3500hd Cummins Diesel Regular Cab 11' Flatbed Dually Fold Down Rails We Finance! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ram 1500 bests new F-150 in MT pickup shootout

Ford's 2015 Ford F-150 is a technological tour-de-force, what with its aluminum-intensive construction and its powerful and efficient new 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine option. But now that it's hit the market, it's time to get down to brass tacks and find out how just the latest F-150 actually stands up to its rivals in the hyper-competitive fullsize segment. Motor Trend is among the first to round up the Ford (in Lariat 2.7-liter 4X4 guise here) and put it up against the Ram 1500 Outdoorsman EcoDiesel 4x4 and 5.3-liter-equipped Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 to find out how Dearborn's new-think truck measures up. The test put the trio through over 1,000 miles of tough driving in California and Arizona in a variety of conditions from just cruising around unladen to hauling a trailer. MT found all three trucks to be competent, but the most praise got heaped on the Ram and the Ford, with the Chevrolet falling a step behind its competitors in many tests. Among the Ford's most-liked features was its 2.7-liter, twin-turbo V6 that helped make the F-150 easily the quickest of the group, with some editors saying the engine felt about the same whether driving around with cargo in the bed or not. There was some minor turbo lag during acceleration while trailering, but that issue affected the Ram, too. The Ram's powertrain was lauded, as well. The EcoDiesel was torquey around town, and the 1500's combination of an eight-speed automatic and air suspension was judged to be the best of the lot. It was the most difficult to get into the bed, though. The Ram also won the fuel economy award by netting 20-miles-per-gallon city and 28-mpg highway in the test to beat its Environmental Protection Agency ratings of 19/27. The Ford's EcoBoost managed 17/22, one mpg off each from the EPA numbers, and using a lot of throttle really depleted its efficiency. As MT notes, however, it would take time for the diesel's mileage savings to pay off at the pump for these two trucks. In the end, the Ram just barely eked out the win, with the title partially earned because of "the Ford's unknown maintenance and aluminum repair costs," according to MT. Go check out the full comparison to read all of the details, then let us know what you think in Comments.

Ram 1500 Motor Trend's first back-to-back Truck Of The Year

For the first time ever, Motor Trend has named a back-to-back winner of its Truck of the Year competition, handing the crown to last year's winner, the Ram 1500. Ram's entry to the pickup battle bested a range of new or heavily improved models, including its big brothers, the Ram Heavy Duty and Ram ProMaster van.
Other contenders included the twins from General Motors, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, the Toyota Tundra, the Ford Transit Connect, the Nissan NV200 and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Just how did a truck that technically hit the market in 2012 best a range of vehicles from 2013? With new technology.
MT wasn't testing the same Ram it tested in last year's competition - it was driving the new EcoDiesel V6, complete with an eight-speed automatic transmission. When ran through the battery of testing, the torquey diesel Ram proved to be the victor for its ample torque and excellent fuel economy, while the team at Motor Trend also highlighted its air suspension and overall sense of style and luxury.

Ram bringing Rumble Bee Concept to Woodward

The 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise is taking place this weekend, and will see the arrival of over 1.5 million people and around 40,000 vehicles of seemingly every make in history. It's also a huge event for the manufacturers that call Detroit home, with Chevrolet setting up shop in Birmingham, Ford and its Mustang Alley locating itself in Ferndale and Chrysler hunkering down at 13 Mile in Royal Oak.
Ram will take advantage of the captive audience (if you think we're joking with the use of the term "captive," you've never tried to get off of Woodward during The Cruise) to show a new concept truck. And, judging from these teasers, it's going to be.. the Rumble Bee. In the past, Ram offered a Rumble Bee edition Ram 1500 that was mainly a styling treatment, but they were kinda cool trucks for those that wanted a muscle car but needed the room and utility of a big vehicle.
Details on the new Rumble Bee are scarce, but judging by the images seen here, it will sport bright yellow paint and a pair of large, black, five-spoke wheels wrapped in low-profile tires. The hood sports a set of hoodscoops for a bit more aggression, while the interior gets a reinterpreted dial shifter for the eight-speed automatic. We also see what may be a button to let a bit more rumble emanate from what we'd assume is a large Hemi engine underhood. Take a look at the gallery below to see both teaser images, and check back here for more as soon as we get it.