2012 Ram 2500 St on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ram mulling superlux pickup above Laramie Longhorn

Looking at the fullsize pickup landscape, automakers are bringing more and more luxury to the mix. Ford has its King Ranch, GMC has the Denali and now Chevrolet is adding a High Country model, but it sounds like Ram might be looking to make a step up from its already posh Laramie Longhorn trim (shown above). Speaking with new Ram boss Reid Bigland, Automobile is reporting that Chrysler could be looking to reach even higher to add even more premium accoutrements to its truck line.
It's hard to imagine how much higher Ram could get with its luxury especially considering the 2013 Ram 3500 HD Laramie Longhorn used for our recent First Drive carried an as-tested price of $70,285 - even lighter-duty 1500 models start at $45k in LL trim. We wonder if this means we might finally get to see a production version of the Ram Long Hauler that we saw testing earlier in the year. Either way, high-dollar pickups add up to massive profit margins for automakers, so as long as there are customers willing to pay the price, we'll doubtlessly continue to see more premium features inside future trucks.

2016 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty now offers 900 lb-ft of torque

After last year's bump to a massive 865 lb-ft of torque for its 2015 3500 Heavy Duty pickup, Ram certainly isn't taking a rest. The model already offers the best towing capacity and most torque in its class, but both figures are growing even higher for the 2016 model year. Now, customers that really need some grunt can order the Cummins 6.7-liter inline-six diesel in the 3500 with a staggering 900 pound-feet of torque and 385 horsepower. Ram claims that this huge figure is the most torque ever available in a mass production vehicle, and it tops the 2015 model by a healthy 35 lb-ft. The added grunt comes thanks to adjustments to the fuel delivery and the turbo's boost, and to better handle things, the rear axle gear now is held with 16 bolts, rather than 12. The tweaks also push the tow rating to an SAE J2807-certified 31,210 pounds, which is absolutely monumental. While not available with the 900 lb-ft version of the Cummins, the Ram 2500 also sees a tiny boost in its max tow rating. The trucks are now capable of hauling up to 17,980 lbs, versus 17,970 lbs last year. The 2016 Ram Heavy Duty trucks go into production in the third quarter and should start arriving at dealers during the fourth quarter of 2015. Prices for the 3500 start at $33,185 and $32,680 for the 2500, after the $1,195 destination charged, respectively. The company hasn't yet announced the cost for the 3500 with the 900 lb-ft Cummins diesel. 2016 Ram Heavy Duty Widens its Leadership Gap With a Triple-decker Presence: Best-in-class Power, Towing Capacity and Payload Capacity • 2016 Cummins 6.7-liter calibration hits a best-in-class 900 lb.-ft. of torque. The most torque ever offered in a mass-production vehicle • 2016 Ram 3500 crushes the competition with up to 31,210 pounds of SAE J2807-spec.

Sunday Drive: And now for something completely different

This past week played host to a wide assortment of automotive news, highlighted by our first drive of the 2018 Volvo XC40. The Swedish crossover is targeted at young, successful Millennials, but it offers cool styling, fun dynamics, and all of today's must-have technology, so we think it ought to appeal to a much wider swath of the automotive marketplace. From there we answer the question, "What are hard on the outside and soft on the inside?" as we take a look at the next Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. We expect the German automaker's flagship luxury SUV to remain boxy on the outside, but the interior is going to be soft, supple, and luxurious. And then there's the Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, which starts at starts at $34,290 and boasts 212 total system horsepower, 232 pound-feet of torque, 47 miles of electric driving range, and a total range of 340 miles. EPA rates it at 110 MPGe in EV mode, and 44 city/40 highway/42 combined overall. We compare it to other plug-ins like the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius Prime. And finally we have some more spy photos of the 2019 Ram 1500. It doesn't have a traditional crosshair grille, but it's got plenty of chrome and an attractive upright stance that's sure to tempt future truck buyers looking for some sophistication to go with their work gloves. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week to see all the automotive news that's fit to print. 2018 Volvo XC40 First Drive Review | The Masspirational crossover Mercedes-Benz G-Class gets the luxe, high-tech treatment 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid Review | It's what's on the inside that counts 2019 Ram 1500 shows chrome grille and more production parts Green Honda Mercedes-Benz RAM Volvo Technology Truck Crossover SUV Luxury Performance Sedan volvo xc40 sunday drive