This Ram truck sports the largest pickup cab ever with best-in-class interior room plus luxurious appointments. The Mega Cab builds on a heavy-duty Ram long-box truck with 160.5-inch wheelbase. However, the 95-inch long box is replaced by a 75-inch box, leaving 20 inches of room to extend the cab. The cab stretch creates so much space inside that seatbacks on rear seats can recline from 22 to 37 degrees for extra comfort. Rear seats also split 60/40 and fold down to convert the area to a cargo compartment. Mega Cab works on Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 classes with trim designations as SLT and Laramie. Engines extend to the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 for 345 hp or the 5.9-liter in-line-six Cummins turbo-diesel with 325 hp.

This is not some muscle-bound SUV but a big and strong work truck designed for 4WD forays. It's based on a heavy-duty Ram 2500 with two-door or four-door cab, then rigged with the powerful 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and 4WD armaments plus 33-inch all-terrain tires. Also, Power Wagon stocks electric-locking front and rear differentials and a front sway bar that can disconnect by electronic means.

The chassis design forges a front approach angle of 35 degrees, a tail departure angle to 26.5 degrees with a break-over angle of 25 degrees and a ground clearance at the rear axle of 8.3 inches. And the undercarriage gets steel skid plates to shield the steering damper, transfer case and fuel tank from off-road bumps and bangs. You may recognize this truck by massive tow hooks up front and a custom-built Warn winch tucked in a slot below the cross-hair grille.

Mid-size Dakota, sized one step below the Ram 1500, achieves best-in-class power, torque and tow numbers. For 2006 it comes in two cab styles with three powertrain options. Trims expand with new models: Dakota TRX and TRX Off-Road, Dakota R/T and Night Runner. The TRX (2WD) and TRX Off-Road (4WD) roll on 16-inch wheels and sport monotube shocks, tow hooks and cargo box decals. Dakota R/T packs a high-output 4.7-liter V8 worth 260 hp with Club Cab or Quad Cab choices and vivid body paint in Inferno Red, Brilliant Black or Solar Yellow. Night Runner shows a blacked-out color theme with unique black chrome grille and black chrome wheels. Dakota offers two choices for 4WD action -- either an on-demand 4WD system with 2WD plus 4WD high and 4WD low-gear settings or a full-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) system available for SLT and Laramie.

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