2012 Ram 3500 on 2040-cars

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The AEV Recruit is a tough and capable Ram 1500, for a price

American Expedition Vehicles, or AEV, has been doing some wonderful things with Jeep and Ram trucks for the past 20 years. It's been the best source for the long-desired Jeep Wrangler pickup and for beefy overlanders like the Ram Prospector. The company's latest package, the Recruit, turns the already tough Ram 1500 into something that looks particularly fierce. Since it is an AEV product, you can be assured that it has the capabilities to back up the appearance. The Recruit package comes with a whole host of goodies like upgraded suspension and a huge snorkel. The AEV DualSport SE suspension uses Bilstein parts to increase wheel travel and adjust the suspension to balance on and off-road capabilities. The suspension, combined with the 35-inch tires, greatly increase the Recruit's ground clearance. A 4mm thick skid plate helps keep the engine from spilling its black, oily guts in the case that the increased height just isn't enough. A new hood provides better heat ventilation while a big, black filtered snorkel allows the Recruit to breathe easy, even if it's going for a swim. The AEV front bumper comes with Vision X fog lights and is capable of handling up to a 10,000 lbs winch. An optional Vision X LED light bar can provide even better visibility. Other optional features include a leather interior upgrade, a tonneau cover, retractable running boards, and a rear bumper step. All that kit doesn't come cheap. The Recruit starts at $14,950, and that doesn't include the price of the Ram 1500 that provides the canvas for AEV's artisans. Options can easily push the price to nearly $30,000. The good news is that AEV provides a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty on their builds, so you're paying for quality from a company that stands behind its products. If you want a truck that's willing to go anywhere you want to push it, the new AEV Recruit is hard to beat. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

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

Chrysler's internal documents question Ram quality as workers protest

Chrysler is reportedly having a hard time ramping up production of its 2013 Ram 1500. According to The Detroit News, only 16 of the 58 trucks built at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant during the model's first hour passed final inspection. While quality eventually improved over the course of the day, just over half of the units built on Thursday were approved for shipment. Even with workers ordered to stay late to fix their mistakes, some 1,078 units remained outside the facility with defects. The problem, according to workers at the plant, is morale.
According to the report, Chrysler recently changed the shift schedule at the plant and workers are unhappy with the new situation. The new plan has workers split into three shifts, each covering four 10-hour days. With the shifts staggered, some workers now have to work nights and on Saturdays. Some employees are so upset that they've taken to protesting, though the move isn't sanctioned by the United Auto Workers.
Meanwhile, Chrysler admits there were internal issues with the launch, but that the company was able to contain them. A spokesperson has said "plant quality indicators are getting progressively better."