2014 Ram 3500 Long Horn 4x4 Crew Cab Drw Lwb 6.7l Diesel on 2040-cars

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Ram 1500 TRX spied with remote-reservoir shocks and supercharger whine

The highly anticipated Ram 1500 TRX, Ram's Ford F-150 Raptor rival, has been spied again. And the big news is all in the suspension. Compared with the last prototype we saw, this truck sits much higher, and it now has fender flares to cover the wider track. It looks like some of the extra width may be from slightly bigger tires and higher offset wheels. But those might not be the only factors. Looking closely, the rear wheels have eight lug nuts versus six on the front. The previous prototype had six lugs on the rear. So this version may have a beefier rear axle, maybe from the Ram 2500. That axle may be a bit wider. The suspension itself is clearly farther along, too. Up front, there are some burly looking lower control arms. But in the back, any suspension reinforcements are long gone, and the axle seems to be supported by equally beefy trailing arms. Most exciting are what appear to be fancy remote reservoir off-road shocks tucked in the rear wheel arches. They're covered by little black sacks to hide them. The Rebel TRX concept from a few years ago featured internal-bypass shocks, and the Ford F-150 Raptor features the same kind of shocks. That Ram TRX concept also had 13 inches of suspension travel at each corner. Besides the updated suspension, we're pleased to report that the TRX is still rocking Hellcat power. Our spy photographer tells us that there's very audible supercharger whine. He also caught the truck on video, and it sounds gravelly and angry. We're very much looking forward to the truck's launch, which should be sometime before 2022.

Ram Firefighter Edition launches new 'Built to Serve' trucks

Turns out the "fifth and final" model in Ram's "Built to Serve" series wasn't so final after all. The truckmaker is launching its second round of special-edition trucks with the vehicle you see here, which honors firefighters. Other trucks in this series will give the nod toward police officers and emergency medical service providers. "After honoring each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces with our initial ‘Built to ServeÂ’ models, we felt it would be equally important to also extend our gratitude to all first responders who serve or have served our communities," Mike Koval Jr., Ram Brand Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement. "Whether a first responder or civilian, Ram truck owners are very familiar with this adage as itÂ’s something we strive to build into every truck and van we produce." The fiery Redline and smoky Diamond Black exterior colors and black interior with orange accent stitching certainly fits with the firefighting theme. And the body-color wheel flares, blacked-out grille, bumpers, and lighting elements stand out well against the bright paint. Velcro patches on the seats allow owners to affix their own patches for personalization. A handy holdover from military-themed trucks is the Pouch Attachment Ladder System/Modular Lightweight Load-bearing Equipment (PALS/MOLLE) webbing that allows the attachment of equipment or pouches. Besides the interior and exterior customizations, each Built to Serve truck comes fully equipped with Ram's 4x4 Off-Road Group. They get all-terrain tires, an electronic locking rear axle, hill-descent control, skid plates for the front suspension, steering gear, fuel tank and transfer case,  tow hooks and uniquely calibrated shocks front and rear. This round of Built to Serve packages are available on Ram 1500 Big Horn models. Any body style or powertrain can be specified, with a starting price of $48,420 including destination. We expect to see previews of the other two Built to Serve first responder trucks before they go on sale this spring. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus tops JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study again, Buick bests Toyota

It shouldn't surprise anyone, but Lexus has once again taken the top spot in JD Power's Vehicle Dependability Study. That'd be the Japanese luxury brand's fourth straight year at the top of table. The big news, though, is the rise of Buick. General Motor's near-premium brand beat out Toyota to take second place, with 110 problems per 100 vehicles compared to Toyota's 111 problems. Lexus owners only reported 89 problems per 100 vehicles. Besides Buick's three-position jump, Scion enjoyed a major improvement, jumping 13 positions from 2014. Ram and Mitsubishi made big gains, as well, moving up 11 and 10 positions, respectively. In terms of individual segments, GM and Toyota both excelled, taking home seven segment awards each. The study wasn't good news for all involved, though. A number of popular automakers finished below the industry average of 147 problems per 100 vehicles, including Subaru, (157PP100), Volkswagen (165PP100), Ford/Hyundai (188PP100 each) and Mini (193PP100). The biggest losers (by a tremendous margin, we might add) were Land Rover and Fiat, recording 258 and 273 problems per 100 vehicles. The next closest brand was Jeep, with 197PP100. While the Vehicle Dependability Study uses the same measurement system as the Initial Quality Survey, the two metrics analyze very different things. The VDS looks at problems experienced by original owners of model year 2012 vehicles over the past 12 months, while the oft-quoted IQS focuses on problems in the first 90 days of new-vehicle ownership. Like the IQS, though, the VDS has a rather broad definition of what a problem is. Because of that, a low score from JD Power is no guarantee of extreme unreliability, so much as just poor design. In this most recent study, the two most reported problems focused on Bluetooth connectivity and the voice-command systems. The former leaves plenty of room for user error due to poor design (particularly true of the Bluetooth systems on the low-scoring Fords, Volkswagens and Subarus), while the second is something JD Power has already confirmed as being universally terrible. That makes means that while these studies are important, they shouldn't be taken as gospel when it comes to automotive reliability. News Source: JD PowerImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL Buick Fiat Ford GM Hyundai Jeep Land Rover Lexus MINI Mitsubishi RAM Scion Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Auto Repair Ownership study