10 Facts about the Ramcharger/Plymouth Trailduster
The Dodge Ramcharger and Plymouth Trailduster were sister vehicles alongside early Chrysler entrants to the SUV market. Here's the scoop on the model that paved way for the Durango.
1. The Ramcharger was Dodge's first entry into the SUV field
The Dodge Ramcharger was Dodge's first two-door SUV under Chrysler. Looking to get their slice of the market, the Ramcharger offered fair specs and rugged power suited for the great outdoors. Marketed as a model option for the American heartland, the Ramcharger was well-equipped for rural work and camping trips alike. First dubbed the "Rhino" in development, the Ramcharger's reign lasted roughly two decades, beginning in 1974 and ending in the United States in 1993.
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2. The Trailduster was Plymouth's version of the Ramcharger
The Plymouth Trailduster was another two-door SUV under Chrysler's guidance. In fact, it was virtually identical to the Dodge Ramcharger. Save for the nameplates, Plymouth essentially marketed the same vehicle. Plymouth's attempt didn't last long, just five years later it fizzled out in '81. This isn't a surprising outcome; Plymouth's reputation as a "low-priced" outlet notwithstanding, their business angle didn't offer anything that Dodge didn't already nail.
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3. It was modeled after the success of Ford and Bronco trucks
Dodge has certainly made more of a name for itself in more recent decades. In the mid-1970s however, there's no doubt that Ford had practically closed the market with their magnificent F-Series of trucks. The Dodge Ramcharger essentially acted as the "me-too" response to the success of Ford and Bronco vehicles. This attitude is reflected in the Ramcharger's subsequent redesigns, which attempted to mirror some of the same merits as the Ford version.
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4. The Ramcharger was first offered exclusively as 4WD
The Ramcharger was initially offered purely as a four-wheel drive vehicle. The market quickly demanded more variety, clearly, so the vehicle was offered in a two-wheel variation promptly in the second year of its reign.
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5. The second generation switched from a removable to welded top
Both the Trailduster and Ramcharger switched from a removable back top to a welded hardtop with the second generation in 1980. Before that, the Ramcharger was also offered as a possible soft top. For the Trailduster, this welded redesign only lasted a year; by 1981 Plymouth and Chrysler shut down the Trailduster line for good.
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6. The redesigned Ramcharger optimized interior space and legroom
In keeping with Dodge's desire to reflect the quality Ford had imbued in their truck designs, the redesigned second generation Ramchargers came with added legroom and a refurbished interior.
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7. Chrysler axed the Ramcharger in favour of their other mid-sized SUVs
By the mid-1990s, two-door SUVs were falling out of favor, while their four-door alternatives picked up speed. Chrysler began to focus more on two of their other mid-sized SUVs: the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge's own Durango. The Ramcharger would have only acted as competition for these two, so Chrysler made the move to kill the Ramcharger. Given the changing market, the Ramcharger hadn't been aging well, so it was a simple matter of realigning their market aims.
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8. The Ramcharger suffered from mediocre gas mileage
Among the other reasons the Ramcharger line which was notorious for subpar gas guzzling was sent off into the sunset. While this virtually comes with natural SUV territory, it would have affected the brand's Corporate Average Fuel Economy poorly, with too little of a financial incentive to reasonably justify it.
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9. A non-US Ramcharger was still produced until 2001
While the last Ramchargers were sold in 1994 in the United States, the Ramcharger found an extended life in other parts of the Americas. Mexico and Canada continued to dish out new Ramchargers, and the vehicle was also sold throughout South America as well.
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10. The Ramcharger was succeeded by the Dodge Durango
Although the Ramcharger and everything Plymouth-related has been retired, it obviously wasn't the end for Dodge as a proprietor of SUVs. The Dodge Durango (which replaced the Ramcharger in showrooms) is officially deemed the successor to the Ramcharger. The Ramcharger's legacy is that it opened Dodge to a new branch of the market. The rest, as they often say, is history.
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