The bed looks weird and the trim lines don't line up... I'm not much of an offroader, so this doesn't appeal to me. I just want the biggest payload and towing capacities.

Anyone got any ideas why, in the shot of the rear axle, it only appears to have one shock ? Also, the way it's orientated, it looks more like an "anti-tramp device" rather than something located for conventional shock operation ...

@Durastrokinns
Yea trim don't line up cuz it's a test truck they just put it together see if it works lol, power wagon is in a class of its own as is the raptor, But can't wait to see Ram released max towing on there HD trucks they promised Best-in-class on all HD trucks and chassic cab trucks, fords max towing is 24,000lbs so Ram has to be 25,000 more less they said best in class towing and mpg on all HD trucks can't wait to see 2013 HD shoot out

@Mike,

The shock is on the other side of the axle, you can clearly see the shock mount.

I love these Power Wagon's ! I think my next truck well be a RAM Power Wagon 2500 ! Now just have to figure out a color I want !!

That truck is too big to be of much use off road. Just sayin.

@UncleBud
Well, what did you expect for offroad . A MiniCooper?

Tailpipe looks like for diesel, but smaller than for Cummins. 3L Diesel from VM motory ?

@DODGEGUY

I'll be watching that closely. I'll buy any U.S. automaker product, and though I've tended to lean GM in the past, can't overlook what's going on at Ford and Ram.

That said, they put these trucks on the road to test them out as hopefully production worthy. That doesn't look production worthy to me.

@Durastrokinns
Yea cummins is greatnwithntowing themil6 design is great less parts less maintance, so many dodge trucks with million miles Cummins made a High mileage club, and yea Ram has always been the slower truck but they have always been ahead in towing and torque and best breaks, back in 89-93 the cummins was rated 400 torque which was way more then both Ford and Chevy's trucks and today look cummins still leads the way in torque and I know it can out tow the V8 trucks, Ram promised Best-in-class towing all trucks so can't wait toooo See!!!!!!!!

@Mike - as Frank pointed out, the other shock is in the front. You can see it in the first photo.
I think that they need to put a "small" Cummins or Fiat sourced deisel into this truck. It would sell much better that way.
Not that I want to give oxi an intro, but I have to agree with UncleBud, big trucks have their limits offroad.

Nice truck with a Hemi, but I would not trust that Pentastar V-6. Still having a lot of cylinder head problems.

I can wait tell i get my new Ram! So long Ford you where nothing but trouble for me . So excited for the 8 speed:)

The pentastar is the best mass produced V6 on the market. Wards 10 best two years in a row.

The fact that Ram won't put a Cummins in the "power" wagon makes me question the quality of the components in the drive train.

Why would it be on the road with the tail lights blocked out? Something new going on?

Really all three should have a beefy work type truck, not the extreme of the raptor just a good basic heavy, heavy duty work truck.

@big dog....really why would you want the giant and heavy 6.7cummins in a power wagon a power wagon is an off roader/loggin/hardcore farm type truck made for off road fun and for serious work in harsher off road enviornments the heavy cummins would hold it back more than having that extra power over the hemi would help it cmon people

@ moparman - I disagree. In Northern British Columbia where I live, HD diesel pickups are the industry staple. Fleets run plainjane gassers. No one uses Power Wagons, not the police, not the Conservation Officer Service (game wardens), not forest fire protect services - no one. I've seen one Power Wagon used as a work truck and I've seen one Raptor used as a work truck.
Everyone runs diesel trucks, one big reason is that in many remote areas it costs less to run the same fuel in your pickups that your heavy equipment uses. This summer I ran accross a Forest Fire Suppression crew and they had 3 crewcab diesel Fords and 1 Ram crewcab diesel. They all had winch bumpers and special equipment canopies.
If you are buying a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup for work, why buy a Power Wagon?
A diesel truck will easily tow and haul more.
A plainjane gasser truck will cost way less and still tow and haul more.
You load up your truck to the max and it will sink into the mud just as easily whether or not it has Power Wagon stickers on it.

One can add a winch to any truck, same goes for tires and skidplates.
Unless you play offroad what is the advantage to electronically disconnecting swaybars?
That is one thing my brother or my buddies who work in the bush have never complained about.

I have 2006 CTD manual 6sp 4X4. Diesel is a must, gets me over 600 miles per tank. I use this truck in back country from South America to the Canadian arctic. I have not had a single failure in the field. In fact, the only failure ever was a heater hose. The electronic disconnect on the swaybars means nothing to me. I removed my factory sway bars as soon as I bought the truck. It is fine on road and has much more articulation off road. With 75:1 crawl ratio, solid axles and factory locker, this truck is infinitely better off-road than any Ford or rice-burner that I have used. I do not agree that smaller trucks are better off-road. Longer wheelbase gets you over boulders and stairsteps better. Width is not a problem. I assure you that the mining/fire/logging roads of the world were not made by Toyotas. The Power Wagon would be my choice if it came with a diesel. Lou's idea of Cummins new 4 cylinder diesel (arriving soon in the Nissan) would be a great choice.

You can't get a diesel power wagon because the diesel uses a larger rear diff than the Hemi, so they would have to design another entirely new rear locker. And the winch lives right in the way of the intercooler.

@Moparman,

Because it is called a power wagon. In the 2500 series, the Hemi is not the top engine in the game. In this class, it should be called the Least Power Wagon because it wont be able to keep up with any of its Cummins brothers on or off road.

@Jordan L,
I like the tangible reasoning you used versus Moparman, who says the truck is a "off roader/loggin/hardcore farm type truck" and doesn't need a big heavy Cummins, (although I am pretty sure those are reasons why people buy a diesel).

Anyway, like I originally stated, the fact that Ram wont put a Diesel in this thing makes me question the quality of the underpinnings. Now I also question why they won't design a locker for their Diesel axle and another way to get air to the cooler to accomadate the Cummins.

Not putting a diesel in the power wagon is dumb.

Period.

I thought I read the only reason the Power Wagon doesn't have the 6.7L Cummins *(I6 which is longer than a V8) is because Chrysler said they cant fit the Cummins and its intercooler in their because of the winch. I could be wrong but has anybody else heard that?

What I read was that a popular 4x4 magazine asked Chrysler directly, and they responded that the Cummins engine weighs 1,100 lbs. with accessories, and that incredible weight difference actually makes the truck sink in mud and decreases it's offroad ability. It's easier to get stuck, and harder to get unstuck with a diesel over the front axle. Period. Therefore, you will never see a diesel Power Wagon because it defeats the purpose of what this particular truck was built to do.

@WXman,

Has Ram ever heard of wider/more aggressive tires? Whey is it that a Military Deuce 1/2 doesn't have this problem? Is it because they equip the vehicle to handle the engine?

Lou: every spec sheet for the new trucks say the gas trucks will carry more than the diesel, but not tow more, all the trucks more or less have the same GVWR, but the gas engines are a lot less heavy!

@sandman4X4,

Yes, the gas truck can carry more because the hemi engine is lighter. The Hemi is also "less heavy" DUTY than the Cummins.

The point is that if I want to check the box for a Diesel when building a Power Wagon 2500, then I should be able to considering the class it's in. Last I checked, winches and lockers didn't make a truck powerful. Although, with a truck this gigantic, that winch might come in handy while doing all the "EXTREME" off roading HD pickup truck owners are known for ;).

@5.3lol - I have heard other sources state that the PowerWagon winch location would interfere with the intercooler.
That doesn't seem to stop guys from mounting aftermarket winches and bumpers.
I do agree that a diesel with an extra 1,100 lb makes the truck nose heavy for offroad work. That is why I think that a I-4 or a V6 diesel would be a better choice. It would have better torque characteristics and an mpg advantage over the 5.7.
@sandman - point taken, I usually see small contractors run diesel pickups and large corporate fleets run gassers. I don't see PowerWagons. If they were vastly superior to conventional 3/4 ton pickups, I'd see them all over the place where I live. A loaded PW in my neck of the woods is 64,000. For that price it doesn't even come with leather interior. A HD diesel with leather is in the same price range.
Most loggers feel no need to have a pickup with a winch. If they get into trouble a Cat, or skidder, or loader is usually within VHF radio contact.

I agree with Lou on the type of diesel to drop into this truck.

The 3.0 litre VM diesel would be the one to use. It has more torque than a 5.7 Hemi, uses 1/2 the fuel and still has 240hp. It also weighs about the same as the Hemi.

Its tow capacity would be quite good too.

It is interesting what some people think is "necessary" to do work.

My dad logged/built roads in Idaho/Oregon/Alaska. My stepdad ranched and built roads in Idaho/Montana/Wyoming.

Neither of their pickups were lifted, had a winch, or even aggressive tires. They both actually ran more street oriented tires for better ride and handling for roads.

If they needed to go off-road, they would chain up if necessary.

I thought it was tragically uncool when I was a kid. But subsequently, I have owned 2 Ford 1/2 tons plus my current Tundra--and have lifted none of them and carry chains wherever I go.

If I "really" want to off-road, I'll use my dirtbike or fourwheeler--if I still lived in the Northwest, I'd include a snowcat to the mix... .

Heck for the price of a PW, someone could buy a stripper 1/2-ton or 3/4 ton (depending on needs) and have plenty of cash left over for a dirtbike and maybe even a camper.

Typical of Fiat to lower the bar. Ford has them beat in every way. At least the PW don't have to put up with the clogged turbo in the Cummings.

They would be better off with a 1500 Power Wagon

@Dav - my dad worked in logging and construction. He never owned a 4x4. He had deep lug bias ply tires on the rear of his truck and like your dad, always had a set of tire chains.

I like the PW's but rarely see any of the newer models. I think they've been beat by the competition and even the other Rams. I've only seen one newer model PW in the past year or 2, and that was a white mall crawler.

@TRX4 Tom - agreed. A 1/2 ton rockcrawler would be more appropriate. A reg cab short box would be stellar.

Why don't they release the PW with a decent payload of 3 000lbs and a small diesel. This would make for a great working vehicle. Also have a trayback so it can carry a decent load and doesn't bulk out.

It would find its way into logging, mining etc.

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Those wheel arches are begging for 35'' tires.

Sure wish they'd make this in a diesel!

Some people don't like diesels. Consumer reports or another firm that does surveys says 79% diesels owners are dissatisfied with their new diesel. Mostly because of EPA regulated emissions control devices. Other reasons were repair costs and low fuel mileage compared to what sales reps told them. I agree with most people who want a small vm motori diesel with a 8 speed and 4.56 gears sounds neat to me! Also in regular cab with tall tires, 285/75/18 ill buy the day its released

If you don't own a Powerwagon, then don't judge it. Putting a diesel in this truck would just be ridiculous. What do you do if you go into regen 100 miles out in the bush. Your SOL. What makes people experts on a vehicle they have never driven.

Judging from some of the comments I would be willing to bet that most all of the people who posted here have never even drove a PW let alone own one. I personally own one, and it is great. Yes diesels have there place, and I can tell you my PW has saved my butt from getting stranded a few times, and have rescued my friends diesels numerous time. I also put it to work recovering vehicles in the winter time. Yes I could snatch them but why risk the damage. Also I have a 6spd manual and I can tow anything almost as well as a diesel. Sure you could always add lockers, winch, swaybar disconnect to your diesel or any other truck, but that is the point of the PW. It is the baddest FACTORY offroad truck available. Period.

I think that in 2014, ther should make a "special edition" because it will be 25 years that dodge has teamed up with cummins... A diesel in a power wagon would be really cool to offer it more towing capabilities!

I talked to a dodge rep at a car show and he said that dodge originally had planned on putting a diesel in the PW but they determined that the extra 1100 lbs and large increase in torque could potentially destroy the drive train during heavy offroading. They determined that they would lose their asses in warranty claims. This is not to say that the drive train isn't solid because it is, but you get billy bob romping on it in four low with everything locked up with all that weight and torque and something is going to break.

This is my 2nd power wagon... 170,000 miles on the 2005 model and no problems, just got a 2013 it's sweet