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Why the 2019 Ram HD Power Wagon still doesn't have a diesel

We were all pleased to see that the all-new 2019 Ram HD pickup truck was going to have an off-road Power Wagon variant again. In a world of high-speed, dune-busting off-roaders, the slower, trail-focused Power Wagon is refreshing. But we were surprised to see that, yet again, Ram wouldn't offer a Cummins diesel engine with it. It seems like such a perfect match with low-down torque and better fuel economy. So we asked Jim Morrison, the head of Ram, what's going on. As it turns out, there are a couple of reasons for only offering the gas engine. First is the fact that Ram can't fit the standard winch behind the bumper when the longer straight-six turbodiesel is in the truck. And since the Power Wagon has always had a winch, and it's a big part of the truck's image, that would be a non-negotiable. Another reason is that the big, heavy diesel engine requires slightly different suspension that has worse articulation than the setup for the gas model. That would also hamper the truck's off-road capability, and again would not be acceptable on the ultimate off-roading Ram. Of course this all left us wondering whether there might be a future one, and from what Morrison told us, it doesn't look like it. We asked him if there's demand for a diesel Power Wagon, and he said there's always a little bit, but there hasn't been enough to bring it to market. He also said that demand has actually decreased lately, and he attributed that to low fuel prices right now. So if you really want a compression-ignition Power Wagon, you'd better hope gas prices spike in the near-ish future. Related Video:

Sunday Drive: Trucks and SUVs of all shapes and sizes

The American automotive marketplace is dominated by trucks and SUVs, and so was the last week of coverage on Autoblog. By far, the most popular story of the week was our First Drive of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator. It may look like an old-school lumberer, but in reality Lincoln's flagship is a thoroughly modern, turbocharged-V6-powered, three-row, luxury people mover. The Jeep Wrangler is the world's most recognizable vehicle. So it's no surprise that the next version looks a whole heck of a lot like the last one, and the one before. It's all in the details, which is why we were so excited when Jeep decided to unleash a trio of images showing both two- and four-door Wranglers for us to dissect ahead of the SUV's official debut at the L.A. Auto Show later this year. Past that, spy photos of the next Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 were predictably popular. See both of those below, and the cap it all off, check out the entire week's worth of SEMA coverage – including the bonkers Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6 – in our mega image gallery at the bottom of this post. Enjoy! As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2018 Lincoln Navigator First Drive | From black sheep to flagship 2018 Jeep Wrangler revealed: First photos released before L.A. Auto Show debut 2019 Chevy Silverado looks slim and clean beneath the camo 2019 Ram 1500 gets vertical touchscreen infotainment system 2017 SEMA Show Mega Photo Gallery Chevrolet Jeep Lincoln RAM Truck SUV recap sunday drive

Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports fullsize truck test

Vehicles that perform well in road tests by some of the most popular automotive publications, such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile, don't always score well in in Consumer Reports' more regimented, practical test procedures, so the Ram 1500's climb to the top of CR's scoreboard is a boon for the well-received pickup truck, which CR also put on its "recommended" list.
To start off with, the freshened 2013 Ram 1500 has a lighter, stiffer chassis than before, and the four-wheel-drive Crew Cab that CR bought and tested performed flawlessly and achieved class-leading fuel economy (15 miles per gallon) with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 - the most popular engine choice for the 1500 - and the new eight-speed automatic transmission. The unique-in-its-class rear coil spring setup endowed the truck with "one of the best rides of any pickup," CR reports. That helped it earn its class-leading road-test score of 78, well ahead of the nearest competition still in production, the Toyota Tundra (69) and the Ford F-150 (68). It's worth noting, however, that the Chevrolet Avalanche outscores the 1500 by two points (80), but production of that vehicle ends after the current 2013 model year.
About the only things the publication could find wrong with the truck were a heavy tailgate and a high step up into the cabin. Get ready for the next round later this summer when CR is finished testing the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, which is doing well so far in the publication's tests.