Cars are rated one (forget it) to four ('bout as good as it gets) James Deans

 Specifications

• Style: super truck
• Engine: 8.3-liter Viper V10
• Transmission: six-speed manual
• Drivetrain: rear-wheel drive
• Horsepower: 500hp @ 5,600 rpm
• Torque: 525 ft-lbs. @ 4,200 rpm
• EPA mileage: 9 city/15 highway
• Weight: 5,150 lb.
• Price as tested: $45,795

Totally outrageous!

What can you say about a pickup truck that has a 500-horsepower Viper racing engine under the hood? What can you say about a hauler that gets an EPA estimated nine miles per gallon of gas in the city (and real world will be worse)? What can you say about spending $45,000 on a single row seat, normal pickup bed truck?

You could say "wow".

You could say "now we're talkin'."

You could be left speechless.

I'll try not to be speechless as that won't help you understand the shortcomings and wonderment of the world's King Kong Top Truck. The 2004 Dodge SRT-10 is a trump card of bold proportions played by DaimlerChrysler, the perpetual third-place finisher in truck sales competitions.

Now, I'd been warned that I might not like the SRT-10. I've said and written that any vehicle that beats me up, no matter its purpose in life, is going to get kicked both physically and verbally. I don't need to be abused by a car. Or truck. So the warning I got was that the SRT-10 might be a bit rough-riding for me.

I braced for a rough week. Not so. The SRT-10 has a stiff suspension, befitting a performance vehicle, but it did extraordinarily well on city streets. And it cruised interstates at such a low rpm that I was idling at 75 miles an hour.

Bottom line: I flat loved this Viper truck. Most fun I've ever had in a truck. It's the hands-down Big Dog among trucks.

Course, we've been down this road before. And the scenery today even seems similar. Go back to the mid- and late-60s. Detroit began a serious horsepower race, giving us 426 Hemi engines, 454 Big Blocks, etc. We had Chevelle SS screamers, Cudas, Chargers, Talladagas, Challengers, GTOs, all manner of muscle machines. Horsepower inched up to a ceiling of 425 imposed by insurance companies.

And then it all came crashing down in 1972.

The Arab gas pipe crimped and supplies became tight. Prices shot up. Insurance companies screamed enough is enough and we're not insuring your precious street racers. The federal government said excuse me, but all of you must now meet new emission and safety standards.

And the race came to a halt.

For the next decade or so, Detroit gave us Farrah Fawcett Mustangs and cute little cars. It was a sad time. Some cars, like the VW Thing, admitted it couldn't meet standards and gave up American sales.

But a more-is-better philosophy seems part of the American character and before long, horsepower began inching back up.

As the 90s began, General Motors decided to produce a muscle truck, so it dropped a 282-horsepower engine into a truck and sport utility it named the Syclone and Typhoon. Cowabonga! With all-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine, these beauties could dash 0-to-60 in less than six seconds. In fact, some tests showed 0-to-60 in 4.6 seconds!

And these two could do it in the rain.

Car and Driver did a hilarious centerpiece feature pitting a Syclone with a Rebel flag tag on front against a Ferrari. The Syclone won and the South rose again.

Now, strange as it may seem today, neither sold well. Some languished on dealer lots for two years, eventually selling as low as $16,000 -- easily $10,000 less than the sticker. This was not a good time for a muscle truck, but today either model will fetch a premium price and cults have grown up around both. The cults will not buy Dodge's claim that the SRT-10 is the fastest production truck ever, unless top speed is the criteria. If acceleration is the consideration, the twin GMC screamers win hands down, the fans say.

In all, GM sold 2,995 1991 Syclones and 4,697 1992-93 Typhoons. Then, as is typical when GM gets it right, it killed 'em both.

GM later gave us a 454 SS truck; Ford supercharged an engine and produced the SVT Lightning (right). We were back to acceleration prowess last approached three decades ago.

Until 2004, the Ford SVT Lightning was the screaming leader among trucks. Ford has the best-selling F-150, of course, and I still consider it the Best Truck. But DaimlerChrysler looked at its history and decided to do something bold.

It remembered that Chevy's Corvette always had just enough buyers to keep it going. Never a best-seller, but lots of devoted folks who liked driving America's only sports car. How could Chrysler compete? It had a 345-horsepower Hemi in the works, but decided to do something really radical. It would take a V10 engine from a Dodge Ram truck, modify it, and drop it into a sports car of a design that would turn Carroll Shelby green with envy.

Thus was born the Dodge Viper.

Whoa momma, this was the King Kong American sports car.

It could bite a driver in a minute. Still can. It's a helluva ride.

So when Chrysler decided to one-up Ford and Chevy for hot trucks, it turned to that Viper configuration: a 505 cubic-inch, V10 engine mated to a heavy-duty six-speed manual transmission.

That did the trick.

Zero to 60 is now a 5-flat dash. In a truck.

But here's the sweet part for non-racing folks like myself: The 2004 Dodge SRT-10 is easy to drive around town. It doesn't wear you down, doesn't beat you up, doesn't demand frantic continued attention in order to avoid a wreck. You'll rarely get out of third gear .. but it's still easy to drive.

The metal pedals adjust to bring that 500-horsepower to the top of your right foot. A tall shifter with HURST running vertically down it is within easy reach of your right hand. Steering is firm but sure. With rear-wheel drive, there is no torque steer. And the truck can be launched without wheel spin from the monster 22-inch wheels/tires.

For interstate drives, cruise control is standard. And you'll need it. This truck always, always wants to go faster.

Starting the truck is like starting the Viper (or the Honda S2000). Insert the key, turn it ... and nothing happens. On the dash is a red button. Press it and V10 Viper engine springs to life.

As it does, the monster exhaust system belches a note unheard across the land. It curls hair, causes dogs and small children to run screaming down the street and gets negative brows-down from elderly types. I loved it!

In the week behind the wheel, the Dodge SRT-10 was a head-turner, show-stopper wherever I went. I would stop for lunch and young people in hopped-up Dakotas would stop and examine the SRT-10. A man in a BMW 7-series motioned for me to lower the passenger-side window at a stoplight. I did. "Is that the one with the Viper engine?" he asked across traffic lanes. I nodded. "Nice truck," he concluded as we drove off.

It was always time to pop the hood when I stopped and the crowd gathered.

There it was, with flame-red rocker panels embossed with VIPER. Those leaning into the engine bay would count the spark plugs. 1, 2, 3, 4 .. 5! Damn. It's a V10! Yes, it is.

Co-workers wanted to ride in it. Now, I'm not about to do an all-out, burnout launch on my town's streets, but I would do a rolling start and then stomp it. The rush has to be felt to be believed. It almost takes your breath away. There was always one word that described the feeling co-workers expressed:

"DAMN."

Well, they'd never felt that rush before and can't find it in anything they would drive. It was the natural and universal reaction to the power of the SRT-10's acceleration.

The Maxwell House Set with their Fast and Furious toys gave the SRT-10 plenty of respect.

Everyone wanted it -- right up to the point where they asked, "How much?"

$45,795.

"Nice talkin' with you. Nice truck. Bye."

The styling of the SRT-10 certainly sets it apart from other Ram trucks. All of them, of course, feature the in-your-face slab grille work that is a great pedestrian-killer. But the SRT-10 is even bolder. It has an air dam in front, a functional Mammoth Cave hood scoop and a wing that is fixed above the tailgate and certainly restricts some loading capabilities.

In most important ways, however, the Dodge SRT-10 is ergonomically correct. The seats are leather and nicely supportive. The instruments are black on white for easiest reading at a glance. Seats, steering wheel and pedals all adjust, so that just about any size body can find a comfortable driving position.

The brakes are simply awesome. At 13-plus inches, they rival the wheels on some cars. They haul the truck to a stop from 60 in about 120 feet. It's quick as a car. And the humongous tires provide incredible grip (but do make this a monster to park!).

The front seat is the lone seat. Basically, this is a two-passenger truck, with a wide center console that could hold a laptop computer. Flip the console up, and a third passenger can fit in there. But it's best if that third occupant is a child. And, even then, my nine-year-old had a heck of time keeping her knees away from that tall shifter.

While we're talking interior, it's best not to miss the trifecta Dodge scores with the SRT-10: 500 horsepower, 525 foot-pounds of torque, and 505 watts of stereo. Yes, that stereo pumps. And it features an in-dash six-CD player. Way to go.

Take a peek at the instruments as seen through the sliding rear window of the SRT-10 (right).

It's funny, by the way, to look at the sticker price. DaimlerChrysler lists the base price as $22,425. Ha. That's for a Ram. Not this model. Please. How often have you seen a sticker where the option package was more than the base price? I've never seen that at any price. But the option package that makes this an SRT-10 is $22,575. No dickering.

Unlike GM, Dodge seems content to sell these in limited quantities. The plan is to make 2,500 a year. Maybe in 2004 the marketplace is ready for this King Kong muscle truck.

But maybe not.

We've seen times like these before. In 1972.

Just look at the gasoline situation today. In many parts of the country, mine included, premium gasoline like this Dodge likes is now more than $2 a gallon. Filling up the 26-gallon tank is a $52 investment in fun. And you'll do that frequently, depending on how far you drive daily. But it's just wrong to think of it as a daily driver, yet it's so much fun that you'll want to drive it daily. If you do, you might end up filling the gas tank twice a week. How's $100 a week sound as a gasoline bill?

The EPA estimate for the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 is 9 mpg around town. Put your foot in it regularly, as I did, and you'll be more like 6 mpg.

Of those who loved this truck during test week, only the BMW guy might be able to actually buy this and keep it up.

Lucky him.

'nuff said.

Home, James