Driving through the sinuous mountain roads connecting Southern California's coastal towns the Hemi pulled a fully-optioned 3500 away from the stoplight with the rampant energy of a rogue moose in mating season. The stripped 5-speed standard transmission equipped regular cab tester I drove later on in the day had to be the best base for building a hotrod pickup to ever roll off the assembly line. Its acceleration is sensational, providing you can lock up the rear wheels.
To put the Hemi into perspective GM's ¾ ton pickups come standard with only 300-hp and 360 lb-ft of torque while Ford's F250 has to make do with a measly 260-hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. A 45-hp gain over Chevy and GMC and 85-hp more than Ford should do wonders for boosting Dodge's current 31% share of the light truck market closer to 35%, or maybe even more.
To make certain substantial growth occurs Dodge positioned the Hemi as only part of the 2003 Ram story. For truly serious work three additional engine choices are available. Next in line is a smooth and powerful 8.0-L V10, incorporating less horsepower at 305 but a substantial gain in torque to 440 lb-ft. Ford offers a comparably powered 6.8-L V10, slightly higher in horsepower at 310 and lower in torque at 425 lb-ft while GM ups the ante in this category with its 8.1-L OHV V8 rated at 340-hp and 455 lb-ft of torque.
Still these numbers are child's play when compared to the eternal grunt of the all-new Cummins turbo-diesels. The base 5.9-L inline-6 cylinder diesel comes standard with 250-hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. That's up 15-hp from last year's diesel, except in California where it stays the same, poor sods. But wait, there's more. Now a high-output version is available with 305-hp and 555 lb-ft of torque, from as low as 1,400 rpm. Both engines boast a 400-rpm wider maximum torque range than outgoing models (200 above and 200 below). Ford's new PowerStroke will be upgraded for 2003 to an expected 325-hp, slightly higher in horsepower than the H.O. Cummins but lower in torque. The GM trucks are rated at 300 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque, also lower than the top-line Cummins. That said comparing stats can't begin to demonstrate the real world advantages from one brand to the next. Simple specifications won't convey how the Dodge pulls from lower down in the rev range than GM's Duramax, maximum torque is achieved 400 rpm lower than the GM and 100 rpm lower than the Ford to be exact. Nominal as these numbers may seem, there is a very noticeable difference on the open road.