2014 Ram 1500 2wd Reg Cab 120.5" Tradesman on 2040-cars

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2022 Ram 1500 TRX MSRP up another $2,795

We're not sure if we should be more awed by how fast and how high the new batch of super performance trucks can jump, or that consumer prices are jumping just as fast and just as high. When we published our First Drive Review of the 2021 TRX at the end of November 2020, we wrote, "Another pitfall to Ram TRX ownership is the cost. Ram asks a minimum of $71,790 for the TRX (including a $1,695 destination charge)." When we published our review of the 2022 TRX six weeks ago, the base price had risen to $74,085 after destination (optioned out to $91,575). Considering what the world's been up to for the past 15 months, a $2,295 MSRP increase — a mere 3% — couldn't be considered banditry. But the P/L department at Stellantis is done playing nice. As Mopar Insiders discovered, the MSRP for the 2022 Ram 1500 TRX is $76,880, which is before a spendier destination fee of $1,795. Anyone who wants to own a TRX this year will need $78,675 before options.   It's almost comical that Ram advertises the hurt on its configurator. Click to build and price the 2021 TRX, the configurator shows $70,245 before destination. Change that 2021 to 2022, the configurator shows $76,780. There's a bit more sleight-of-hand during the build process, too, as Ram charges $100 for the sole solid color available, which is black, that sum added as an option even though its the least expensive paint choice possible. The two-tone paints cost at least $200, despite a few of them advertising a price of zero. The diabolical cherry on top is when you check the total after options and read the small print, which informs you, "Pricing provided may vary significantly between website and dealer as a result of supply chain constraints. Pricing shown is nonbinding and does not constitute an offer. Contact your dealer for updated vehicle pricing."  Admittedly, the TRX is only up 4% over the last base price we posted, and we don't expect the new price to deter buyers. We don't blame Ram, either; this is the cost of doing business, and a quick trip to Craigslist or eBay will illustrate that everyone is trying to do the same kind of business, getting every hand into every cookie jar. The Ram buyers who really have it bad are the ones after a 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie. That truck went up $7,180 bucks — a gut-punching 16.4% — to $50,845.

Fiat Chrysler recalls 4.8 million U.S. vehicles for cruise control defect

WASHINGTON - Fiat Chrysler said on Friday it is recalling 4.8 million U.S. vehicles over a defect that could prevent drivers from deactivating cruise control and warned owners not to use the function until they get software upgrades. The Italian-American automaker said no injuries or crashes are related to the large recall campaign but said it had one report of a driver of a 2017 Dodge Journey rental car unable to deactivate the cruise control. Fiat Chrysler, which in 2015 was hit with penalties from U.S. regulators totaling $175 million for safety lapses, did not say how much the recalls would cost. The recall addresses what Fiat Chrysler called an "extremely rare" series of events that could lead to drivers being unable to cancel cruise control. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday it "strongly encourages vehicle owners to follow a warning" to stop using cruise control on the recalled vehicles until repaired. NHTSA said drivers could overpower the system by forcefully applying the brakes until the vehicle stopped. Fiat Chrysler also said the vehicle could be stopped by shifting into neutral and braking. Fiat Chrysler shares fell more than 2 percent in premarket trading in New York on the recall. Fiat Chrysler noted that at times cruise control systems automatically initiate acceleration to help vehicles maintain driver-selected speeds, including when going up an incline. If an acceleration occurs simultaneously with a short-circuit in a specific electrical network, a driver could be unable to deactivate the function. Fiat Chrysler said vehicles may be placed in park once stopped, at which point cruise-control is canceled. The recall involves a group of gasoline-powered vehicles with automatic transmissions from various model years built from 2014 through the 2019 model year. Most of the vehicles being recalled cover the 2014-2018 model years. Among the vehicles being recalled are the Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks and Ram 3500/4500/5500 cab chassis trucks. Fiat Chrysler made the announcement going into the busy Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally kicks off the summer driving season.

YouTube tallies votes for this year's top five Super Bowl spots [w/video]

When we asked you to tell us which of this year's 16 car-themed Super Bowl commercials you liked best, you chose the Farmer commercial from Chrysler Group, advertising the Ram trucks, over Audi's Prom commercial in second place. Turns out the voters in YouTube's Ad Blitz poll agreed, voting the same commercial to the number one spot from among the field commercials in every category.
From there, however, they went in a totally different direction. Budweiser's The Clydesdales spot came second, Samsung's The Next Big Thing took third. The Jeep Whole Again ad scored fourth in the YouTube poll, fifth in our poll of auto commercials, and the Hyundai Team spot got fifth from the YouTubers, but ninth in our poll.
The voting results don't match up with the viewing numbers, though - while Farmer has more than 13 million views, The Next Big Thing is well beyond 21 million. You can read the press release below and see all five spots, lined up for you, one more time.