2024 Ram 3500 Tradesman (fleet Sale Only) on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Ram 2500 Laramie 4x4 | Drivers' Notes

The Ram 2500 is a heavy-duty truck that sits square in the middle of Ram's truck hierarchy. Ram considers this the fourth-generation truck, with the first model debuting in 1981. The current truck first hit the streets back in 2009, with a number of updates and facelifts keeping things fresh since then. Despite its age, it still competes strongly with the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and the Ford F-250 Super Duty. While Ram heavy duty trucks may be known for packing wonderful Cummins inline-six diesel engines, this particular model has a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 under the hood. The Laramie trim sits dead in the middle of the Ram lineup, just below the much-beloved Power Wagon. While it may not pack all the off-road capabilities of the Power Wagon, it has a few more comfort and convenience features that make it better to live with day-to-day. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: The first thing that struck me besides the towering ride height of the Ram 2500 Laramie was the firmness of the ride. Despite bouncing around quite a bit on our uneven city road surfaces, I kind of enjoyed the joyful feeling of the stiff suspension. I could see myself growing tired of it, though, after a long day of driving. Still, this truck was pretty fun Í— and surprisingly easy Í— to drive in traffic, which is not something I usually say or feel about pickups. The brake effort when coming up on highway jams was the only thing that really shook my confidence in the Ram. It's a beefy machine, too. It garners attention and a wide berth on the road. My 2-year-old son was instantly impressed with it, of course (though a little sad he couldn't fit in the center console storage bin like he could in the Ford F-150). A friend of mine who'd never before struck me as the pickup type ­(though now that I think about it ...) saw photos I posted on Twitter and commented, "I'd drive that truck, dang." Then, later in our conversation, she summed up in just a few characters the conflicted feelings that this particular pickup had been stirring up in me all night: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. I'm not likely to own a truck, let alone an HD. This Ram, though, did what other pickups haven't in a long time. It provided me with guilty pleasure, instead of just guilt. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: What's better than a Ram 1500? How about a 2500. Call it the Power Wagon syndrome: Suddenly I feel like I need a 2500 to do anything.

2015 Ram 1500 Rebel drops the crosshairs, muscles in with new snout

Emboldened by record sale and increasing market share, Ram continues to spin off derivatives of its fullsize pickup. Bowing at today's Detroit Auto Show, the 10th model based on Ram's 1500 series is the new-for-2015 Rebel, and it's designed to capture the affections of that exceedingly popular marketer's bogey, the "active lifestyle enthusiast." Ram officials figure they've already got the hunt/fish/camp crowd all sewn up with the 1500 Outdoorsman, so the Rebel's imposing snout strikes out in a different direction in search of extreme-sports types – namely customers with dirt bikes, side-by-sides, jet-skis and other powersports toys. If that has you envisioning the Rebel as a rival to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, think again – "It's not an extreme, desert-racer off-road type product," says Ram boss Bob Hegbloom. If you're seeking an analog from another automaker, look to the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and we think you'll be in the ballpark. The Rebel's most distinctive styling element has to be its radical new grain-finish grille, which does away with Ram's longstanding crosshair motif in favor of an interlocking design that intentionally won't be for everyone. There are lighting changes, too, with black-bucket headlamps featuring LED accents and matching LED foglights. A non-functional twin-snorkel sport hood, tonneau cover with stamped logo, blacked-out taillamps and unique badges are other model telltales. The Rebel (where have we heard that name before?) makes good use of Ram's air suspension system as an easy way to raise the ride height by an inch, which in turn affords inch-longer suspension travel and lends the truck a more formidable stance while helping clear the 33-inch (LT285/70R17E) Toyo Open Country A/T tires. Flares swiped from the 2500 Power Wagon keep the wider rubber mounted on Rebel-exclusive 17-inch wheels nicely – and legally – tucked in. Further off-road-minded modifications include a close-cropped steel front bumper that offers an improved arrival angle as well as 360-degree tow hooks and replaceable center skid plate. Out back, dual exhausts tuck up into the bumper and out of harm's way, but you might be too busy staring at the billboard-sized RAM tailgate lettering to notice. Ram officials assure us the Rebel's suspension has been recalibrated to cope with the higher ride height and better off-road ability (mostly through the inclusion of Bilstein monotube shocks, a softer rear anti-roll bar and reworked jounce bumpers).

Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video: