Rampage Breaks all Pickup Truck Conventions
Dodge says that the 2006 Rampage concept vehicle is a pickup truck
for non-conventional pickup truck buyers. A lot of new, modern pseudo-pickups claim to do this, such as the Explorer Sport Trac and the award-winning Honda Ridgeline, but then again, even by comparison to the Rampage, they both seem rather ordinary. The Rampage, instead, looks to the needs and uses of the average family and integrates them into a pickup-like vehicle. As a concept, it follows few rules, and manages to even break a bunch in the process from brainwave to prototype, but hey, that's all part of the evolutionary process.
Like a family sedan, or a minivan, when a pickup truck is being designed its form follows its function - generally hauling or towing stuff. In the case of the average all-American workhorse, the order of importance tends to fall as follows: frame, then bed, followed by engine compartment, and lastly (and most often least), cab. Since domestication of these workhorses began in the latter half of the '90s, there has been pressure on companies like Dodge, GM and Ford to find ways to make the truck more friendly to those who carry people more often than loads. They've done it by stretching out the cabin to create things like the unbelievably large Ram Mega Cab, but as good as this is, it only addresses part of the problem by making a traditional pickup truck more accommodating inside, not redefining the genre.
The
Rampage is one of the first trucks built entirely around the idea that a pickup can be a family vehicle, much in the way that the enclosed pickups, such as the original International Scout, Ford Bronco and Chevy K5 Blazer evolved into the modern-day family SUV, or for that matter how the cargo-hauling delivery van, outfitted with windows and velour seats in the '70s and early '80s, was scaled down and turned into the much-loved minivan.
Designers allocated much of the Rampage's overall length to the cabin, followed by a five-foot long bed, leaving the rest of its overall length for the hood and engine. All of this is packaged into a footprint no longer than the current Dakota, and no wider than the Ram, allowing the Rampage to be easily maneuvered on city streets. So far, it all sounds pretty good.
It also looks pretty good too, if not a bit kitchy as this isn't exactly a prototype-style concept. It has all the standard Dodge styling cues, like the big crosshair grille and double-muscle flared fenders. Big 22-inch wheels and plenty of chrome help contribute to the Rampage's tough-as-nails truck-like persona, but Dodge has stretched out on a stylistic limb, integrating some unusual sporty undertones that can be picked up on when looking at the new concept's side profile; details like the shape of the rear window, for instance, are clearly influenced by sleek coupes. One thing's for sure, however. No matter what angle you look from, the Rampage Concept is a much more substantial vehicle than the previous Rampage, a Subaru BRAT-style car-based pickup, made from the Omni-based Dodge Charger. Blech!
Inside, the Rampage has some rather neat touches. In fact, the way you
enter the cabin, as well as the seating arrangement on the whole, shares a lot with the Dodge Grand Caravan. A pickup with minivan DNA? Sure, why not, if it aids in entry and exit? Like any modern minivan, the front doors swing open, but the side rear doors on the Rampage slide. And that's not all - the Rampage has Sto-N-Go seats, too, the nifty seating system which allows all seats but the driver's to neatly fold away into recesses under the rubberized, washable floor. This all comes in handy when you're carrying really large objects that don't quite fit in the bed, because the Rampage has a 'midgate' like the Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT, that folds down to allow extra-long carry-ons to enter the cabin.
Dodge says that the 2006 Rampage concept vehicle is a pickup truck
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| Dodge has often pondered how it can advance the truck. The Rampage is proof that Dodge is constantly working. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Like a family sedan, or a minivan, when a pickup truck is being designed its form follows its function - generally hauling or towing stuff. In the case of the average all-American workhorse, the order of importance tends to fall as follows: frame, then bed, followed by engine compartment, and lastly (and most often least), cab. Since domestication of these workhorses began in the latter half of the '90s, there has been pressure on companies like Dodge, GM and Ford to find ways to make the truck more friendly to those who carry people more often than loads. They've done it by stretching out the cabin to create things like the unbelievably large Ram Mega Cab, but as good as this is, it only addresses part of the problem by making a traditional pickup truck more accommodating inside, not redefining the genre.
The
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| Rampage and DCX's Senior VP of Design, Trevor Creed. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Designers allocated much of the Rampage's overall length to the cabin, followed by a five-foot long bed, leaving the rest of its overall length for the hood and engine. All of this is packaged into a footprint no longer than the current Dakota, and no wider than the Ram, allowing the Rampage to be easily maneuvered on city streets. So far, it all sounds pretty good.
It also looks pretty good too, if not a bit kitchy as this isn't exactly a prototype-style concept. It has all the standard Dodge styling cues, like the big crosshair grille and double-muscle flared fenders. Big 22-inch wheels and plenty of chrome help contribute to the Rampage's tough-as-nails truck-like persona, but Dodge has stretched out on a stylistic limb, integrating some unusual sporty undertones that can be picked up on when looking at the new concept's side profile; details like the shape of the rear window, for instance, are clearly influenced by sleek coupes. One thing's for sure, however. No matter what angle you look from, the Rampage Concept is a much more substantial vehicle than the previous Rampage, a Subaru BRAT-style car-based pickup, made from the Omni-based Dodge Charger. Blech!
Inside, the Rampage has some rather neat touches. In fact, the way you
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| With the 'midgate' down, Rampage's 5-foot bed is extended into the cabin. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |