Both HDs lost points with their hard plastic trim (nearly every driver knocked it), but they easily won us back with the abundance of cubby spaces carved into the cabin. Of course, there are oversized cupholders and multiple powerpoints, but it's the extra-wide center console/armrest that gets our nod: Not only does it contain its own powerpoint for concealed cell-phone charging, but also three individual dividers that keep pens, pencils, paper, and other incidentals segregated.
No extended cab is available, which is a good thing: Trying to squeeze four stout construction workers into anything but a truck with four full-size doors is grounds for torture with a Sawzall. The rear of the HD is as plush as the front, though some of our editors found the rear seatback too upright. If you need more space inside, just flip the bench up and fold out the panels to make a flat floor.
Like the '94 Ram that redefined pickup-occupant protection with the first optional driver-side airbags. The '03 HD Rams lead the way in safety with the first HD-pickup application of side-curtain airbags and pretensioning, constant-force seatbelt retractors. All outboard passengers get three-point seatbelts, and the LATCH child-restraint system is standard on all Heavy Dutys. With the increase in frame stiffness and passenger-compartment crumple zones, the new 2500 and 3500 are among the safest trucks on the market.
Before you sign a contract purchasing or leasing that dream truck, however, you'd best ask yourself the value question: "Does this truck give me the best bang for the buck?" Unlike most compact daily-driver sedans, trucks (and especially heavy-duty models) are bought and used for the long haul. Most truck owners don't ask, but demand their trucks be rugged, reliable, comfortable, feature rich, and perform as advertised at 100 as well as 100,000 miles on the clock. When adding up the HD Ram's value equation, it scores big.
For a mere $23,280, you get a well-equipped Regular Cab hauler, with chrome bumpers, tinted windows, the 5.7-liter Hemi engine, foldaway mirrors, air-conditioning, auxiliary powerpoints, under-seat compartment storage, over 3000 pounds of payload capacity, and a host of other goodies--and we're talking about just the base model. There are 82 different model (and over 200 total powertrain/bed/GVRW) combinations available, allowing consumers to pick the right truck to suit their particular application.
Then, there are the tons of options: Besides the usual Regular Cab/Quad Cab, 2WD/4WD, engines/transmissions, there's everything from bedliners to power-foldaway/flip-out mirrors, bug shields to trip computers, 240-watt stereos, and even heated leather seats. Dodge has literally left no stone unturned in what it offers in its Heavy Duty Rams, and customers aren't forced into packages to get one option they desire and others they don't.
After spending weeks with our competitors, evaluating every aspect and nuance, the Ram Heavy Duty stands out as the most significant new truck for '03. With its excellent powertrains, off-road prowess, smooth on-road driveability, and stump-pulling power, the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty is the hands-down winner of Motor Trend's 2003 Truck of the Year award.