
Current Compass gets refresh (mostly interior) for 2010
Current Patriot gets refresh (mostly interior) for 2010
Compass and Patriot merge into one new small CUV in 2013
Wrangler to get major refresh 2010/2011
Liberty gets a mild refresh in 2010 and will be replaced in 2013 with a Fiat SUV
Commander will probably be killed off after 2010
Brand new Grand Cherokee in 2010
2011 Grand Cherokee coming in 2010
Fiat-
500 coming in 2010 as coupe, convertible, and hot Abarth form
Fiat 500 Abarth
Chrysler-
Supposed to be up market and have style with class. This will remain to be seen.
Town & Country will get a major overhaul in 2010
Brand new 300/300C in 2010
All new crossover coming in 2013
Sebring will get refresh in 2010.
Brand new Sebring in 2013. Unknown if it will retain the Sebring name.
The PT Cruiser is finally being killed after 2010. No seriously, this time they are for real.
Brand new compact sedan will arrive in 2012
Brand new small car will arrive in 2013 that will come from Fiat
Dodge-
Full size CUV arrives in 2010 most likely the next Durango based off of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee
Grand Caravan gets major refresh in 2010 with a all new model in 2014
Brand new Charger will arrive in 2010
Challenger will receive a mild refresh in 2011
Viper is being killed summer of 2010. All new Viper arrives in 2012
Nitro gets refresh in 2011 and the future is uncertain going on from that
Journey gets a refresh in 2010
Avenger gets a refresh in 2010 with a all new model arriving in 2013
Brand new compact sedan arrives in 2012
Caliber is killed after 2012 and will receive a mild interior refresh next month
Brand new small car arrives in 2013 based off a Fiat
Engines/Transmissions-
Fiat 1.4 liter Multiair in Fiat 500 in 2010
Fiat 1.4 liter Multiair turbo in Fiat 500 in 2011
Phase out quickly all 4-speed transmissions
Pentastar V6 debuts in new Grand Cherokee. Will spread across the line over time
Pentastar V6 turbo/twin turbo coming in late 2010/early 2011
Start/stop technology to debut in Jeep Wrangler diesel in late 2010
Dual clutch transmission debuts in late 2010
Diesel engines coming late 2010/early 2011
Ram will keep the current ram’s head as the logo. Dodge’s logo will be Dodge spelled out in black and red. Chrysler is receiving a new logo which looks very similar to the Aston Martin logo. Fiat and Jeep will retain their current logos. It has been confirmed a 6.4 liter Hemi is coming, and will have 450 hp. Also confirmed is next year the Sebring, 300, PT Cruiser, and the Town & Country will all have special editions next year before the refreshed models (or in the PT Cruisers case, dies) hit the showrooms. The PT Cruisers special edition, fittingly, will be “Final Edition”. The 300C will have a “sport” edition while the Sebring’s special edition will be known as “Ocean Edition”. The Town & Country’s special edition will be a “Fashion Edition”. Also shown were two photos of the next Dodge Charger. One photo was the new gauge cluster while the other was of the side of the car looking from the rear fender. The photo of the outside looks very similar to the 1999 Dodge Charger RT concept car. The major take aways from the announcement is that maybe Fiat did know what they were getting into and possibly, just maybe, Chrysler could turn out to be on the right course. The above is a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time so time will tell how this “plan” turns out.
Are you a mans man? Do you wish your phones ringtone were a large diesel engine starting up each and every time someone calls you? Well then you are in luck! Dodge Ram and Cummins have just the ringtone for you. You can download (for FREE!) a ringtone for your cellular device that is the 6.7 liter inline six Cummins Diesel starting and then idling. Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch? Now get to downloadin and have one of those many friends of yours call you, just so you can hear that baby purr. Enjoy your new ringtone!
