2014 Ram 3500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

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Win a Ram TRX and a stunning $4.3 million Lake Tahoe dream home

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze.   If you’re looking for an insanely capable off-road pickup, as well as a mountain lodge and lake house to store it, look no further, because with this one giveaway you can win a 5,200 sq-ft Lake Tahoe dream home and a Ram TRX.  Win This $4.3 Million Lake Tahoe Dream House and a Ram TRX - Enter at Omaze HereÂ’s what we said about the TRX when we last drove it: “The TRX hardware is firmly in the realm of absurdity, allowing it to attack just about any terrain or surface – assuming it can physically fit through. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 supplies 650 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels that lets it power out of mud and muck by aggressively flinging it skyward as though it has a vendetta against both the sky above and Earth below. This sort of driving is best done in Mud/Sand mode, as it sets the four-wheel-drive system, throttle response, transmission, suspension and steering into their ideal settings to have the most fun in the slick stuff. It works as advertised. “Going 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds in a truck so large is already a mind-altering experience, but having the traction and ability to properly launch off-road is where the TRX truly sets itself apart. Those 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, developed specifically for the TRX, dig into the mud and dirt, shooting you forward with far less scrambling and scrapping for purchase than youÂ’d expect from such a sloppy surface. The Dana 60 solid rear axle, axle-hop damper and electronic limited-slip differential that Ram claims help those launches are all putting in the work that needs to be done. No matter the terrain, the TRX digs in, growls and shoots where you point it. If youÂ’d rather move sideways, a quick stab of the traction control button relaxes the truck's nannies to do just that. “The suspension is just as hardcore with the Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive dampers and their remote reservoirs making this 6,396-pound lead weight of a truck more agile than it should be, yet forgiving at the same time. Its damping characteristics donÂ’t provide the same pillowy and graceful off-road ride as, say, the Multimatic dampers on the much lighter Colorado ZR2 do, but thatÂ’s comparing apples to oranges on the weight scale.

2018 Ram ProMaster Quick Spin Review | Big van, big fan

I've moved a lot over the past decade or so. Since the beginning of 2008, I've held nine different addresses: five in Alabama, two in California and two in Michigan. I've had a lot of experience moving, sometimes multiple times to multiple states in a single year. Simply put, I get around. And f or most of these moves, I made do with SUVs, hatchbacks, borrowed pickups or rented box trucks. After putting more than 2,000 miles on a GMC Savana during my (second) move to from Alabama to California, I was fed up with the headache of it all. The GMC had no cruise control, no sound deadening and a V8 that downed fuel with the gusto of a drunk at an open bar. It was an almost entirely unpleasant experience. Yes, I know that's how trucks used to be, but when there's an alternative, I'll take it. This latest move — all of 2.2 miles — was the shortest I'd had in years. While our long-term 2018 Honda Ridgeline would have sufficed for 90-percent of the move, it isn't quite long enough to move two couches, a shelf and a king-size bed. Sure, I could have gone to U-Haul, but why bother there was a Ram ProMaster in the local fleet that I could put to good use? I wanted to really see how far things have come in recent years. My chariot was a long-wheelbase high-roof van in work-site white. It's as inoffensive and anonymous as they come. The ProMaster is based on the Fiat Ducato, and it's an unfortunate looking machine, though I doubt many people in the market for a good work van give much thought to the van's design. There are a lot of variations of the ProMaster when it comes to wheelbase and cab configurations, but all models have the same standard drivetrains. Power from the 280 horsepower V6, like the one in the van I drove, is sent to the front through a six-speed automatic. A 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 is optional, boosting torque from 260 pound-feet to 300 pound feet, but it's paired with a less-than-stellar automated manual transmission that's not nearly as smooth or refined as its torque-converter counterpart. The seating position was high and commanding. It's a bit of a climb to get into, but once you're seated it's actually quite comfortable. Since you're nearly on top of the front wheels, forward visibility is excellent. The passenger area is spartan but packs tons of little cubbies, pockets and cup holders. I found perfect spots to stick extra bungee cords, gaffers tape and ratchet straps. Compared to the old vans I was used to, it was a revelation.

NHTSA investigating power modules on Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans

The Center for Auto Safety is officially petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin scrutinizing alleged problems with the totally integrated power module (TIPM) on about 24 Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans. The advocacy group claims that the part's failure can cause affected vehicles to stall or not start at all. NHTSA is still looking into the accusations and deciding whether a full investigation is actually warranted.
The CAS petition claims at least 70 TIPM failures, but according to NHTSA, six of the complaints are for models that don't have the modules. In 34 of the reported cases, the vehicles refused to start, and in 17 of them the engine stalled. There were also two allegations of smoke and one of a fire. However, none of these affected airbag deployment or resulted in a crash.
This petition isn't the first TIPM-related problem for Chrysler Group. A recent report in the New York Times alleged that it found 240 complaints potentially related to the issue on NHTSA's website alone. In September, the automaker also recalled 230,760 examples worldwide (188,723 in the US) of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango replace the fuel pump relay circuit inside of the TIPM-7 with one external to the unit. The original part could allegedly cause the models to stall without warning. Even earlier, the company also recalled about 80,000 examples of the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro in 2007 to have the module reprogrammed.