2024 Ram 3500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

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2017 Ram Power Wagon update adds menacing new look

The popular sentiment in the truck market is that if you really, really want off-road performance, you turn to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. But Ram would like to remind everyone that it's no stranger to the hardcore, off-road pickup game, and that the 2500-based Power Wagon is here to stand up (and dwarf) the half-ton-based Raptor. The 2016 Power Wagon was heavy on the chrome, had an pretty ridiculous optional graphics package, and featured questionable red grille inserts (unless you got the work-truck-like Power Wagon Tradesman). To be frank, it was hard to take the truck seriously alongside something as purposeful looking as the Ford Raptor. Ram has addressed this for 2017 by replacing all the chrome with menacing black trim. The billet-silver Ram badge in the nose is the only piece of bright work, and goodness, it all works. Look at the two side-by-side: murdering out the new Rebel-inspired grille, rear bumper, mirror caps, wheel arches, 324-point-font tailgate badge, headlights, and wheels finally gives the Power Wagon the menacing, purposeful, and imposing appearance that it needs. But really, what we like best is that this Ram is all just two-tone now, instead of a handful of different shades. By offering decals in just black or silver, depending on which of the six body colors you choose, the 2017 Power Wagon is a less distracting and simply more cohesive design (or just skip the graphics pack all together – we would). Changes elsewhere are much more modest. You can black out the cabin headliner, and the dull fabric seats have been spiced up with inserts that ape the tread pattern of the standard Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. It's a small touch, but it breaks up the otherwise depressing sea of black plastic. And as far as more luxurious options, there's no mention of a range-topping Power Wagon Laramie, although buyers on a budget will still be able to snag the entry level Power Wagon Tradesman. Perhaps most importantly, the bits that make the Power Wagon a Power Wagon are more or less unchanged. The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 still produces 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque and is still matched with a 66RFE six-speed automatic and a manually-shifted transfer case. It'll still tow 10,030 pounds, ford up to 30 inches of water, and has a standard 12,000-pound Warn winch at the front. In short, the 2017 Ram Power Wagon is still a monster, just a more fashionable monster.

2013 Ram 1500

Enough Is Enough. Finally.
Not long ago, the efforts of an automaker to put a six-cylinder engine into a pickup truck went something like this: take the basic bread-and-butter V8, lop two cylinders off one end of the block and call it a day. The resulting engines were generally pretty rough around the edges, and while they were able to churn out reasonable amounts of torque, they generally weren't good at anything else. Instead of being smooth running, they shook and shimmied; in place of a quiet highway jaunt, they operated well outside their low-rpm comfort zones and sent a corresponding racket throughout the cabin. And, instead of returning significantly superior fuel economy over their V8 counterparts, they guzzled gas and spat noxious vapors out their tailpipes.
In other words, the only reason to choose the base V6 engine over an optional V8 was to save money on the initial purchase, and that usually meant you'd be driving home in a stripped-out machine and would be lucky to have power windows, cruise control and air conditioning.

2018 Ram 1500 gets more updates with the Sport and Big Horn Black editions

The Ram pickup is one of the oldest vehicles in the segment, but it remains hugely popular with customers. The automaker has done a good job of introducing new updates to keep the truck fresh and competitive. For 2018, there are a number of new options and trims, including some special edition models. Earlier this week, we saw the range-topping Ram Limited Tungsten Edition. Today we can show you the 2018 Ram 1500/2500 Sport and Big Horn Black models. The Sport model sits in the upper-middle of the Ram lineup. It's a handsome truck, with dark emblems and body color bumpers and trim. The headlights get dark surrounds while the hood gets two scoops, similar to that on the Challenger. The big news for 2018 is the addition of the big, R-A-M grille. This ditches the iconic cross grille, replacing it with a wide, body-color piece with RAM in bold letters right in the center. The new Big Horn Black edition slots just below the Sport trim. Consider this the "murdered-out" model, with black on black on black. It's a sleek look, with black paint, black wheels, and black trim. It has the traditional cross grille but swipes the hood from the Sport model. Both trucks go on sale later this year. Related Video: Design/Style RAM Truck