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2019 Ram 1500 aces IIHS crash tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has finally performed crash tests on the completely redesigned 2019 Ram 1500 pickup truck, and it's mostly great news for the Ram. The Crew Cab earned the highest "Good" rating in all six crash tests. Impressively, that includes both the driver and passenger small overlap tests, which has been a rare feat. It's also the first truck to get a rating in that passenger-side test, thus is also the only truck with a "Good" rating for the crash type. The 2019 Ram also marks a major improvement over the previous-generation Ram, which only scored the second-lowest rating of "Marginal" in the driver small overlap test. The passenger side wasn't tested. The old Ram also only had a "Marginal" roof strength rating. In addition to having great crash test results, the Ram 1500 also earned the best possible rating for its optional forward collision prevention technology. It was capable of bringing the truck to a complete stop, avoiding a collision at speeds up to 25 mph. The Ram's only weak point was its headlights, which were rated "Marginal" at best. Because of the headlight performance, the IIHS didn't give it a Top Safety Pick award. This is a weak point for most trucks, as the only ones with headlight ratings above "Marginal" are the Honda Ridgeline and the 2018 GMC Sierra. The Ridgeline is also the only pickup tested by the organization to receive the Top Safety Pick award. With that being said, both the 2019 Ram 1500 as well as the 2018 Ford F-150 should qualify for the Top Safety Pick award if headlight performance improves. Note that the collision prevention and headlight ratings also apply to the Ram 1500 Quad Cab, but that the crash ratings do not. It's likely the IIHS will test that in the future. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Ram 3500 Regular Cab Big Horn Review | No B.S., just lots of truck

While luxury trucks of all sizes from all makes are growing in popularity, they are particularly prevalent in the heavy-duty segment, where they tow toys worth far more than the truck itself. Want proof? The volume-selling GMC Sierra HD is actually its most expensive version: the Denali, slathered with leather and chock full of convenience features. But the person who buys this 2019 Ram 3500 4x4 Big Horn Regular Cab would say they don't care about any of that crap. This is a dedicated tool for towing and especially hauling — even more dedicated than the Ram 2500 HD that was also overhauled for 2019. It has a regular cab with a three-person bench and no back seat. It has the longest bed available at 8 feet with the heftiest payload. Packing a standard 6.4-liter 410-horsepower Hemi V8, it can tow as much as 17,490 pounds. The 3500 is also the only Ram pickup that doesn't have a coil spring rear suspension. The five-link setup with coils in the 1500 and 2500 are abundantly strong for their respective segments, while providing superior ride and handling to boot, but when you enter 3500 territory, the old-fashioned leaf spring is still required (an auto-leveling rear air suspension that still utilizes the leaf springs is optional, but our truck was not so-equipped). Remember this when you're choosing between 2500 and 3500 trucks, because if you don't need the 3500's extra capability (more on that later), you're going to be suffering when the bed isn't loaded or the tongue isn't attached to something humongous. The ride is quite simply appalling, crashing over bumps and launching you from your seat into the shoulder belt. The 2500's is far superior. But of course, anyone who has ever driven a "1-ton" pickup would find such a comment charming. "No kidding," they'd likely say, "tell us something we don't know." Well, it probably wouldn't be that the ride settled down substantially when I loaded it with a relatively paltry amount of weight. The 500 pounds of mulch I dropped into the bed was quite obviously a light lift for a truck with a 4,660-pound payload, but I can't dump river rock into every truck I test. I also didn't have a 17,000-pound something around to tow. I hereby apologize. Yet, the point of this heaviest-duty regular-cab pickup was still made. If you owned a number of different vehicles or needed something to keep on a ranch for working purposes only, this is exactly the type of truck to keep on hand.

Why 2015 is going to be a huge year for trucks

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn took center stage to introduce the 2016 Titan last week at the Detroit Auto Show. He spoke of the truck's new features, impressive Cummins V8 diesel engine and the extensive amount of time and money required to build a modern, competitive pickup truck. "We have done all of this because we see opportunity – an opportunity in the unmet needs of today's American truck customers," Ghosn said. He was speaking about the Titan, but his thoughts echo the industry's mindset: When it comes to trucks, find an opportunity and attack. Even with CAFE regulations looming and fickle consumer preferences, investing in trucks is a no-brainer for automakers. Some consumers will always need a truck for their job or lifestyle. And some people will always want one, whether they need it or not. With that in mind, here are four reasons why the pickup-truck sector is more important than ever and poised for growth in 2015. View 24 Photos The Nissan Titan Is Back Okay, it never left, but the Titan hadn't been redesigned since its launch in 2003, and Nissan sold more NV200s than Titans in 2014. It's an understatement to say the truck was languishing. That all changes with the 2016 model. The Titan will come in two variants, a traditional fullsize competitor and the Titan XD. The XD will lead the market launch, and it arrives late this year. It's pitched as a "whitespace" offering, Nissan sales and marketing vice president Fred Diaz said. The idea is to offer something in the general size and price range of a fullsize truck, but also have some of the capability of a heavy-duty truck. The XD uses a fully boxed ladder frame, the chassis design from Nissan's commercial division, and the wheelbase is about 20 inches longer than other Titan models. The XD, which Nissan is calling the flagship of the line, will be the only model with the 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel V8. It produces 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, while being able to tow 12,000 pounds. V6 and V8 gasoline models will also be offered on the Titan XD and the standard, non-XD model. When production ramps up, the Titan will be sold with several cabs, beds and trims. New features include trailer sway control, an integrated trailer brake controller, more storage options in the cabin and even laminated front and rear side glass to reduce outside noise. All of this has given Nissan fresh confidence in an area where it admittedly has been lacking. "We can compete," Diaz told Autoblog.