2024 Ram 2500 Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Power Wagon train: Exploring the Mojave Road

If you're in Vegas with free time and keys to a Power Wagon, taking an interstate home seems pointless when there's a 135-mile desert trail an hour away, an ideal opportunity to live with – and in – this off-roading Ram pickup for three days. So with friends schlepping camping gear to a rendezvous, this test/history lesson was on. The Road The Mojave Road most closely echoes the path 19 th century westbound settlers and eastbound government supply teams followed between the Colorado River near the AZ/CA/NV junction and Barstow en route to Los Angeles. This 35 th parallel route based on Indian trails has also been called the Old Spanish Trail, Old Government Road (how it appears on many navigation system maps), and the Mohave Road. It was preferred for having more temperate weather and reliable water than routes further south. Desert travel particularly was all about water at regular intervals. Much of the Mojave Road is under National Park Service purview in the 1.6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve, encompassing a big chunk of southeastern California. Nestled between two interstates, there are paved access roads to north and south, so you needn't run the entire distance if only a few areas interest you. It is home to geologic formations from mountains to lava beds and tubes, Joshua trees, and after rains like this winter, beautiful wildflower blooms. You'll see old mines and rail lines, and hear the "singing" sand dunes at Kelso (which I'd categorize as more of a monk's chant). We saw birds of prey, wild burros, lizards, and rabbits, and heard or saw evidence of coyotes, cows, and roadrunners. All the while figuring a rattlesnake could be behind any bush. The plan was to enjoy the mesquite scents and make a few stops (the Rock House, Mojave Mailbox) but otherwise make a non-committal east-to-west camping trip of it. Do as much or little as you like, though the NPS does remind you the desert can be an inhospitable place. Cell service is hit-or-miss, and they specifically recommend against relying solely on automotive GPS navigation. Lower elevations average triple-digit highs four months of the year while upper elevations get snow; in February the temperature at our 2,800-foot campsite dropped to freezing while days were sunny and moderate. If the entire road is open, it's about 135 miles from the river to western end, but in February expect portions to be closed, potentially making it many miles longer.

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.

Fully electric Ram 1500 announced, will begin production in 2024

Ram is fully present and accounted for at Stellantis’ EV Day. The company announced and teased a fully-electric Ram 1500 that is due to be out in 2024. And itÂ’s not just going to be fully revealed in 2024. Ram says itÂ’s going to begin production on the electric pickup that year. Details are scarce on the ground, but Ram teased us with some shadowy images of what we should expect of its electric full-size pickup. It looks almost nothing like the current Ram 1500, with an incredibly sleek profile, full-width front light bar and surprisingly short bed. WeÂ’re not sure how representative this photo will ultimately be of the production pickup, but it looks like Ram is open to big, revolutionary change in pickup design with this product. Specific details about the pickup werenÂ’t talked about, but Stellantis does provide a range estimate for an upcoming “STLA Frame” BEV platform (pictured above) that will undoubtedly underpin this Ram. As of today, Ram says it will offer a range of up to 500 miles. There will surely be lesser versions with smaller battery packs, but a 500-mile range is a great place to start. Ram also said that it would offer fast charging up to 150 kW, smart storage solutions and advanced automation. “With full knowledge of what our competitors are doing, we will surpass their offerings with the Ram 1500 battery electric vehicle built to again redefine the full-size segment," says Mike Koval, Ram CEO. That sounds like a direct shot at the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, but we still haven't seen what GM is cooking up for its electric full-size pickup. Besides the 1500, Ram says it will offer a fully electrified solution “in the majority of our segments by 2025.” RamÂ’s portfolio of vehicles is rather limited, but that suggests weÂ’ll see electric versions of the ProMaster and ProMaster City at some point. The “majority” stipulation in there is likely referring to the Heavy Duty truck segment. There could be EVs there one day, but thatÂ’s certainly the segment that Ram is excluding for the time being.