Make no mistake about it, this truck is big.

We’re talking almost 230 inches long (with the short bed), and a staggering 6,780 pounds. Needless to say, living in West Los Angeles with this beast for a week was an eye-opening experience.

First of all, at 78.5 inches tall, it was unlikely to clear the short, steep opening into my parking garage, so I didn’t even attempt it. That forced me to find a space on the street. In a neighborhood accustomed to subcompacts, finding a space for this beast was an adventure in and of itself.

Sitting atop a beefy heavy-duty frame, endowing the truck with a payload capacity of more than 2,200 pounds, and a towing capacity of 13,050 pounds, just getting up into the cab requires effort. I found the easiest way was to hoist myself up by the grab handle on the A-pillar.

Once seated, the cab is a pleasant, vast place. Unlike some trucks, there is honest three-across seating on the front split bench, and center armrest storage that looks like it would easily swallow an average-size laptop computer. Accommodations are a little tighter in the back, but still plenty comfortable for most average-size adults.

Engine refinements

The new Cummins 600 turbo diesel engine, named for its colossal torque output of 600 pound-feet, is the latest refinement of this engine. (For comparison, a BMW X5 with the 3.0-liter, six-cylinder puts out 214 pound-feet of torque.)

Indeed, it is remarkably quiet for a diesel. But Lexus need not worry about the Cummins engine stealing the noise, vibration and harshness crown from the LS 430. There’s no mistaking that you’re driving a diesel. Ironically, the engine almost seems noisier from the interior than it does from outside the vehicle, where the traditional diesel clatter is subdued. There is a subtle throb through the body and steering column whenever the engine is running, but nothing disturbing or annoying.

Once the full fury of all that torque hits the rear tires, you know it. The turbo hisses, and the truck launches.

Those used to the instantaneous, off-idle torque of the Big Block V-8s of yore might initially be disappointed in the Cummins’ off-idle responsiveness. But lay your foot in it, and the power is there, and plenty of it.

Many an Audi A4 and BMW 325i eager to pass me were surprised when I pulled away from them swiftly and confidently. Good thing then that the truck has beefy ventilated disc brakes at all four corners.

Transmission lags behind

Though the current reigning champ of the diesel power race among the Big Three, the Ram comes up short with its transmission. While Ford and GM have five-speed automatics, the Ram soldiers on with a four-speed.

And the Cummins is probably the most in need of an extra cog of any of these engines.

With its redline at a loping 3,200 rpm, highway driving is unexpectedly frenetic with this engine. At 75 mph, the engine spins at more than 2,000 rpm. Allowing the engine to drop down a few hundred rpm at highway speeds would make things a little quieter, as well as probably improve highway fuel economy.

Gas mileage

I averaged 15.5 miles a gallon in mixed driving, with a high of 18.5 on one mostly highway trip. Though these figures might seem abysmal by passenger car standards, let’s not forget that this same truck with the gasoline-powered Hemi V-8 would probably return 10 to 12 mpg in the same situation.

Although definitely not made for the slalom or autocross, the steering response is surprisingly sharp, making the truck much more manageable and maneuverable than one might expect. Ride quality is, as expected for a vehicle in this class, a little choppy.

Finesse and daintiness are not in this truck’s vocabulary. This truck is all about raw, big power. It was meant to work. For those that tow or haul routinely, this truck is perfect.