2016 Power Wagon: 10,000 Mile Review

[MoparToYou]

I'll be turning my 2016 Power Wagon in to the dealer tomorrow for an AEV Prospector with a 6.7 Cummins and Aisin transmission, and thought I would give a review of one year of ownership with the Power Wagon. I've owned a lot of pickup trucks in my life, with the first being a 1977 Chevrolet K10 Custom Delux that I purchased new for $5200. I've upgraded trucks every few years since then, and have owned both gas and diesel, and have owned trucks from the top four brands, and have come to the conclusion that diesel works the best for me at this point in my life.

So how was the Power Wagon over this last year?

Exterior: Ram trucks have the best styling on the market in my opinion, and a Power Wagon with its tall lean stance is the best of the best. I chose the Laramie version without the extra graphics. No complaints in this regard, it is one good looking truck.

Interior: The Laramie trim package is truly exceptional, with great comfort and a stylish yet rugged appearance. It is comfortable, and materials have a quality feel to them. The stereo system is as good as any stereo system I've had before. Heating and cooling systems are flawless. I set the climate control at 70 degrees when I bought the truck, and I haven't touched it since.

Performance: The 6.4 Hemi in SRT8 vehicles is a fantastic engine. Ram mellowed it out too much for their truck engine. The 6.4 gets the job done, but it doesn't do anything all that spectacularly well. The exhaust is so quiet you can't even hear it, all you hear is the loud roaring of the air intake, or the engine fan, sounding like it is going to suck in low flying birds. Still, the engine does its job of moving the truck around, and towing moderate loads. It is able to maintain the speed limit while towing on all but the steepest grades. Fuel mileage is very variable with the MDS system, ranging from 6 mpg towing on the interstate, to 17 mpg empty on two lane country roads. Almost half the miles on my Power Wagon are towing miles, so overall average fuel mileage for my Power Wagon has been quite low (<10 mpg). The transmission works better than other Ram trucks I've owned, I have no complaints about the transmission, or tow/haul mode. 4.10 gearing feels perfect for the stock tires.



Suspension: I like the suspension on the Power Wagon. It is firm enough to let you know you are driving a truck, but is not harsh. Air down the tires to 20 psi when you leave the pavement, and ride quality is excellent for a day of back country exploring. This is one of the best riding, quietest, most rattle free, and most comfortable vehicles I have owned for back country exploring. Articulation is good, especially with the swaybar disconnected.

4x4 capability: Four wheeling in the Power Wagon can be kind of a mixed bag. It has great features like lockers, swaybar disconnect, and a Warn winch. And it has great suspension flexibility, so it can crawl through areas most pickups cannot. But it wont climb a modest slope on a graded gravel road that has 6" of frozen snow on it because axle wrap and wheel hop are so bad in certain conditions.


Drive ability: This is where this truck shines, in just everyday around town driving and back country driving. The engine, transmission, suspension, and handling work well together, which make this one of the best trucks I've owned for driving enjoyment. Overall I rate this Power Wagon #1 for all time best truck I have owned. It is going to be a shame to see it go.

Reliability: 100% perfect. All this truck has cost me is the price of an oil change at 1,000, 3,000, 6,000, and 9,000 miles, which is my usual routine for oil changes.

Mods: Triple kicker shock, and that's it.

[RustyPW]

Nice review. Enjoy your AEV. Let us know about that one too.

[olyelr]

Yes, thanks for the review.

My take on the truck with my brief ownership (under 4k miles) is dang near spot on with yours. Only change from your comments is the gearing, or the trans shifting pattern, or both. It just seems too sluggish at times, like it is shifting too soon, not downshifting soon enough, or the gearing is too high. Something. I haven't figured it out yet I guess.

Otherwise, so far I love this dang truck. Pretty good job RAM, if I do say so myself

[ramv]

5500 miles here. Love mine (although I wish I had your colour!)

Agreed, gears are tall for this region (Colorado). 6th/MDS is kind of a joke, I only get to it on downhills. Still a darn fine truck to drive though.

[adeluca73]

Thanks for the write up & being part of the forum , best of luck with your AEV!!

[Reloaderguy]

Congratulations on the new truck, it looks damn nice and I'm certain it will be a better fit for your needs.

[waldo]

I've got 7K miles on mine now. The two things I really don't like is how the PCM holds the trans in higher gears for too long and the axle wrap/wheel hop going uphill in snow. I still have my 3G 07 wagon, so I'm always comparing them. The 6.4 works fine for my uses and I like it better than the 5.7 which always seems like you're flogging it in hilly terrain at freeway speeds.

I much prefer the lower 3G front end and hood over the 4G when off road, especially going uphill and cresting hills. The close in visibility on the 4G with that high, square front end really sucks by comparison.

Enjoy your new truck.

[OffroadTreks]

The AEV makes perfect sense if you want the Wagon feel with the diesel pulling power. The question I want to know is, will the diesel go up the snow bank with the same axle hop?

I haven't driven over any real snow yet. I suppose I will get to find out what that's like this year though. Congratulations.

[FirerescuePW]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. An honest review is hard to find sometimes.

I'm glad you spent the time with us here. Don't be a stranger. We take in the occasional wayward diesel guy, so there's no need to disappear. Many of us are interested in your impressions of the Prospector. Congrats, and good luck.

[laramieskibum]

The AEV makes perfect sense if you want the Wagon feel with the diesel pulling power. The question I want to know is, will the diesel go up the snow bank with the same axle hop?

I haven't driven over any real snow yet. I suppose I will get to find out what that's like this year though. Congratulations.

I have not experienced rear hop in snow or gravel at moderate hills. But mine has the power hop shock like the wagons do since it is a manual. A lot less hop than my f150 had, and only when extremely steep without lockers locked. Tons of ice roads during elk season last year. I do run nokian snows come dec.

[MSCH2112]

But it wont climb a modest slope on a graded gravel road that has 6" of frozen snow on it because axle wrap and wheel hop are so bad in certain conditions.

oh this is soo true even for my 05' pw and current 12' pw. that's why i have chains though.

let us know how you like the aev. i've been tempted by the dark side lately to get the prospector diesel mainly because the pw doesn't like live cattle loads in the trailer.

mike

[laramieskibum]

But it wont climb a modest slope on a graded gravel road that has 6" of frozen snow on it because axle wrap and wheel hop are so bad in certain conditions.

oh this is soo true even for my 05' pw and current 12' pw. that's why i have chains though.

let us know how you like the aev. i've been tempted by the dark side lately to get the prospector diesel mainly because the pw doesn't like live cattle loads in the trailer.

mike

Hope to finish making chains for mine and test fitting soon. Rear looks like it will be fine, front going to be tight and for sure no tight turns, sway and radius arm contact for sure.

[Reloaderguy]

I've got 7K miles on mine now. The two things I really don't like is how the PCM holds the trans in higher gears for too long and the axle wrap/wheel hop going uphill in snow. I still have my 3G 07 wagon, so I'm always comparing them. The 6.4 works fine for my uses and I like it better than the 5.7 which always seems like you're flogging it in hilly terrain at freeway speeds.

I much prefer the lower 3G front end and hood over the 4G when off road, especially going uphill and cresting hills. The close in visibility on the 4G with that high, square front end really sucks by comparison.

Enjoy your new truck.

I don't think transmission tuning is any better in the 68RFE. RAM appears to have a problem tuning transmissions across almost every product line with an auto. A programmer is high on my mod list so I can resolve what I think is the single largest weak spot on the gas RAM 2500. A tuner will also resolve torque management and traction control.

I haven't experience any wheel hop but I have spent zero time offroad with the stock wheels and tires. I had no issues in snow.

I like the 3G body style better than the 4G. If Ram made a 3G with the 4G interior I'd trade my truck tomorrow. The new interior is night and day better though.

[scoutermike]

Loved all the comments of the 2016 PowerWagon. I'm looking forward to getting mine if the damn railroad will speed up a bit.....

Mods already bought: LT315-70R17 Duratracs, Amsteel Blue winchline, Factor 55 Prolink, extra wheel for spare tire.

[Zybane]

I agree with most of the original posters thoughts after 5000 miles on my 16. Only thing I'd differ on is the engine sound. I like quiet, loud engines/vehicles are annoying to me.

I'd give the truck 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only thing really keeping it from 5 stars is the occasional engine sputter on lower octane gas and transmission programming that could use some tweaking. Oh, and having to cut out part of the HVAC box to install an air filter is a bit silly of an omission.

[cruz]

Only thing I'd differ on is the engine sound. I like quiet, loud engines/vehicles are annoying to me.

I'll be damned, I thought I was the only one in the country.

[LagunaH1]

Thanks for the review. Please come back and share your experiences with your new AEV.

X3 on the sound / noise thing: I *love* how quiet my wagon is.

[MoparToYou]

You guys misinterpreted what I was saying with the sound comment. I said the exhaust was so quiet that you couldn't even hear it, and all you heard was the loud roaring of the air intake, or engine fan. I'm fine with a quiet exhaust, and actually prefer it that way, but if you need to get on the gas to pass someone, and you need to hear something from that engine, let it be the pleasant soft rumble of a V8, not a loud roaring noise from the air intake. It's not so much that the exhaust is too quiet, its that the roaring of the air intake overpowers it. They don't need a louder exhaust, they need a quieter air intake. The air intake sound is variable, and I'm not sure what causes it to occur. It seems to be temperature or humidity, or maybe even elevation related, or perhaps its related to a HVAC function, such as the air conditioning or defrost. Sometimes the truck doesn't make the noise much at all, and other times it is almost deafening. Mine seemed to do it most of the time.

[04Ram2500Hemi]

You guys misinterpreted what I was saying with the sound comment. I said the exhaust was so quiet that you couldn't even hear it, and all you heard was the loud roaring of the air intake, or engine fan. I'm fine with a quiet exhaust, and actually prefer it that way, but if you need to get on the gas to pass someone, and you need to hear something from that engine, let it be the pleasant soft rumble of a V8, not a loud roaring noise from the air intake. It's not so much that the exhaust is too quiet, its that the roaring of the air intake overpowers it. They don't need a louder exhaust, they need a quieter air intake. The air intake sound is variable, and I'm not sure what causes it to occur. It seems to be temperature or humidity, or maybe even elevation related, or perhaps its related to a HVAC function, such as the air conditioning or defrost. Sometimes the truck doesn't make the noise much at all, and other times it is almost deafening. Mine seemed to do it most of the time.

I understand what you're saying. I actually prefer the quiet exhaust in my truck, but that could be a sign of getting older (I'm only 35, so I'm not that old yet). I too could hear the intake over the exhaust, but not by a lot. One of my concerns when I added the AEV Raised Air Intake was making the intake a lot louder. I had an AEM Air Intake on my 2004 Hemi and holy hell was it loud. I'm very happy with the sound quality of the AEV Raised Air Intake. It's a little louder than stock when you get on it, but it's not obnoxious. Under normal driving you don't even notice a difference. I'd say around 3,000 RPM's is when it's the loudest, but again, it's not that noticeable, just a little deeper sound.

[mystro]

Coming from a 2006 Ram 2500 QC to 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew to now a 2016 PW. It's damn near perfect from everything I through at it. Rides amazingly well for a 2500 on and off road.

[adeluca73]

Only thing I'd differ on is the engine sound. I like quiet, loud engines/vehicles are annoying to me.

I'll be damned, I thought I was the only one in the country.

Cut the resonator off and put on a magnaflow muffler --you'll hear it rumble then, for sure

[Chromolykid]

Loved all the comments of the 2016 PowerWagon. I'm looking forward to getting mine if the damn railroad will speed up a bit.....

Mods already bought: LT315-70R17 Duratracs, Amsteel Blue winchline, Factor 55 Prolink, extra wheel for spare tire.

Another rail on the OIFR board? What terminal you out of?

[scoutermike]

Loved all the comments of the 2016 PowerWagon. I'm looking forward to getting mine if the damn railroad will speed up a bit.....

Mods already bought: LT315-70R17 Duratracs, Amsteel Blue winchline, Factor 55 Prolink, extra wheel for spare tire.

Another rail on the OIFR board? What terminal you out of?

Umm. Huh?

[Chromolykid]

Loved all the comments of the 2016 PowerWagon. I'm looking forward to getting mine if the damn railroad will speed up a bit.....

Mods already bought: LT315-70R17 Duratracs, Amsteel Blue winchline, Factor 55 Prolink, extra wheel for spare tire.

Another rail on the OIFR board? What terminal you out of?

Umm. Huh?

Your comment on the Railroad being slow made me assume you're a conductor on furlough, as there are over 5,000 of us just on BNSF territory. Fortunately I was recalled a couple months ago here in LA.

[olyelr]

I am thinking when he said railroad he was referring to his truck getting delivered