2024 Ram 2500 Laramie on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon demos off-road abilities in Chicago

In today's world, big budget auto show debuts involve lots of music and video, with a car docilely rolling onto the stage. Practical demonstrations of abilities are few and far between. Ram didn't get that memo, though, and decided to give attendees at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show a taste of just what the new Power Wagon can do off road, showing some extreme suspension articulation before crawling the big pickup down a flight of stairs. It was an impressive display for the facelifted pickup, which retains all the things that made the Power Wagon such a monster while improving on its overall aesthetic. The two-tone styling looks great in person, and even the controversial grille – which many of our readers cited as being a problem in our debut post – looks nicer in the flesh than in static shots. The upholstery, too, with its tire-tread imprints looks better in real life, and we're digging the Power Wagon and Ram logos sprinkled around the high-riding thrones. You can read a deeper dive into the new new truck in our introduction post from early this morning. We've also got a smattering of images of the new Power Wagon on the show floor and a video of the flashy debut in Chicago. Have a look. View 18 Photos Show full PR text New 2017 Ram Power Wagon – The Ultimate Off-road Truck Benefits From New Design New 2017 Ram Power Wagon front grille design styling super-sizes Ram 1500 Rebel Tops Ram – "The Off-road Truck Leader" – 4x4 lineup New colors, lighting, wheels, grilles and legacy graphic takes cues from 1979-80 "Macho Power Wagon" New interior colors and materials, including Diesel Gray and Black seats with tire tread-matching pattern Unique 17-inch wheels and 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires pull dirt from its comfort zone Standard 6.4-liter HEMI® V-8 with best-in-class 410 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque features unsurpassed powertrain warranty – five years/60,000 miles Unique Ram "Articulink" front suspension system incorporates high movement joints and sway-bar disconnecting system, allowing for additional flexibility and axle articulation Ram engineering continues to lead heavy-duty segment innovation with five-link coil rear suspension to deliver best-in-class ride and superior axle control Ram Power Wagon features standard front and rear electronic-locking differentials for true four-wheel drive and maximum traction Standard Warn 12,000-lb.

VWerks Ram KTS is a Ram Runner aftermarket-style

Chrysler first introduced us to its Ram Runner exactly two years ago at SEMA, but for buyers of this Raptor-like truck who don't want to go through dealerships for the upgrades, VWerks has just the thing. Looking every bit as mean as the dealer-built Ram Runner, the VWerks Ram KTS gets a wide-body treatment and upgraded off-road performance suspension similar to its Mopar contemporary.
Starting life as your everyday Ram 1500, the Ram KTS on display at SEMA features a beefed-up KORE long-travel suspension system and off-road tires that allows the truck to tackle tough terrain at high speeds. From there, VWerks also added wider front and rear fenders, matte black 17-inch wheels and a Flowmaster performance cat-back exhaust system. For buyers looking for the rough and rugged look of the KTS but not needing the high-speed, off-road abilities, VWerks also offers the Baja Series kit that replaces the performance suspension system with a set of 20-inch wheels.
The VWerks Ram KTS and Ram Baja Series kits are available on any 2009 through 2013 model year Ram 1500, but there is no word on pricing for either kit yet. Scroll down for more information about both kits, and check out the KTS in our live gallery above.

AEV Ram Prospector First Drive

Honestly, the trails that rise above Southern California's Rowher Flats aren't much of a challenge. You can still get yourself hurt if you do something stupid, but the trails are mostly hard-packed dirt with some rocks strewn about. No boulder crawling or river forging here. It's a place that's almost beneath the mighty abilities of the AEV Prospector Ram trucks I'm here to drive. American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has long been in the business of building seriously capable Jeep Wranglers. Wranglers built for crossing Australia or crawling across the Moab. Wranglers converted into pickups and Wranglers done up in fancy Filson duds. They all have the kind of rugged good looks that project positive sunshine competence vibes about the people who drive one. That's no matter how big a dork the doofus behind the wheel actually is. And now AEV has moved on to modifying and producing parts and complete packages for Ram pickups. Because, why not? Actually AEV has been twisting on Rams since at least 2013 when it produced a Ram concept truck for that year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas. And what happened in Vegas hasn't stayed in Vegas. Sitting on the dust at one of the Rowher Flats assembly areas, AEV's two 2015 Ram "Prospectors" look as if they're making the horizon itself cower. It's not like we're going to be scuba diving today, but the snorkels that snake up each truck's right A-pillar are enough to make even the most jaded off-roader slobber in naked desire. These things don't just look great, they look epic – if Homer were around he'd put aside his Iliad to write up this drive. Reaching back into Dodge truck history – when Dodge trucks were Dodges – AEV has adopted the Prospector name for its modified Rams. Back in the late 1970s and through the 1980s Prospector had been used on various Dodge trim and equipment packages fitted to pickups, vans, and the Ramcharger large SUV. Yes, there were even Prospector packages for the Mitsubishi-made D50 small pickup and the Rampage pickup based on the front-drive Omni. The shovel and pick Prospector logo on the AEV vehicles comes straight from those old Dodges. The gray Ram 2500 crew cab is riding on 37-inch tall BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/As surrounding AEV's 17-inch Salta HD wheels and is powered by Ram's latest 6.4-liter Hemi V8. Rated at 410-horsepower by the factory, the gasoline-burning 6.4 Hemi is almost a throwback to the days before every three-quarter-ton and one-ton pickup owner became obsessed with turbodiesels.