American truck and commercial vehicle maker RAM is set to become a lot more visible in New Zealand as local importer, Fiat Chrysler New Zealand, ramps up the marque’s presence with a 13-strong dealer group and a national advertising and marketing campaign to support the newly launched RAM 2500 and 3500 utes.

The 2500 and 3500 models are imported direct from RAM’s North American factory by the New Zealand-owned Ateco Group, parent company of Fiat Chrysler New Zealand, and remanufactured in Australia by Walkinshaw Automotive to meet Australian Full Volume Compliance rules. This means they meet all the same safety and engineering requirements as other cars sold in Australia.

The 2500 & 3500 versions launched here come in Laramie (luxury) trim and are powered by a 6.7 litre turbo diesel engine which produces 276kWs of peak power at 2800rpm and 1084 Nm of peak torque at 1600rpm.

Power and torque, in turn, are fed through a 6-speed automatic transmission and low range-equipped BorgWarner transfer case which gives drivers the option of running in 2WD and either 4WD High or Low, the latter via a 2.64 ratio

Payload is 913 kg for the RAM 2500 and 1713 kg for the RAM 3500 and depending on the type of towing arrangement utilised, the 2500 an tow up to 6989 kg, the 3500 up to 6170 kg.

Standard equipment highlights include heated and ventilated  front seats which are 10-way power adjustable for the driver and six way for the front passenger with all seats leather trimmed.

To read the full story in the December 2016 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (November 21) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.