Just to add to the above post:
They also redesigned the interior/dash/and exterior appearance, including navigation as an option.

 

http://www.autoweek.com/files/specia.../T2006_001.jpg
http://www.autoweek.com/files/specia...b/images/1.jpg

Hopefully those two pics still work.

 

Here's the new interior. http://www.autoweek.com/files/specia.../T2006_007.jpg

 

So no long bed. Well there goes the 5th wheel pulling market. Sliding hitches are to much of a pain.

 

Yeah sounds like Dodge missed the mark again ! Their current four door has an eight foot box , but isn't a true crew cab and now that they are coming out with a true crew ...... They skimp on the box length ! What good is the 3500 with only 2/3 of it's box ? Maybe all that strudel is cloging up their collective brain !

 

About as much good as a short box duals hmmm who makes that one?>

 

There is one reason for a short box dual and that is for goose neck dump trailers/utility trailers. So there is a need for this. And you can still pull a fifth with a short bed its just sliding hitches sucks using a sliding hitch.

 

The new Dodge Mega Cab was shown off at the Chicago Auto Show today. Good article on the tdr about it. However no full sized bed. The bed size is the same as the current shortbed in the quad cab. The engines are the hemi and the cummins. The back seat is huge. Storage space is the largest now available. No new auto. Big news is there is no dual rear wheel, only srw.

 

I was looking over on another forum on the new Dodge megacab and most all the people there did not give it favorable reviews. The looks off the 2006 Dodge really turns me off it looks like the new Dodge Durangoe. The interior is nothing to write home about. Looks like this truck with the exception off the cab is no threat to superduties dominance. As usual Dodge leaves a lot to be desired.

 

It looks like to me this truck is a good fit in the Dodge lineup. The line up seems to have something for everyone. Everything except a true Mega Cab with dual wheels and long bed. But overall a good fit.

 

which is what alot of people buy

 

I must say the interior definantly does look good, but offering no duallies and a shortbed only isn't going to hurt superduty sales one bit. They could have gone without the redesign up front, imo.

 

Lets keep some perspective here - Dodge has just recently announced release of it's own crew cab truck - this makes the quad cab the direct competitor to Ford/GM supercabs - and in this case, Dodge has both manufacturers thoroughly outclassed. Why dosent Ford or GM offer a supercab with 4 real doors WITH correctly opening rear doors like Dodge does?...lol.

Anyway, I think it's obvious as to why the mega cab is only available in a SRW/short bed configuration right now - they are able to offer it to the market sooner since they didint have to develop a longer chassis for it. They basically worked with what they had in terms of production set up right now. I'm almost certain that the long bed/ DRW models will follow within a year or so - but why put off the short bed version until then?? Especially since most GM/Ford crew cabs I see running around are indeed short bed models.

Take the F150 SuperCrew for instance - the Ram 1500 megacab is going to completely dwarf it. It has a much larger cab, both in terms of hip room and leg room - it's not even close. Add to this a 6'3" bed for the Dodge megacab as opposed to a 5'5" bed on the F150 Supercrew. Add the 6.1 Hemi to this truck and the deal is completely done.

Oh and one more thing to think about - that very large pillar behind the rear door is what allows rear passengers to fully recline without hitting their heads on rear window glass.

 

I personally like the looks of the front end, it reminds me of the original power wagon concept with that bumper. The lights do look durango'ish but not as bugeyed. Will this thing sell? It sure will, because like most all of you said in a past thread "cummings mpg vs. powerstroke" you only use the bed a minimal amount of time, but use the cab most all the time when "trucking buddies and sleds up to the camp" or taking the family out because of the space, ride, and diesel's mpg. I think what these 4 door crew cabs are pointing out with their increase in sales (I'm talking about all 3 manufacturers) is that more and more people, even with a heavy duty truck, are using the truck for its car like abilities just as much if not more than its truck abilities. People are willing to give up bed lenght for more knee room. This thing is going to be a sure hit with a great base gas engine, and one of the, if not, the best diesel engine on the market.

 

This truck is definately a step in the right direction for Dodge. They needed a true crew cab and now they have one. I think it would be safe to say that we will probably be seeing a long bed and dually option sometime down the road. If they wanted to have a MegCab with long bed/dually option, they would have needed alot more time to develope a wheelbase to fit the truck. This would have delayed the project, and result in a loss of sales in the long run.

Overall a good effort with a good result for Dodge. They now offer a better interior, and a nice front end refreshment along with it. And most importantly, a true crew cab.

What I expect to see down the road:

8 ft bed option
DRW option
6.1L Hemi option

Give Dodge some time, and see what they can come up with.