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2019 Ram 1500 pickup shows its full face in spy photos

We're only a couple of weeks away from the 2019 Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck's public reveal at the Detroit Auto Show, but we're still getting little sneak peeks of the new Ram. In these spy photos, we get the last piece of the truck's front fascia puzzle, the badge. (UPDATE, January 2018: Here are the story and photos from the 2019 Ram's full reveal at the Detroit Auto Show.) As expected, the Ram logo fits in a little space between the split chrome bars in the middle of the grille. We're still not sure if this horizontal bar grille will be the only version or if there will be an assortment as there is on the current model. This iteration is the only version we've seen so far. These shots also show how this grille integrates nicely with the headlights. The turn signal LEDs line up with the gap in the chrome bar, the lower portion of the bar lines up with the lower running lights, and the upper portion lines up with the main headlight element. The rest of the truck will be fully revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. We know it will feature a 5.7-liter V8, which will probably be accompanied by at least a gasoline V6 if not a new version of the EcoDiesel V6, too. It may also be shown with the previously spied split tailgate. For additional peeks at the pickup, check out these previous spy shots, as well as our renderings. Related Video:

2020 Ram EcoDiesel gets a price, will be a $4,995 option

Ram just officially announced pricing for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel pickup truck. The cheapest diesel you’ll be able to buy starts at $38,585, including the $1,695 destination charge. That price gets you the Tradesman Quad Cab with rear-wheel drive. As a standalone option, the engine is listed at $4,995, which makes it the priciest engine on the Ram 1500Â’s list of powertrains. The next most expensive engine is the 5.7-liter V8 eTorque powertrain, which lists for $2,645 on RamÂ’s 2019 configurator. YouÂ’ll be able to get the EcoDiesel engine on any trim, including the Ram Rebel — this marks the first time that the Rebel is offered with a diesel option. The base price of only $38,585 on the Tradesman trim makes it the cheapest diesel option of the bunch, with both FordÂ’s and ChevyÂ’s diesel engines coming in at higher trims and higher prices. FordÂ’s F-150 Power Stroke starts at $46,255, and the Silverado Duramax comes in at $42,385. Step up to comparable trim levels in the Ram, and things get more competitive. However, if you want the cheapest diesel out there, the Ram is your best bet. What youÂ’re getting is a 260-horsepower 480-pound-foot 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine. The max towing capacity is also the highest among the three at 12,560 pounds. You can pair rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive with the engine.  WeÂ’re still waiting on EPA fuel economy figures, but itÂ’ll be difficult to beat the Chevy Duramax in this area. That truck is capable of 33 mpg on the highway, while the F-150 can hit 30 mpg in its most fuel-efficient trim. Chevy says it gave a little bit up in towing to hit that spectacular figure, so weÂ’ll be curious to see what the towing king of the segment will be able to muster. Ram says the numbers will be available when the truck goes on sale early in the fourth quarter this year. Until then, the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic is available with the previous-generation EcoDiesel engine, and it can be had for $40,835.

Fiat Chrysler wins top Total Quality Award for first time

The Strategic Vision Total Quality Awards are 20 years old in 2015, and Chrysler has never topped the awards before. Until now, that is. Fiat Chrysler takes the overall award on the corporate level with six segment leaders from Fiat, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram. The Fiat 500 won Small Multi-Function Car, the 500e won Small Alternative Powertrain, the Dodge Challenger tied at the top in the Specialty Coupe category alongside the very un-coupe Mini Cooper Countryman, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited took the Entry SUV category, the Dodge Durango won in Mid-Size SUV, and Ram took the overall in Best Non-Luxury Brand. The accolade means FCA has gone from one segment winner in 2010 to overall victory in five years. Cars have gotten so good, says Strategic Vision, that it is harder than ever to win. In fact, says the group, 18 years ago 85 percent of all vehicle brands had more than half a problem per vehicle. This year, no brand has more than half a problem per vehicle. The organization measures "over 155 specific aspects of the customer's experience," and scores are based on input from more than 46,000 customers. Other notables in and near the winner's circle include Volkswagen and General Motors, who tied for second place on the corporate scale, one point behind FCA. The Mini Cooper Roadster scored the highest of any model, the Corvette Stingray Convertible and Coupe scored the second- and third-highest. The Chevrolet Colorado is the first domestic Standard Pickup winner in more than ten years, and the Nissan Titan carried the Full-Size Pickup category. The press release below has all the details on how winners and losers are selected, and the full list of automakers and how they finished. "The Customer's 'Total' Experience Defines Quality, Fiat Chrysler Scores Highest in Total Quality," says Strategic Vision The 2015 Total Quality Awards® SAN DIEGO, Friday, July 17, 2015 — Unknown to many, when some consumer research firms rank a car company's quality performance they often do so by simply "counting problems." In the past, this may have been acceptable, but in today's modern and efficient manufacturing world the difference between the worst brand and best brand is LESS than half-a-problem per vehicle. Thus, any "quality ranking" based on this method is severely lacking in the complete picture of the "Total" Quality experience that customers actually use to judge their product ownership.