A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab

The so called “command seating” position, which raises the front seats a notch higher than those in a sedan or even in old school station wagon is one of the oft-cited reasons for the popularity of utility vehicles — even utility vehicles never expected to leave the pavement used suburban America.

Overview

But the ultimate command seating position belongs to the 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon with a lifted frame, slightly more than a foot of ground clearance and a tall silhouette. This combination lifts the driver up to point where they can look down on the other pickup trucks and certainly any kind of sport-utility vehicle — clearly one of the best things about the truck.

The Power Wagon has plenty of other attributes such as a powerful Hemi V-8, a roomy, a nicely furnished interior, and given the vehicle’s heft, it’s surprisingly easy to drive. However, certainly note for everyone and unless you tow a boat or tailer regularly or live about at least a mile down a dirt road that doesn’t get a lot of attention from the local authorities, you would probably be wise not to make this an impulse purchase, particularly since its lifted frame can make climbing into the driver’s seat something of a challenge.

Exterior

The Ram 2500 Power Wagon features the basic silhouette of a double cab pickup truck with a standard bed. But its frame is exposed so it becomes part of the vehicle’s appearance, serving to underscore the vehicle’s rugged character as well as its functionality. 

Capable of carrying and/or towing, the truck’s appearance doesn’t hide the fact this is a vehicle built for hard work off the road, out in field somewhere. The Power Wagon also has a bold, aggressive grille all in black, which re-enforces its appearance.

The grille and front fascia are perhaps the most stylized part of the Power Wagon but not only is it impressive, since it seems to cover the entire front of the vehicle, but it also seems to have been artfully done and creates the impression the vehicle is capable not only of power over all kinds of terrain but also through it.

Interior

The interior of the 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon, on the other hand, offers driver and passengers a large measure of comfort. It starts with an impressive feeling of leather wrapped on the instrument panel, steering wheel as well seats. That’s accented with real wood and aluminum, creating a luxury ambience throughout the cabin. 

Ram also equipped the Power Wagon with a large center console, which can carry a laptop case or double as the table or a desk out in the field. The big touchscreen also handles the entertainment system, which comes with multiple speakers and navigation. 

The interior isn’t perfectly quiet out on the road, but it is quiet enough and, as we mentioned at the start, this really is a vehicle with a command seating position that offers the driver a great look at the road and the traffic on crowded streets. It was nice to be able to see over all the other cars, crossovers and trucks on the road.

Powertrain

The 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon is equipped with a 6.4-liter, V-8 Hemi Engine, which is matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It also is a 4×4 with a manual shift on the fly transfer case. The transfer case and the gas tank are protected with skid plates and the powertrain is equipped with different modes for travel over rugged terrain such as sand or snow. 

The Power Wagon also is equipped with hill descent control for use coming down a slick, rocky trail and hill start assist. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not have a fuel economy rating for the 2022 Ram Power Wagon. The California Air Resources Board has given it a C-minus rating for greenhouse gas emissions and a B-plus rating for smog emissions. 

Safety and Technology

The Power Wagon is equipped with advanced multi-stage front airbags, supplemental side-curtain airbags, front and side airbags. There also is a park-view, rear backup camera with park sense, as well as a surround-view camera towing technology package. It is also equipped with lane-keeping assistance, full-speed forward-collision warning and adaptive cruise control. 

For convenience at night, there is LED lighting in the truck bed. It is also equipped with U Connect 5 with navigation and a 12-inch display and Sirius XM Radio and Bluetooth. It also equipped with rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic headlamps and a heated steering wheel and off-road pages and a remote tailgate release and an electric winch.

Driving Impressions

This is a big truck, but it has ample power to move down the highway with impressive quickness. It also cruises nicely when it is brought up to full speed on the freeway. The Power Wagon rides on performance-tuned shocks in both the front and rear and an active suspension system that reacts to the road surface or the conditions out beyond the pavement. 

In addition, besides the power and the solid ride, the Power Wagon has excellent brakes and is surprisingly maneuverable for out on the road. We drove over some 15 miles of dirt and sandy roads in the outback around Detroit and couldn’t help but be impressed by the steady, stable ride for a big vehicle. The Power Wagon was fun to drive and not all that difficult to park — even in a crowded parking lot.

2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab Specifications

Wrap Up

I know there are plenty of people who need a truck this big and this capable every day for work, and they no doubt appreciate its versatility and carrying capacity, if not its $72,000-plus price tag. Sportsman is a word falling into disuse in 21st century American but old school hunters and fishermen with a yen for the back country have used the various iterations of the Power Wagon dating all the way back to the 1940s.  

But if you don’t work in an occupation where a hefty truck is a valuable tool, aren’t really much of a sportsman, or don’t live somewhere where you have to travel miles of dirt road or a own very long and very rutted dirt driveway, this probably isn’t the vehicle for you — no matter how tough you think it looks.

2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab ­— Frequently Asked Questions