2005 Sport Truck of the Year

'05 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab - First Runner-Up
Get in, Sit Down, Step on the Gas

Dodge's SRT-10 Quad Cab is a balanced and refined piece of equipment. Not only is it incredibly powerful, but it also sports the fullsize Ram body with the sleek body lines we've grown to covet -- so much so that we could do without the side cladding and the wing mounted to the tonneau cover. We're told it's part of the aero package and stabilizes the truck when it's doing 150-plus mph. That may be true, but it could be done with more style.

This year, the big red-headed V-10 is coupled to an automatic tranny, it's more user-friendly, and the heavy-duty trans is built for towing, so now you can enjoy the performance of this truck hauling your favorite toys to wherever the urge takes you. We do have a couple of quibbles. First, the power management takes a lot of the power out of the driver's control. And second, the truck is equipped with traction control that you can't turn off. And the fact that Dodge took off the horizontal differential shock the previous SRT had is proof that all the power management was going to prevent the usage of the all-new V-10's ability.

We have to admit that the cockpit of the SRT-10 is the best of the bunch. It's as good to look at as it is to sit in. And the stereo is incredible. Plus, it has navigation built in already.

This ultra-high-performance sport truck, though, is not as capable in the corners as its standard-cab sibling handles at incredibly high levels for its mass. This beast will drive deeper into corners than the depth of your courage and just absolutely peel back the pavement when you accelerate off the turn, and yet it still rides smoothly for long hauls

Performance specs:
Acceleration 0-60: 6.03 sec
Quarter-mile elapsed time: 13.85 @ 102.11
Braking 60-0: 131.50 ft
Brake fade 60-0: 130.64 ft
600-ft slalom: 59.74 mph

Sport Truck of the Year Score:
Acceleration/towing: 287 of 300 possible
Ride and handling: 244.4 of 300 possible
Ergonomics/style/build quality: 308 of 400 possible
Total: 839.4 of 1,000 possible

Likes/Dislikes
Likes:
Viper V-10 motor rumbling under the hood
Big 22-inch wheels and the big brakes
Sweet bucket seats wrapped in a suede and leather combo, and the overall look and feel of the interior

Dislikes:
The wing on the back
The side skirts need to go
Ride height too high; too large fender-to-tire gap

Here's how Dodge puts it: "If a Dodge Ram pickup -- complete with 500 hp courtesy of the Dodge Viper SRT-10 engine -- is good, a Viper-powered Ram with four doors is even better." OK, we're with 'em on that. Last year, the SRT-10 Ram was so good, we gave it a special award. This year, we're looking at the Quad Cab version with shock and awe.

Is it good enough to win this year's competition? We'll be the judge of that.