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Four Wheeler crowns Ultimate Factory 4x4... who wins?

Nearly every automaker doing business in the SUV or pickup truck segments offers a package designed to improve the off-road capabilities of its wares. But, of course, not all such factory kits are created equal. How, then, to separate the wheat from the chaff? Gather each of them up and put them through their paces, naturally.
The folks from Four Wheeler and PickupTrucks.com joined forces to run just such a comparison test, with the winner named the Ultimate Factory 4x4. A total of seven vehicles showed up to the fight: the 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2012 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X and Xterra PRO-4X, 2012 Ram Power Wagon, and 2012 Toyota 4Runner Trail and Tacoma TRD T|X Baja Series.
With the contestants in place, the whole crew put each vehicle through a battery of tests that included skidpad and acceleration measurements, a hillclimb, a rocky stairstep course and a rock garden. Considering the nature of the beasts, on-road ride and comfort were not part of the routine.

The 2019 Ram 1500 will wear a brand-new face

A day after a dealer meeting leak gave us a look at the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL and 2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, we now have this, our first look at the 2019 Ram 1500. The renderings, which come from a printout titled "Ram Brand Lit Signatures" on the wall of a dealer meeting, gives us a clear look at the next-gen truck's front and rear fascias. At the front, the 2019 1500, codenamed DT, gets a more modern, sophisticated look with a refined grille that boasts a massive vertical bar and a skinner horizontal slot. The headlights are slimmer than the current model's square-like units and feature modern LED lamps. The lower end of the front fascia also has slim lighting elements that could be used for fog lights, along with an off-colored skid plate. The hood continues to sport the same bulge as the current model's, but is shaped like a pyramid instead of a massive rectangle. It looks like Ram took a page out of Ford's design book at the back with a rugged design that imitates the 2017 F-150. The taillights, while retaining the same overall shape, have an unlit section that would most likely be used for the reverse lights and turn signals. With the front end benefiting from LED lamps, the rear taillights would probably get LED units, as well. With Ram still testing new configurations of the 1500 and a document revealing FCA's future products, we expect the next-gen 1500 to come out in the near future as a 2019 model year. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 Dealer Leak Spy Shots Image Credit: KGP Photography Design/Style Spy Photos RAM Truck rendering

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel gets 9,200-pound tow rating

The current-generation Ram 1500 is entering its fifth year on the market, but Ram's half-ton truck is not showing its age whatsoever. While we continue to wait for the fuel economy figures for the all-new EcoDiesel V6, Ram has released towing figures for trucks equipped with this new engine, as well as models fitted with the upgraded gasoline-powered V6.
The EcoDiesel - a $2,850 option - will help the Ram compete with V8-powered trucks with its max towing capacity of 9,200 pounds, which is just 50 pounds shy of the 2013 Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter V8. The true benefit here is that the diesel should return impressive fuel economy in the process, and even though official estimates have yet to be released, Chrysler has promised that it will achieve more than 25 miles per gallon on the highway.
But even with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, upgrades to the eight-speed automatic transmission have resulted in an increase in towing capacity, now up to 7,450 pounds. This number is expected to be best in class for base-engine trucks.