Enthusiasts of planet-sized pickup trucks now have even more reasons to celebrate because the new RAM 3500 Laramie is now officially on sale in Australia, coming in as the largest pickup currently on the market.
Headline figures for the RAM 3500 Laramie are absolutely jaw-dropping. It uses a 6.7-litre turbo-diesel inline-six Cummins engine, for starters. All up, there’s 276kW of power and an almighty 1152Nm of torque. This helps with the massive eight-tonne braked towing capacity.
The company says that with a standard 50mm towball, towing capacity stands at 3500kg, but this increases to 4500kg with a 70mm towball, and hits that eight-tonne figure with the help of a gooseneck hitch and set of air brakes.
It also features a four-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer case, with a two-stage longitudinal leaf solid axle that brings a payload capacity of up to 1724kg, making it an absolute unit when it comes to moving large, heavy objects.
The RAM 3500 Laramie joins the RAM lineup as the king of the hill, sitting atop the company’s entry-level 1500 Express Quad (which is priced from $79,950), and the 2500 Laramie, which features the same monstrous 6.7-litre Cummins diesel, priced from $157,950. RAM Trucks Australia’s national manager, Jeff Barber, said:
“The all-new 3500 completes the task we set ourselves at the start of 2021: to deliver a full range of fit-for-purpose vehicles for the Australian consumer. The 3500 is a remarkable vehicle that cements our product offering in 2021. Only RAM Trucks can deliver such a vehicle thanks to our robust and detailed planning, development, remanufacturing, and testing programme.”
RAM Trucks Australia imports vehicles into Australia from the US market and converts them to right-hand drive. Interestingly, RAM Trucks Australia is the only authorised manufacturer of right-hand drive RAMs, using up to 400 locally-sourced parts per conversion.
RAM says that more than 50,000 hours have gone into pre-build development, and 50,000km of real-world test driving, and more than 20,000km of durability testing have gone into the 3500 Laramie’s Australian development. Meaning, it looks set for the rough and tumble of Australia’s roads.
The RAM 3500 Laramie is on sale now, with prices starting from $162,950 (not including on-road costs).
