Ram Trucks Australia has announced details of the enormous 3500 Heavy Duty Laramie pickup.
It is the latest right-hand-drive truck to be offered in the country, and is fully designed and homologated for Australian customers.
More than 50,000 hours were spent developing the Australian version of the Ram 3500. This was followed by 150,000 km (93,000 miles) of rolling road and real-world testing.
Some 400 locally-sourced parts are used in the right-hand-drive conversion.
Ready to get to work
Making the 3500 HD Laramie stand out from the rest of the Ram range is the use of a two-stage longitudinal leaf solid axle.
This boosts the 3500 HD’s payload capacity to a gargantuan 1,724 kg, letting it carry the largest of loads.
When using a conventional tow bar, the 3500 HD can pull up to 4,500 kg. Adding an appropriate gooseneck fitment, along with air brakes, pushes the towing capacity to 8,000 kg.
All of this is made possible by the standard 6.7-l Cummins inline-six turbodiesel engine. It produces 370hp, combined with a Herculean 850lb ft of torque, which is delivered to all four wheels.
Blue collar ability, white collar price
Despite its propensity for hard work, the 3500 HD Laramie is packed with luxury features. Part-leather trim for the Crew Cab is standard, along with a 12-inch multimedia touchscreen and 10-speaker Alpine sound system.
Such performance and comfort does not come cheap, however. Pricing for the Australian Ram 3500 HD Laramie Crew Cab starts at $162,950 (£87,250) before on-the-road costs.
“The 3500 is a remarkable vehicle that cements our product offering in 2021”, said Ram Trucks Australia national manager, Jeff Barber.
He added: “Only Ram Trucks Australia can deliver such a vehicle, thanks to our robust and detailed planning, development, remanufacturing and testing programme, in conjunction with our local and global partners including Stellantis.”
Australian customers will also be offered the performance-orientated Ram 1500 TRX in the near future.
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