If there were a PM award for machismo, our loaded $52,725 Dodge would take the trophy. It was the most ruggedly handsome truck here, with a long cab, short bed proportions and massive wheel flares. But in this test, it’s function that matters. And the 6-ft. 4-in. bed sacrifices some hauling ability for a roomier cab. If moving people is more important than moving stuff, the Dodge trumps them all. This is the crew cab for owners who really need to carry a crew. Those rear doors open wider than the competition’s for easier loading, too.

Despite the people-friendly cabin, though, the Ram’s persona was slightly rough around the edges. It drove more like a commercial-duty rig than the others. Empty or loaded, all it took was one really big pothole to realize the Ram was the most stiff-legged. The driving position is old-school truck—more upright than the others. But we certainly liked the simple, straight-forward interior. At the heart of the Dodge is the all-new Cummins 6.7-liter turbo-diesel inline six-cylinder. The combination made for an unladen quarter-mile time right between the Ford and the GMC. And the Ram’s ultralow torque peak allowed it to scoot to 30 mph quickest. Yet in our braking tests, the Dodge fell behind. The Cummins was slightly noisier at redline than the others but pulled strong under the load of our trailer. The shifts were crisp, if a bit clunky, in tow/haul mode. But that’s easily forgotten when you floor the throttle. The Cummins not only maintained speed on the longest grades, it briskly accelerated our load, leaving cars and SUVs in its wake.

With trailers hitched, the Dodge was much closer to the GMC’s performance. In fact, only two-thirds of a second separated the two in the quarter-mile. And the exhaust brake really helped slow our load on the freeway. The Ram felt relatively nimble, thanks to the quick steering. That made inner-city maneuverability with the 23-ft. trailers a breeze. This is a potent machine; with a bit more polish, it would have topped our score cards.