I think deep down inside, all men are truck guys. There is something inherently masculine about these often imposing vehicles, and sometimes that stigma can be a bit much or overbearing. My first vehicle was small pickup, and since then, I have missed the functionality and usefulness that the truck provided. But that little truck, almost 20 years old now, is long gone and while I have an SUV, I find myself still yearning for that pickup usefulness. I have thought for the past few years I couldn’t justify owning own, making excuse after excuse, convincing myself I wouldn’t use it every day. Then one week, Ram decided they wanted to prove me wrong.
It happened to be after I reached out to a few contacts looking for a vehicle to collect canned goods for during EuroHarvest (an even that FactoryTwoFour has inherited with our acquisition of EuroBerge) that I realized a truck would be perfect. Years prior, the even had yielded around 1500 canned goods, and this year as we got involved, we set the goal higher, and while an SUV would work, for loading and unloading it would be a pain with that many goods. A van would be great, but that wasn’t in the books. So, here I was, back looking for a truck. Excuse 1 was no longer applicable.
And Ram delivered. Now, mind you, I have driven big trucks in my past, including military 7 tons while in the Marines, but those were all work trucks. But when I saw this truck sitting in my driveway, too tall to fit in my garage, I couldn’t help but be amazed at its size. In every definition, the 2014 Ram 2500 is a work truck; filled with useful features such as tie down points, locking bed side storage, fold up and flat seats in the rear, and so on, it was purpose built to be put to the test every day. But there are the creature comforts that make it stand out a bit more beyond its size. The full dash is packed with useful technology and entertainment, while the seats were comfortable even for long drives. And while I had to do a pullup in order to get inside (I am 6ft2in to put that into perspective), it did not feel like a behemoth on the road. And yet, another excuse to not have a truck crossed off.
Day to day, it was a joy to drive. While the mileage is a bit low for my liking, it is big truck and could be worse. Beyond that, it handled everything put at it, from the trips to Home Depot or heading out for a date (I brought a step stool). There wasn’t one time when I thought “eh…I shouldn’t take the truck” as it became a natural fit for everything and everywhere I went and did. Comfortable on the road, even with Colorado’s notorious construction, and easy to drive, I couldn’t complain even with simple runs like to the dog park or grocery stores, where little features like the fold up seats in the rear turned out to be incredibly useful. Seriously, I don’t want fold flat seats anymore in my SUV – let me fold them up and away. And, well, let’s scratch off another excuse.
So the test came, the purpose of having the truck in the first place, and simply put, it performed. The event collected over 300 canned goods, and though we ran out of space in the bed and filled it to the top, the back seat was able to hold the last remaining boxes. The truck was packed to the brim, and didn’t even hiccup once with any of it. I know, it’s a 2500, but even with a little weight in other trucks, I have seen the beds sink down and drive comfort decrease. Not in this one though. The Ram 2500 performed spectacularly.
Deep down inside, that truck guy I am came back out, and even if for a week I was able to live it, I now can’t justify not considering a pickup for the next vehicle. They are more than work trucks now, with creature comforts abound, and the Ram series has come so far in that area. But the roots are there, the point is made. This is not your dad’s old beat up pickup. No. This is something far better. And I have no more excuses, and neither should you.