Dodge sold its first civilian Power Wagon in 1946, and the name has sat on a four-wheel-drive Dodge or Ram for most of the eight decades since. The badge vanished after 1980, then came back for 2005.
Here are six versions that show how the recipe changed, from a war-bred one-ton with an L-head six to today’s HEMI-powered heavy-duty pickup. Every spec below comes from the source linked in its section.
1. 1946–1968 Dodge WDX Power Wagon
Dodge announced the WDX in 1946 as “the truck that needs no roads.” Its roots ran back to the T214-series 4x4s that Dodge built for the military from 1942 to 1945. For peacetime work, however, Dodge stretched the wheelbase to 126 inches.
Power came from a 230-cubic-inch L-head six rated at 94 horsepower. At a base price of $1,627, it cost $551 to $591 more than a conventional Dodge one-ton pickup. According to the Texas Power Wagon history, Dodge built 95,145 through 1968, with the best year in 1957 at 8,706 trucks. After 1968 the truck left the home market, but it kept going for export under a U.S. government program.
2. 1957 Dodge W100 Power Wagon
In 1957 the name stopped belonging to one truck. That year Dodge also put it on its conventional four-wheel-drive pickups, so the W100, W200, W300 and W500 all wore it.
These trucks came with four-wheel drive and available V8 power, a step beyond the six-cylinder WDX, as OffRoadXtreme explains. Meanwhile, the original WDX six reached 113 horsepower by 1957. Then a 251-cubic-inch six with 125 gross horsepower replaced it in 1961. The conventional trucks carried the badge until the 1980 model year.
3. 1979 Dodge W150 Macho Power Wagon
Dodge’s late-1970s “Adult Toy” line produced the Macho, a dressed-up version of the W150 half-ton. Sources disagree on the exact run. SlashGear gives 1977 to 1981, while OffRoadXtreme refers to the 1979-80 Macho.
A factory roll bar sat behind the cab. According to SlashGear, buyers could pick a 318-cubic-inch V8 or a 440 big-block, on a 115- or 131-inch wheelbase. Dodge offered eight special paint schemes, and bright red or orange with a black lower stripe was the most common. The trucks also rode on 10-15 LT-B tires with chrome or yellow special-edition wheels.
4. 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Power Wagon
After a gap of more than two decades, the name returned for 2005 on the heavy-duty Ram 2500. This time the job was serious off-road work straight from the showroom.
MotorWeek’s test truck used a 5.7-liter HEMI with 345 horsepower and 375 pound-feet, backed by a five-speed automatic or an available six-speed manual. Up front sat a 12,000-pound Warn winch. Dodge also fitted front and rear electronic lockers, a disconnecting stabilizer bar and 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires. Pricing started at $36,660 for a manual regular cab, and MotorWeek timed 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds.
5. 2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
By 2017 the truck wore Ram badging and a 6.4-liter HEMI rated at 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet. OffRoadXtreme also lists more than two inches of lift. In addition, it quotes approach, breakover and departure angles of 33.6, 23.5 and 26.2 degrees.
The Warn winch kept its 12,000-pound rating, and it now spooled 125 feet of steel cable. An electronic disconnecting sway bar let the front axle flex more freely, according to OffRoadXtreme’s 2017 review. Finally, a stripe along the bed side took its cue from the 1979-80 Macho, which ties this truck back to number three.
6. 2026 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
The current truck keeps the 6.4-liter HEMI, though DoubleClutch quotes 405 horsepower, five fewer than the 2017 figure. Torque stays at 429 pound-feet. A ZF-sourced eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic and a 4.30 rear axle give gas trucks a 55:1 crawl ratio.
The DoubleClutch review lists locking axles, a disconnecting front sway bar, a factory two-inch lift and 33-inch mud tires. It also reports no mechanical changes for 2026. Because the coming Cummins diesel version drops the factory Warn Zeon winch, the gas truck remains the one that leaves the factory with a winch on its bumper.
More from Fast Lane Only
