3 minute read • Mater Cars For Cancer, Car Lottery, Mater Lotteries, Car News, Cars For Cancer
Win, Choose Your Tow Rig and Go: RAM 1500 DT Laramie Sport or Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
Written by Dave Carey
The latest Mater Cars for Cancer lottery draw puts you in the running to win an awesome, 21-foot Kokoda Force 7 caravan and the ultimate rig to tow it with – your choice of a RAM 1500 DT Laramie Sport or Chevrolet Silverado ZR2. Decisions, decisions.
In the world of the US pick-up truck, bigger is invariably better; always has been, always will be. Winning Mater Cars for Cancer lottery No. 117 lets you choose between a RAM 1500 DT Laramie Sport and a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 pick up truck. Both will tow the 21-foot Kokoda caravan with ease; the question really is, do you want power, length, girth, agility or pumping tunes?
The history of both trucks goes back time immemorial and probably isn’t that relevant in 2024, yet without their basic ancestors, neither the RAM 1500 DT Laramie Sport nor the Chevy Silverado ZR2 would be the legends they are today. The current-model trucks are full of the latest drive train, safety, infotainment, connectivity and efficiency technology, and amazingly, both return fuel consumption ratings of a miserly 12.2L/100km.
That’s barely a snifter when you consider the RAM sports a thumping 5.7 litre petrol HEMI V8 producing 291kw, and the Chevy has an even thumpier 6.2 litre Ecotec3 V8 that cranks out 313kw. Given the prize includes the 21-foot Kokoda Force 7 caravan, you’d think your choice between the 556Nm RAM and the 624Nm Chevy would be a no-brainer, but you’d be wrong. Read on to find out why. Of course, facing the choice yourself will require the winning ticket, so ensure you’re in the draw today.
There is a lot more to these two mighty trucks than their engine capacities, power and torque. For instance, the RAM has a braked capacity of 4500kg and a gross combined mass (GCM) rating of 7713kg, while the more powerful Chevy can only haul 4200kgs and tops out at 6851kg, some 862kg less. The 21-foot Kokoda Force 7 weighs in at 3500kg, well within the limits of both trucks, but only the Chev is going to limit your toy collection while touring.
The RAM has also got it in width; it’s a significant 391mm wider than the 2074mm Chevy; but the Chev pips it on length—just—by being 98mm longer than the 5833mm RAM. It’s fascinating to see where Chrysler and GM, the power players behind these trucks, have placed their importance in this decades-old game of one-upmanship.
If you’ve just been called by the good people at Mater Foundation, and you’re forced to make a choice between the RAM and the Chevy, there are a few more factors to consider. But moreover, it means you’ve won Mater Cars for Cancer lottery No. 117. Guarantee you have that chance by purchasing a ticket; just follow the link.
The Kokoda Force 7 caravan is an off-road unit, but not everyone wants to get too far off the beaten trail. If that’s you, it’s another reason to park the RAM in your driveway. The 1500 Laramie Sport’s 20” alloys, low profile 275/55 tyres and colour coded bumpers mean that it can handle the tracks, but it’s more suited to the asphalt. Plus, you’ll be jamming to the block rockin’ beats with the 19-speaker, 900-watt Harman Kardon stereo system.
Conversely, the Chevy has got a simpler, six-speaker stereo, but makes up for it with a bigger touchscreen infotainment display, and a slightly bigger driver display too. And if you want to leave the road behind, the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 rides on 18” alloys with higher profile 275/70 Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud terrain tyres. Up front, it has a cut down front bumper with a heavy-duty skid plate; just the thing if you’re going slither the rig along some goat tracks off yonder.
Decisions, decisions.
So, buy a ticket, you’ll be helping out a great cause whatever the outcome. And that’s gotta make at least one decision really easy.
