Designed for the sportsman, by sportsmen!
By Andy Lightbody
Head to Sportsman’s Warehouse, and virtually everything on the floors, the aisles and the walls, are designed for all of us who enjoy the great out of doors! Head to your local car or vehicle dealership and you are likely to spend hours trying to sort out everything from make, model, accessories, options and everything else that comes with ordering a new vehicle and trying to customize it for your sportsman lifestyle. Until now, and the package is all wrapped up in the new Dodge Ram 2500 Outdoorsman truck!
A year ago, outdoor and auto journalists got to see the Outdoorsman when it was unveiled at several writer conferences, and our 20-minute initiation ride/drive was impressive. However, like taking a vehicle from the dealer for that “proverbial test drive,” before plunking down $30-$40 thousand, sometimes first impressions are going to end up with little more than 48-60 months of payments, and a vehicle that you are not happy with!
Take a look at the Dodge Ram lineup of pickup trucks, and it is almost mind boggling with choices for street, work, hauling or play. They’ve got half-ton; three-quarter ton; one-ton; regular cabs, crew cabs, mega cabs, quad cabs, short and long wheelbase; and of course 4×2 and 4×4 models.
Of course… so do all the other full-sized truck makers! But what they don’t have is the Ram 2500 Outdoorsman, and here is where Dodge is leading the pack in the eyes of the sportsman. And according to the research the Dodge boys did, 62 percent of full-size pickup truck owners, use their trucks for hunting, fishing, boating, camping or to tow a trailer.
The Outdoorsman truck is indeed full-size, and has an overall length of 229 inches with a 5’7” cargo bed that is lined to protect against scratches and heavy outdoor use. It also comes with rail mounted tie-downs for locking down an ATV or snowmobile, and it features a quick-release spacer bar system for dividing the cargo bed into a smaller compartment configuration. It clicks in place, holds tight, and can be easily removed when not needed. 
With a towing capacity right at 10,450 pounds, Dodge armed the Outdoorsman with a “real engine!” Under the hood is a full-size 5.7 liter V8 HEMI engine that is as responsive as any engine you could ever ask for. Off the line, it almost feels like it has a “kicker” system (turbocharger), but it actually does not. Instead it revs quick, shifts quick and when empty or loaded up with gear, it jumps and races with plenty of power. We did not have a trailer to tow in our tests, but it is obvious that when dragging a boat or a trailer, flat land or in the mountains, there is plenty of horsepower under the hood.
Front end styling is sleek, with a black out grille, front tow hooks and a wrap-around front head light and fog light system that gives the truck a real Ram look. The Outdoorsman we tested was one of the large 4-door Crew Cab models, that provides about as much open-door and slide in room as a full-size SUV.
Slide into the cockpit, err ah, diver’s seat, and you are going to find that the Outdoorsman is loaded with large dials, gauges, easy to reach controls, and steering wheel mounted cruise control, radio controls, engine/mpg information, and a whole lot more. I joked to Scott Brown from the PR side of Chrysler that it took me longer to familiarize myself with all the controls in front of me, than it did to do a pre-flight on some airplanes that I have flown!
Once you spend a few minutes doing your “preflight” of the dashboard, its obvious that everything is laid out well, and if you like cubby holes, stash areas for small objects, giant cup holders, large towing mirrors, GPS system, back up camera, 4×2 to 4×4 selection switch, 12 Volt plugs and even a fully functional 115 volt plug in system, you are going to find there is little that has not been added for convenience.
Slide into the large backseats, and you’ve got plenty of legroom for everyone, comfortable seats, and a passenger car like ride. Flip the floor mats back, and guess what? You’ve got hidden compartments for stashing more gear! On the passenger side, that under floor mat compartment is complete with a strong lock for storing handguns, ammo, or other valuables.
Time to head to the woods for some hunting or fishing, the upper part of the truck’s bed has the unique Ram Box feature that adds lockable storage on both sides. Inside our test unit was a storage bracket accessory that easily locks in the boxes and enables you to carry rifles, or flip em around, and they carry your fishing rods! What a unique and great idea for us that are used to hauling guns and rods that constantly are getting banged up and thrown around in the cargo bed.
Loaded up and headed for the great outdoors, the Outdoorsman is well mannered on the highway and has tight and responsive steering. Cruising on the freeways at 65-75 mph, the truck is quiet, gentle and has a suspension system that does not ride like a typical pickup truck. Out on the open highways, we averaged right about 18mpg when loaded up with camping gear, ice chests, camera boxes, etc. Get into the dirt and lug it down into four wheel drive, and you can expect about 9-10mpg. Nice thing is, the Outdoorsman has a 34 gallon tank, so for most hunting and fishing backcountry adventures, you should have plenty of range.
Out in the high mountains and doing some pre-season scouting for elk, the Outdoorsman is right at home in the rough stuff, with a full 8.6 inches of ground clearance and plenty of low-power torque and tire bite to hit some pretty steep hills and trails in 4WH. Other vehicles we’ve brought to this same spot required the 4WL option, and even then, hill climbing was no fun.
In the Dodge Ram Outdoorsman, everyone in the truck wanted to do it again!
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