2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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2021 Ram 1500 could finally get tech handed down from HD lineup

Based on details gleaned from spy shots of a 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport Quad Cab 4x4 prototype, Mopar Insiders believes the 2021 Ram 1500 will adopt a few serious pickup convenience features, two of which have found homes on Ram heavy duty pickups for years. The first is towing mirrors with cameras as part of the pickup's 360-degree camera system. The Surround-View Cameras can be had as part of the Advanced Safety Group on the 1500 now, but they haven't been available with the trailer tow mirrors. On the heavy duty Rams, the Surround-View Cameras come as part of the Towing Technology Group. It's possible Ram will address the omission with next year's 1500 pickup. The same mirrors have been seen on the Ram 1500 Rebel TRX prototypes as well. The second hand-me-down from the heavy duty range is a bed-view camera mounted on an LED brake light at the back of the cab — Ram calls it the Center High-Mount Stop Lamp with Cargo View Camera. Some Ram owners making mods to their trucks, like installing a Tazer DT plug-in to access more vehicle settings, have discovered the camera line already installed as part of the harness. Next year could be when Ram decides to activate it. The last feature is trailer steering knob that serves a similar function to the Pro Trailer Backup Assist that can be optioned on the Ford F-150. The knob has been seen on leaked interior shots of the Rebel TRX, so it's assumed to spread to the rest of the 1500 trims. When backing up with a trailer, a driver turns the steering wheel in the opposite direction he wants to trailer to go. To make the job easier for occasional haulers, in a truck with trailer steering feature, the driver turns the dial in the direction he wants the trailer to go, and the software takes care of turning the truck to make the request happen. Since the fifth generation Ram 1500 only arrived for the 2019 model year, we don't expect substantive changes for 2021. Another big addition would be Uconnect 5, which debuts on the 2021 Pacifica but could slide to the Ram side of the family before the new model year. Related Video:

2021 Ram 1500 TRX is the fastest pickup on the market, and you can win it

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. For years the Ford Raptor stood alone, on top of the off-road pickup truck mountain, hardly challenged by the competition. Finally, a new challenger has emerged, the 702 horsepower Ram TRX. The problem? A price tag that will make you blush. Unless you win one from Omaze. Win a RAM 1500 TRX and $20,000 - Enter at Omaze Here’s what we said about it in our Ram TRX First Drive Review: “Looking over the spec sheet of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, itÂ’s hard not to think America has hit peak pickup truck. Everything about the TRX is bigger, better and badder than any truck thatÂ’s come before, including its one obvious bogey, the Ford F-150 Raptor. For starters, the Ram has a 252-horsepower and 140-pound-foot advantage on the Ford. That means the TRX is quicker and faster, and it can haul and tow marginally more. The TRX has a nicer interior and its supercharged V8 engine sounds a heck of a lot better than the RaptorÂ’s turbocharged V6. Altogether, that ought to equal a truck thatÂ’s more fun to drive." “More important than the muscular styling is what that bodywork encases, starting with a frame that Ram says shares just 25% with lesser 1500s. ItÂ’s designed to be stiff and durable enough to withstand off-road terrain at speeds of 100 mph. The TRX boasts 11.8 inches of ground clearance, and can ford water up to 32 inches deep. Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks with nitrogen-charged remote reservoirs continuously adjust to handle current demands, whether that means taking the edge off a bumpy road or absorbing much larger impacts, like when landing a jump. There's 13 inches of wheel travel up front and 14 inches out back, allowing for a huge amount of articulation.”  YouÂ’re probably asking yourself, what does it take to win? First of all, according to Omaze, "no donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes." $10 will get you 100 entries in this sweepstakes, while $50 will get you 1,000 entries and $100 will get you 2,000 entries. The donations themselves benefit Team Rubicon. According to Omaze, “Team Rubicon is a veteran-led disaster response organization that mobilizes veterans, first responders and civilian volunteers to help communities before, during and after disasters and humanitarian crises.

Ram open to releasing electric pickup if buyers ask for one

Ram hasn't announced plans to launch an electric pickup yet, but it confirmed it's keeping a close eye on the burgeoning segment in case it needs to jump in. At least half a dozen electric pickups are scheduled to enter production during the first half of the 2020s, including models from Ram's rivals and from start-ups. "The reason we haven't spoken much about electric pickup trucks is not because we view that market as non-existent. We've always had a slightly different view of timing and adoption rates, particularly in North America in terms of full electrification. We are very committed to our electrification strategy — most of which we have revealed," Mike Manley, the head of Ram parent Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), told The Detroit News. There is not a single electric truck available new in the United States in 2020, but the segment is expected to balloon in the coming years. Tesla and start-up Rivian both introduced close-to-production concepts that remain over a year away from entering production. Ford will make an electric derivative of the 14th-generation F-150, while General Motors will send both Chevrolet and GMC marching into the segment; the latter will resurrect the Hummer name. On paper, it looks like Ram is behind. In reality, it's still too early to tell if the demand is there. What remains to be seen is whether carmakers can turn social-media likes and eye-catching headlines into profitable sales, or if the electric pickup will become the proverbial brown, turbodiesel, and stick-shifted station wagon of the 2020s — a vehicle everyone loves the idea of but that no one wants to spend a dime on. Pickups have ruled America's sales chart for decades, but electric cars remain a small niche at best; they represented a 1.6% share of the market in 2019. Ram is essentially waiting to find out if installing one of America's least popular propulsion technologies in the nation's favorite body style by a long shot will resonate with buyers. "We haven't revealed everything. But, obviously pickup trucks are a key franchise for us, and we're not going to sit on the sidelines if there is a danger that our position gets diluted going forward," Manley stressed. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.