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Dodge
Rampage Concept
Source: DaimlerChrysler Press Release
 Posted: 02-08-06
24:32 PT
© 2006 PickupTruck.com
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Bold, powerful and supremely versatile, the new Dodge Rampage concept
vehicle is a fresh look at how many families actually use the popular
pickup trucks.
"It's the truck for the non-traditional buyer," said Scott
Krugger, principal exterior designer. "This is a truck for the person
who wants the functional aspects of a truck yet doesn't want a traditional
vehicle. The Rampage has the capability of a pickup without sacrificing
occupant space."
Combining the width of a Dodge Ram with the overall length of a Dodge
Dakota, the Rampage features a host of people and cargo-carrying innovations
made possible by a combination of unitized body construction, front-wheel
drive, and unique independent rear wheel suspension. And as with any Dodge
concept, the appearance is striking.
In order to achieve their twin objectives of a family-size passenger
cabin and exceptional pickup utility, the designers dramatically reconfigured
the proportions of the truck. The largest portion of the Rampage is devoted
to the spacious passenger cabin, followed by the five-foot cargo box,
and last, the engine compartment (which still accommodates a 5.7-liter
MDS HEMI under the abbreviated hood). To visually reinforce the fact that
the majority of the vehicle is dedicated to passengers and cargo, a slim
appliqué of brushed aluminum runs along the cowl, up and over the
roof rails and around the top of the cargo box, a shimmering silver ribbon
that contrasts dramatically with the Liquid Carbon exterior.
Up front, the Rampage exhibits a fresh interpretation of the Dodge truck
style architecture - a new look for a new truck. The signature Dodge six-sided
crossbar grille is set flush within a curving plane that encompasses rectangular
wraparound headlamps. Featuring LED lighting, all exterior lamps rely
on light-piping and both clear and frosted acrylic to achieve a cleaner
look.
The body
side is dominated by "double-muscle" flared fenders with the
widest part of the body centered over the 22-inch brushed aluminum wheels.
The framed doors feature a continuous fore-aft glass plane while the reverse-angle
"pillar" on the rear door and distinctive triangular window
give a sporty coupe-like profile.
To draw attention to the generous occupant space, a U-shaped chamfered
element runs above the sill and travels up the body along the leading
and trailing edges of the door sets. Accented with brushed aluminum, this
detail is subtly repeated on the exterior door handles.
Access to the interior is exceptional. When either door is opened, the
sill pivots down to expose a handy step assist. While the front door is
hinged conventionally, the rear door slides open to reveal an imaginative
and supremely practical interior, entry to which is enhanced by the absence
of the customary B-pillar.
"The interior of the Rampage is durable, functional and efficient,"
said Irina Zavatski, principal interior designer. "Everything is
there for a reason."
Structural elements are exposed. The contoured center stack, for example,
"floats" above the surface of the instrument panel. Composed
of satin silver finished "framing," the center stack can be
pulled rearward and rotated toward either driver or passenger to access
the navigation, HVAC and entertainment functions. The free-standing instrument
cluster has a similar look and moves with the adjustable steering column
while the steering wheel spokes harmonize with both cluster and center
stack.
Overhead a "ladder-type" front-to-rear console with storage
and entertainment units incorporates distinctive mood lighting along its
edges. Flanking the console are fore-aft "skylights," bringing
welcoming daylight to rear seat passengers as well as those up front.
"The seating is designed to be athletic, comfortable, yet rugged,"
said Chris Welch, designer of the seats, which are contoured around specially-fabricated
folding framing finished in satin silver. To facilitate ingress/egress
to the rear compartment, milled silver handles are integrated into the
outboard sides of the front seat backs. The dark charcoal seats are trimmed
in a smooth polyurethane-coated material and a three-dimensional open
texture "spacer knit" fabric which is also used as a non-glare
covering on the instrument panel. Contrasting red-orange fabric on the
seat inserts echoes similar accents on the instrument panel, steering
wheel and door armrests.
With all seats in use, the Rampage is able to carry five passengers,
but that's just the beginning of its functionality. The right front seat
and the 60/40 rear seats can be folded into the floor, marking the first
use of Dodge's popular and innovative Sto-N-Go Seating and Storage Unit
in a pickup truck and the first Sto-N-Go front passenger seat ever.
The stowing process is facilitated by headrests that flip down into the
seat backs, a solution that also allows taller-than-normal seat backs
for greater support. To enhance the available interior volume with seats
dropped into the floor, the armrests on the front and rear passenger doors
also fold out of the way, maximizing the cabin's cargo-carrying capacity.
As with all Sto-N-Go seating, with the seats upright, the bins beneath
become handy storage areas for sundry items.
Since the interior is designed to accommodate both people and cargo,
a durable marine-type rubberized material is used for the cabin flooring.
Behind the rear seats the backlite retracts into a midgate which in turn
folds down into the forward part of the cargo bed. With the both midgate
and one or more of the passenger seats in a stored position, lengthier
items can be carried without having to lower the tailgate.
After the midgate, the five-foot box offers many utility options, including
retractable cargo hooks and built-in formations arranged to secure 2'x4'
boards. The three-position tailgate can be deployed upright, folded down
98 degrees, or dropped further to an angle of 117 degrees. In this position
a stored-in-the-tailgate slide-out ramp can be extended to the ground
to permit easy loading of wheeled cargo like motocross bikes, ATVs, etc.
And the unexpected features don't stop there. Rampage delivers exceptional
cargo carrying capacity above and below the dual-bed floor. Acting as
a second tailgate, the rear bumper fascia also drops down to reveal an
enclosed storage space extending (with the seats up) far enough forward
to provide room enough to accommodate a stack of 4'x8' plywood sheets.
"This is 'clean storage,'" says Krugger, "something most
pickups today don't have."
Combined with the Sto-N-Go seating in the cabin, these cargo box features
give the owner -and his or her family - unrivaled flexibility sure to
be appreciated, whether going to the store to buy materials for a weekend
project or taking the family off on an outdoors outing. Another thoughtful
touch: In order to keep the rear of the vehicle free of bothersome heat
and fumes when accessing the dual cargo beds, the engine exhaust exits
via specially-trimmed vents forward of the rear wheels.
"Bold, powerful and superbly capable in creative new ways, the Dodge
Rampage concept vehicle offers a new vision for the American pickup truck
and the active lifestyle people who drive them," said Trevor Creed,
Senior Vice President - Design, Chrysler Group.
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