2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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2021 Ram 1500 TRX Suspension Deep Dive | Underbelly of the beast

I think we can all agree that we have been waiting for a gonzo full-size truck like the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX for a long time. After all, it has been over a decade since the Ford F-150 Raptor came out, and it was such an immediate hit that I expected its direct competitors to respond much sooner than this. We all knew something was finally brewing in 2016, when the TRX concept was unveiled at the Texas State Fair. I was there, and was among the many who gave the assembled Ram higher-ups an enthusiastic thumbs-up. That’s what they were hoping to see before they greenlit the project. The pace of development being what it is, and with the redesigned, current-generation Ram 1500 a prerequisite that understandably had to come first, itÂ’s no surprise that weÂ’re only seeing it now as a 2021 model. You may be biting your tongue that I overlooked the Tundra TRD Pro or the Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss, but neither of those comes close to following the formula established by the Raptor: big engine, a much wider stance than the base truck, greatly enhanced suspension travel, huge tires and swollen fenders to cover it all. Only the Raptor and the TRX fit that mold. For now.   Before I got started, I first pointed the TRX up my RTI ramp and measured its Flex Index score. Please excuse the shaded nose; the truck ran farther up than IÂ’d guessed and literally drove out of the picture. But something in my subconscious warned me to keep the garage door open, which was fortuitous because the nose of the Ram ended up inside. The TRX hiked its front wheel 29 and 7/8 inches off the ground before the left rear tire reached the point of lift-off, and that equates to a climb of 87.4 inches up the deck of my ramp. Divide that by the TRXÂ’s wheelbase of 145.1 inches, multiply by 1,000, and you arrive at a Flex Index score of 602 points. It could have been a few points higher, I think, if I could have straightened out the steering a bit better. But the high-grip cheese grater surface of my ramp was firmly dug in and having none of it. This is an extremely good score for a full-size crew cab pickup. LetÂ’s take a closer look at what made that possible.   The track width of the TRXÂ’s double wishbone front-suspension is a full 6 inches broader than a regular Ram 1500, and you are looking at the parts that are responsible. The lower wishbone (yellow arrow), the upper control arm (green) and the steering knuckle (red) conspire to add 3 inches per side to the TRXÂ’s stance.

2020 Ram Power Wagon Review | What mud?

A 2020 Ram Power Wagon is not your typical heavy-duty pickup truck. All of them try to be the tough kid on the block, but the Power Wagon goes even further. Just the name, Power Wagon, is synonymous with a tenacious, brash, and mean attitude.  “LetÂ’s go hop in my Power Wagon,” I shout at my friend. I donÂ’t even need to add anything else to that sentence to sound braggadocios. The Ram takes care of it for me. And I do mean hop into it. One does not gracefully step in and out of a Power Wagon, because it is simply far too high off the ground. There are side steps, but they're not one of those automatically-retracting ones that forms a staircase into the cabin. Instead, I grab the A-pillar handle, yank myself onto the step, and then swivel around to fall onto the large, comfy seat.  Once inside, the tough kid mantra starts to slip, but only slightly. Ram brought all the fancy interior appointments from the 1500 over to the Heavy Duty lineup with the 2019 refresh, which means the 2500 Power Wagon also gets all the goodies. Our heavily-optioned test truck doesnÂ’t feel rugged or basic on the inside at all. ItÂ’s covered in black leather, piano black and carbon fiber-look trim, metal accents and digital screens galore. There are still some rather large ‘Power WagonÂ’ badges here and there, plus the big mechanical transfer case shifter (the only Ram HD with one), but the inside is much more luxurious than one would expect from an off-road vehicle. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon View 20 Photos Taking stock of my height relative to other vehicles on the road brings the reality of the Power Wagon back into perspective. Throughout my weekend behind the wheel, there wasnÂ’t another pickup that I passed or pulled up next to at a light that was sitting taller than me. This comes as no surprise, as the Power Wagon features a 2-inch lift from its custom suspension versus other Ram Heavy Duty trucks. It also has Bilstein shocks, front and rear locking differentials and an electronically disconnecting sway bar. Armed with all that, leaving the pavement is a must. Lacking any great off-road trails or logging roads in the southeast Michigan area, I turned the Power Wagon south and aimed for dirt roads. We had just received a few big rains in the area, and some of the dirt roads around here can get egregiously bad to navigate in winter. Thankfully, I found some mud.

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.