From Dale Wickell,
Your Guide to Trucks.
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From early 2003

After a three-week competition, Motor Trend magazine chose the 2003 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty truck as the recipient of their Truck of the Year award.

"From the onset of our 'Truck of the Year' competition, we knew the Ram Heavy Duty was a prime contender," said Kevin Smith, Motor Trend's Editor in Chief. "It fulfills the promise set forth last year by the introduction of an all-new Ram, and now offers the power and capability expected in the three-quarter and one-ton segments - plus features, content, and capabilities that in many ways raise the bar for this class of truck."

The new 2003 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty offers the option of two or four standard size doors and the all-new 345 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI Magnum engine as standard equipment. The 5.9-liter High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel delivers 555 lb.-ft. of torque and class-leading Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings. Ram Heavy Duty pickups are available in single and dual rear wheel applications.

"With the debut of the new Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks with (standard) HEMI and reg; power and (optional) Cummins power, we now have the strongest lineup of full-size trucks in the industry," said Rich Schaum, Executive Vice President - Product Development. "The Ram Heavy Duty is simply the toughest Ram ever."

Trucks competing for Motor Trend's award are put through thousands of miles of testing, including comparisons that examine each truck's characteristics during normal commuting, traversing mountain roads, cruising the freeways, trailer towing, off-pavement running, and loaded and unloaded performance. Trucks compete with all trucks in their class, whether they are included in the test or not.