Dodge showcased its new crew cab package at the “Innovations Symposium” sponsored by parent company DaimlerChrysler in Washington, DC, last month. Called the Mega Cab, it will be available on all 2006 Dodge Ram pickups, including the 1500, 2500, and 3500. With 145.2 cu. ft. of interior space, the new cab configuration has enough room to comfortably seat six adult passengers and their gear.
The rear-passenger area of the Dodge Ram Mega Cab offers leg room of 44.2 inches. The OEM says reclining rear seats, which tilt back 22 to 37 degrees for added comfort, are an industry first for pickups. The rear seats also split 60/40, fold down and move forward, providing numerous configurations for maximum interior cargo capacity and flexibility.
Also on display for Dodge Ram light-duty pickups was a gasoline engine for the 1500 equipped with the latest in fuel-sipping technology: a multi-displacement system (MDS). MDS works by turning engine cylinders on and off in a 40,000th of a second, in response to specific driving conditions.
According to Bob Lee, vp-powertrain for the Chrysler Group, this technology can boost fuel economy by up to 20%. Lee explained that MDS enables a V8 engine to get the fuel consumption of a V4 in slow traffic or while cruising at highway speeds, yet keep the power and performance of a V8 under acceleration and hauling heavy loads.
“Customers want to keep the engine power of the V8, yet gain fuel economy — without any changes in how that engine performs or them having to drive differently,' notes Lee. “MDS allows just that.”
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