2014 Ram 1500 Express on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Ram 1500 Review & Buying Guide | The class home run

The 2020 Ram 1500 is a home run, plain and simple. From the humble Tradesman to the opulent Limited and every flavor in-between, this thoughtfully designed and well-executed truck impresses like none other. It possesses the capability expected of a half-ton pickup and dimensions that pretty much match its competitors, but it consistently goes above and beyond what's expected. Its coil spring rear suspension provides superior ride, handling and trailer control. Its interior is a model of quality, functionality and aesthetics, with user-friendly technology to boot. The breadth of engine options may not match its Chevy and Ford rivals, but the four available are fully competitive with ample power, strong fuel economy and advanced engineering in the form of the eTorque mild-hybrid system. If you're looking for a truck and don't at least consider the Ram, you're doing yourself a disservice. What's new for 2020? The Ram 1500 regains its popular EcoDiesel engine for 2020, although this time around, its main competitors offer similarly powered engines as well. Also new is a Night Edition available for Big Horn and Laramie that adds blacked out trim, badging and wheels (it looks pretty similar to the truck above). The Rebel also gets access to a similarly blacked out appearance package and can also now be equipped with the Safety Group of driver assistance technologies. There are also three new colors. 2019 Ram 1500 Interior View 56 Photos What's the interior and in-car technology like? It's easy to be smitten by the Ram 1500 in its fanciest Longhorn and Limited trim levels, which are bedecked in soft leather, special color schemes and unique styling elements like the Longhorn emblem literally branded into real wood trim. There are unique features like the huge vertically oriented touchscreen and the ventilated reclining back seat. It's easily the most luxurious pickup ever made. Crucially, however, we are actually more impressed by the basic Ram 1500 Tradesman and Big Horn trim levels. While the quality of plastics is typical for the segment (that goes for those ritzy Rams, too), the different textures and attractive design result in a cabin that looks and feels better than trucks that cost a comparable amount or more. For instance, the rich gray cloth upholstery in a Big Horn test truck contributed to a far more premium environment than the one found in a leather-lined 2019 Chevy Silverado. The Ram doesn't just impress aesthetically.

2019 Ram 1500 eTorque First Drive Review | The un-hybrids

Misinformation is already being passed around about the 2019 Ram 1500 eTorque – reports calling the new electrified version of the full-size half-ton pickup truck a hybrid and saying its eTorque system adds torque to the truck's engine increasing payload, towing capacity, and performance. Don't believe a word of it – this isn't a hybrid in the conventional sense of the word. eTorque does not increase the truck's power or capability. Instead, the system feeds in some electric torque at low RPM, which helps with fuel efficiency by spinning up the engine during start/stop operation, smoothing gearchanges, and harvesting some energy from braking – that's basically it. Ram is partially to blame for the hybrid confusion. Although the "h"-word does not appear anywhere on the truck or the vehicle's window sticker, the automaker has chosen to call eTorque a "mild-hybrid system", which implies that it might be able to propel the truck on electric power. But the Ram's small battery pack and single electric motor cannot – it's more similar to the original GM Parallel Hybrid Truck system than the later two-motor, two-mode hybrid system circa 2009. Also, eTorque applies power to the engine and the wheels briefly at very low engine speeds and during gear changes. These applications of power only last for fractions of a second at any given time, some as quick as the blink of an eye. So it's a labeling fiasco, but Ram's explanation of the eTorque system's operation and its benefits, which are significant, can also be perplexing. And the resulting discombobulation is unfortunate, because eTorque is clever, and it really does work. Earlier this week we drove two Rams with the system, one a V6 and one a Hemi, through Kentucky horse country, and came away impressed by its measurable contributions to the truck's fuel efficiency, drivability and smooth operation. We also interviewed Mike Raymond, the Chief Engineer on the Ram 1500, and Brian Spohn, Ram's Vehicle Electrification Manager, Powertrain Engineering, to better understand what it is and how it functions. How eTorque works Ram will offer the 3.6-liter 24-valve V6 with eTorque as the standard engine in most models. The V6 will not be available without eTorque, although we'd be surprised if it wasn't added to the menu at a later date.

Chrysler set to make $266M-investment into 8-speed transmission production

Chrysler will shortly make a significant $266-million investment into its Kokomo, IN transmission factory in a bid to expand production of its eight-speed automatic transmissions. The gearboxes, which are built under license from Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen, have been well received by customers and critics, and according to an SEC filing obtained by Automotive News, the transmissions will eventually find their way to all of Chrysler's rear-drive offerings (Viper and heavy-duty Ram models, aside). According to AN, a Chrysler spokesman says the investment has not been confirmed, but once it is, it'll mark the company's latest in a growing line of investments at the facility. Chrysler has poured $1.5 billion into Kokomo since 2009.