2012 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Pickup 4-door Cummins 6.7l Lifted & Nice on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

The 2018 Ram Limited Tungsten Edition is rough-neck luxury

No one makes offshoots of offshoots quite like FCA. Ram and Jeep in particular seem to have limited edition versions of special edition trims. This week, Ram announced the new Limited Tungsten Edition, a special version of the top-level Limited trim. The packaged adds a number of niceties and is available on the Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 in a number of cab and bed configurations. The high-end truck market is expanding as customers drop luxury SUVs for kitted-out trucks. The Ram Limited Tungsten Edition adds a number of new features inside and out that make the truck more premium than ever. On the exterior, the 1500 model gets a vented sport hood, body-color bumpers, mirrors, door handles, and running boards, and the massive chrome R-A-M grille. The black headlights are pulled from the Sport model, and the wheels from the Limited trim have a unique satin paint. Ram boasts that the Limited Tungsten Edition has the first suede headliner in the pickup truck segment. Blue and indigo-colored accents are found on the instrument cluster, the steering, wheel, doors, and seats. The deep blue and tan interior is quite handsome and is well matched by the real wood trim. Special badging on the interior marks the model. The luxury truck goes on sale later in 2017, with a base price of $55,120 for the 1500 Limited Tungsten Edition model (compared to $54,270 starting for a 1500 Limited). Prices go up as cabs and bed lengths get longer. Related Video: Related Gallery 2018 Ram Limited Tungsten Edition View 9 Photos Image Credit: Ram Design/Style RAM Truck

Ram 1500 mule caught sporting Mega Cab configuration

Our intrepid spy photographers have once again captured an unusual test mule out in the wild. This time we have a Ram 1500 that looks a little lengthy in the middle. We're pretty certain this is a 1500 and not a heavy duty model judging from the grille and hood. That said, FCA clearly went to great lengths to hide the cab. It's still clear that the rear section is longer than your typical quad cab, leading us to believe that the Mega Cab option will return to the 1500 line. Other interesting details are the covered tailgate and the Chrysler steering wheel in the interior. We're not entirely sure why it's covered up, as it doesn't appear to have a different function, but there could be some styling tweaks for a new trim level. The one part we can see is the tailgate handle, which may reveal some updated camera abilities as the normal location shows a differently shaped camera lens. There are also two small spots that could be cameras, but it's tough to say for sure. Will we see 360-degree imaging on the next Ram? The steering wheel is an unusual inclusion as well. Our photographer suggests that it could be necessary for using the latest UConnect infotainment system. Other than the wheel though, the interior looks identical to the current model. This updated cab option also leaves us wondering about the future of the Ram line. We have documentation that shows FCA plans to launch some type of refreshed Ram for the 2018 model year. So it's possible we're looking at an early test mule for that updated model, and the new cab option could be launched at the same time. In many ways, this Ram brings up more questions than answers. Related Video: