GARAGE

EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON NOT RATED BASE PRICE $53,690 PRICE AS TESTED $63,280

There are a million versions of this story. You’re on a trip. Somewhere far away—the polar opposite of where you live—and you fall in love. It could be with the place, the food, the person you’re with, or even the car you’re driving. You adopt this new thing once you get back home, only to discover, disappointed, that it was only a vacation romance.

For last year’s SUV Buying Guide, I went to the far reaches of northeastern Canada to trace the (largely unpaved) Trans-Labrador Highway with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Ford F-150 Raptor, and Ram 2500 Power Wagon to determine which American off-road pickup was toughest. Not only did I fall in love with Atlantic Canada, but I also fell in love with the winning Ram Power Wagon.

Back home in Los Angeles, with the story published and in my rearview mirror, I kept thinking about that Power Wagon. Was it just a road trip love, or could the Ram Power Wagon really be the ultimate, be-all, end-all off-road pickup?

I’d be a really crappy journalist if I didn’t attempt to find out—so please join me in welcoming this 2018 Ram 2500 Power Wagon to the Motor Trend Garage.

The Power Wagon was the winner of our TLH comparison because it was downright unstoppable in mud, sand, gravel, and dirt. Where we doubted the abilities of the other trucks, the Ram never gave us pause. Looking at its standard features list, it’s pretty obvious why. Each Power Wagon starts life as a 2500 Heavy Duty Crew Cab, equipped with a 76-inch bed and four-wheel drive. Under the hood, the base 5.7-liter V-8 is swapped out for a 6.4-liter V-8 that makes 410 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque paired with a six-speed automatic. The Ram then gets a suspension lift with Bilstein shocks, beefed-up new axles featuring locking front and rear differentials and 4.10:1 gearing, and an electronic disconnecting front anti-roll bar to increase articulation—basically all the goodies the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon gets in a far