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2017 Ram Power Wagon update adds menacing new look

The popular sentiment in the truck market is that if you really, really want off-road performance, you turn to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. But Ram would like to remind everyone that it's no stranger to the hardcore, off-road pickup game, and that the 2500-based Power Wagon is here to stand up (and dwarf) the half-ton-based Raptor. The 2016 Power Wagon was heavy on the chrome, had an pretty ridiculous optional graphics package, and featured questionable red grille inserts (unless you got the work-truck-like Power Wagon Tradesman). To be frank, it was hard to take the truck seriously alongside something as purposeful looking as the Ford Raptor. Ram has addressed this for 2017 by replacing all the chrome with menacing black trim. The billet-silver Ram badge in the nose is the only piece of bright work, and goodness, it all works. Look at the two side-by-side: murdering out the new Rebel-inspired grille, rear bumper, mirror caps, wheel arches, 324-point-font tailgate badge, headlights, and wheels finally gives the Power Wagon the menacing, purposeful, and imposing appearance that it needs. But really, what we like best is that this Ram is all just two-tone now, instead of a handful of different shades. By offering decals in just black or silver, depending on which of the six body colors you choose, the 2017 Power Wagon is a less distracting and simply more cohesive design (or just skip the graphics pack all together – we would). Changes elsewhere are much more modest. You can black out the cabin headliner, and the dull fabric seats have been spiced up with inserts that ape the tread pattern of the standard Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. It's a small touch, but it breaks up the otherwise depressing sea of black plastic. And as far as more luxurious options, there's no mention of a range-topping Power Wagon Laramie, although buyers on a budget will still be able to snag the entry level Power Wagon Tradesman. Perhaps most importantly, the bits that make the Power Wagon a Power Wagon are more or less unchanged. The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 still produces 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque and is still matched with a 66RFE six-speed automatic and a manually-shifted transfer case. It'll still tow 10,030 pounds, ford up to 30 inches of water, and has a standard 12,000-pound Warn winch at the front. In short, the 2017 Ram Power Wagon is still a monster, just a more fashionable monster.

Maxwell RHEV Prototype First Drive Review | More than meets the eye

The Maxwell RHEV looks just like any small business' panel van, sporting large vinyl graphics and unassuming steel wheels. You'd have no idea that the co-founders of the startup based out of Seattle had grafted a salvaged Voltec powertrain from a junkyard Chevy Volt into this Ram ProMaster. Somewhere, a battery pack lurks. Maxwell's co-founders, CEO Max Pfeiffer and engineer Trey Camp, open the cargo area to reveal a completely unaltered space. Both are ex-Tesla employees with a long fascination for the #vanlife movement – that their interests intersected in a hybrid cargo van isn't surprising once you start talking to them. This is their first vehicle, a salvaged ProMaster sidelined with a blown 3.6-liter Pentastar, and it's both their prototype and the only Maxwell in existence right now. That said, the company is building a low-roof version for a customer, which will be lighter, have less aero drag and therefore be more efficient. The company is just emerging from a stealth startup mode, and while their backstory is fascinating, I'm still wondering where the Volt's 18.4 kWh battery pack is. "There's nothing in the back ... we're able to get the battery underneath the floor, in the center," Pfeiffer says. Ducking my head under the side reveals, sure enough, a little underside blister that contains the battery, tucked up neatly. The other changes to the RHEV – short for Range-extended Hybrid Electric Vehicle – are minimal. He pops the hood. There are some rough edges, but the 1.5-liter, 101-horsepower engine and 48-kW motor fit comfortably on custom engine mounts and with re-routed exhaust, behind a fascia that improves aero and houses the charge port. Custom axles send power to unaltered Ram hubs and brakes. "This version, it's a little bit prototype-y," Pfeiffer says. "We've had more time to work with the CAD [computer-aided design, engineering drawings] we were able to get from GM and Chrysler, and we've done a better job packaging for production." GM already spent billions on the Voltec and its controlling software, and Maxwell can happily ride those coattails. Despite the help GM has lent Maxwell, there are no official ties. An emulator sends spoofed signals to the Ram instruments, which have a new custom-printed face. The Ram's body control module is left alone. For powertrain faults, Maxwell says the vehicle can theoretically be serviced by any Chevy dealer, and any issue with the rest of the vehicle can be handled by a Ram service shop.

Detroit Three's lucrative pickup war intensifies as Ram makes big gains

DETROIT — The battle for profits from sales of large pickup trucks is intensifying among the Detroit Three automakers as sales of small cars in the United States shrivel. For decades Ford has had the single best-selling truck brand in its F-Series trucks. General Motors' Chevrolet brand was a solid No. 2, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram was a distant third. Now, that hierarchy may be in flux. Sales figures for December and the fourth quarter released on Thursday show Ram tied with GM's Chevy for the No. 2 spot, as sales of the redesigned Ram pickup surged, fueled in part by demand for an optional 12-inch (30.48 cm) dashboard screen. Chevy not long ago held second place to Ford by a wide margin. GM executives said on Thursday they are bullish on their new GMC and Chevy trucks for 2019.Related: How the Detroit Three's pickups compare on paper 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie review 2019 Chevy Silverado 2.7L four-cylinder review 2019 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost review "There's no doubt this segment (pickup trucks) is one of the epicenters of the auto wars," said Sandor Piszar, director of marketing for Chevrolet at GM. "It's been that way forever, and we wouldn't have it any other way." On Wall Street, investors give electric car leader Tesla a higher valuation than any of the Detroit automakers. But in the nation's heartland, big pickups remain far more popular and profitable than any electric car — and most other consumer vehicles of any kind. Large pickups generate at least $17,000 a vehicle in pretax profit for GM, the company has indicated in disclosures to investors. By contrast, many Detroit Three sedans are so unprofitable, their manufacturers have decided not to build them anymore. 'Hotly contested' Sustaining sales and pricing in the large-pickup segment will be critical in a year when most forecasters expect overall U.S. car and light truck sales to fall. Ford's U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, on Thursday called the F Series "the backbone of our franchise" during a conference call, and added the "segment will continue to be strong, but hotly contested" in 2019. Automakers are banking on pickup truck sales to stay strong even if U.S. interest rates continue to rise. Rising interest rates translate into higher monthly car payments and are expected to deter some buyers in 2019. GM has said 27 percent of Chevrolet and GMC trucks — which can haul trailers by day and substitute for a luxury sedan by night — sell for more than $55,000.