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Auburn Hills, Michigan - Dodge released photos and technical details of its new 2004 1/2 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Cummins "600" pickup truck on Wednesday. Its Cummins turbo-diesel engine develops 600 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm and 325 horsepower at 2,900 rpm. The Standard Output Cummins Turbo Diesel has been dropped from the Ram Heavy Duty line-up.

In addition to the most torque ever offered in a production heavy-duty pickup, the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Cummins "600" has the best-in-class towing capability of 16,400 lbs. (a 3,000 lb. advantage over the Ford F-350 PowerStroke), a payload of 5,020 lbs. and a best-in-class Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 23,000 lbs. and 12,000 lbs., respectively.

"The Ram Heavy Duty has the most sophisticated chassis in the segment, the biggest brakes, excellent handling and class-exclusive safety features such as side curtain air bags," said Eric Ridenour, Executive Vice President Product Development. "It is only fitting that it now has the most powerful diesel engine. This is also the quietest Ram diesel ever and the first High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel that meets 50-state emissions requirements.”

The re-designed 5.9-litre Cummins “600” powerplant was designed with premium exhaust valves and seats, high-strength exhaust manifolds, gallery cooled pistons and an oil bath turbo system.

According to DaimlerChrysler, the new Cummins "600” delivers best-in-class oil change intervals of 15,000 miles (versus 7,500 for the competition) and is the only heavy-duty diesel pickup pre-equipped for an exhaust brake. The Ram Heavy Duty Cummins “600” is also capable of zero-throttle launches, enabling smooth drive-offs under load with the 6-speed manual transmission. An automatic transmission is also available with the new Cummins "600."

“Our goal during the development of the Cummins '600' was to make meaningful changes, not just chase numbers," said Frank Klegon, Vice President, Truck Product Team. “The Ram Heavy Duty Cummins '600' delivers more torque and power where our customer needs it, under a full load and heading up a steep grade. We designed the Ram Heavy Duty Cummins '600' for the severe use customer, and for them, torque is everything. Dodge is also the only heavy-duty pickup manufacturer confident enough in our product to offer a seven year powertrain warranty.”

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