2024 Ram Promaster Tradesman 3500 on 2040-cars

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Power Wagon train: Exploring the Mojave Road

If you're in Vegas with free time and keys to a Power Wagon, taking an interstate home seems pointless when there's a 135-mile desert trail an hour away, an ideal opportunity to live with – and in – this off-roading Ram pickup for three days. So with friends schlepping camping gear to a rendezvous, this test/history lesson was on. The Road The Mojave Road most closely echoes the path 19 th century westbound settlers and eastbound government supply teams followed between the Colorado River near the AZ/CA/NV junction and Barstow en route to Los Angeles. This 35 th parallel route based on Indian trails has also been called the Old Spanish Trail, Old Government Road (how it appears on many navigation system maps), and the Mohave Road. It was preferred for having more temperate weather and reliable water than routes further south. Desert travel particularly was all about water at regular intervals. Much of the Mojave Road is under National Park Service purview in the 1.6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve, encompassing a big chunk of southeastern California. Nestled between two interstates, there are paved access roads to north and south, so you needn't run the entire distance if only a few areas interest you. It is home to geologic formations from mountains to lava beds and tubes, Joshua trees, and after rains like this winter, beautiful wildflower blooms. You'll see old mines and rail lines, and hear the "singing" sand dunes at Kelso (which I'd categorize as more of a monk's chant). We saw birds of prey, wild burros, lizards, and rabbits, and heard or saw evidence of coyotes, cows, and roadrunners. All the while figuring a rattlesnake could be behind any bush. The plan was to enjoy the mesquite scents and make a few stops (the Rock House, Mojave Mailbox) but otherwise make a non-committal east-to-west camping trip of it. Do as much or little as you like, though the NPS does remind you the desert can be an inhospitable place. Cell service is hit-or-miss, and they specifically recommend against relying solely on automotive GPS navigation. Lower elevations average triple-digit highs four months of the year while upper elevations get snow; in February the temperature at our 2,800-foot campsite dropped to freezing while days were sunny and moderate. If the entire road is open, it's about 135 miles from the river to western end, but in February expect portions to be closed, potentially making it many miles longer.

Work at a Chrysler dealership, get free college education

The cost of a college education in the US can put a student tens (hundreds, in some cases) of thousands of dollars into debt. FCA US wants to give its dealership employees a leg up, though, and the automaker is now offering a completely free education to them through a partnership with Strayer University. The workers can take any of the college's classes online or on campus through program called Degrees@Work. Currently, the offer is only available to employees Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat dealers in the automaker's Southeast region, which includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. However, a national expansion will happen before the end of the year, Strayer spokesperson Cristina Henley tells Autoblog. The program will cover all of the students' expenses, including their books, according to Henley. FCA US sees this partnership as a way to improve the talent of its workforce, retain employees longer and possibly attract people wanting to take advantage of this free education. "Many of our dealers have expressed concern over the availability of talent to fill open positions due to business growth and turnover in their stores, especially in metro markets," Al Gardner, the company's Head of Dealer Network Development, said in the Degrees@Work announcement. Strayer has about 40 programs available, including in business administration, accounting, marketing, and more, and the university offers associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees. It will also give FCA US employees credit for their work experience to get them a diploma even more quickly. FCA US Dealers to Offer Employees No-Cost, No-Debt College Education FCA US teams with Strayer University to develop first-of-its-kind dealer program Degrees@Work program open to all employees of participating dealerships Employees can earn no-cost, no-debt degree through Strayer University All Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships may participate First phase of program rollout begins with dealers in the FCA US Southeast Business Center National rollout expected later this year May 4, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Employees of Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships will have the unique opportunity to earn a no-cost, no-debt college degree through Strayer University's Degrees@Work program, developed in collaboration with FCA US LLC. FCA US is the only company in the automotive industry to offer the program.

2019 Ram 1500 prices released: What pickup will cost, by trim

One of the final pieces of information about the 2019 Ram 1500, and one of the most important, is finally here: the price. A base model Ram Tradesman, which nets a V6, the smaller four-door cab, a 6-foot 4-inch bed and two-wheel drive, starts at $33,340 with destination charge. That's a a bit over $1,000 more than the cost of the same outgoing Ram 1500 Tradesman. But you'll also get new features such as the eTorque mild-hybrid system and a touch-screen infotainment system with Uconnect. At the other end of the spectrum, the top-rung Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab 4X4 V8 now starts at $59,035, an increase of almost $4,400 over the old model. Although the base price of the most basic and the most opulent Ram 1500s have gone up, some other things have become cheaper. You won't have to pay as much to upgrade to a V8, for instance. The plain 5.7-liter V8 with its 395 horsepower is $255 cheaper now, costing $1,195. To get that engine with the eTorque system costs more at $1,995. The RamBox bed-side storage bins are $300 cheaper now at $995. The Rebel trim has a better entry-level price, too. The base version with the smaller cab, four-wheel drive (the only drivetrain available with the small cab) and V6 with eTorque starts at $46,340. That just slips under the $46,690 price of the outgoing base Rebel with two-wheel-drive, and is over $2,000 less than the old Rebel with four-wheel drive that started at $48,790. Of course, the outgoing model was only available with the larger "Crew Cab" four-door body. Adding that larger body to the new Rebel will probably offset the cost savings. Here's the entire 2019 Ram sheet of base prices by trim/configuration: Related Video: