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Ram drops second of five 1500 Built to Serve Editions

In November, 2019, Ram launched a year-long campaign of releasing five special-edition 1500s (two colors each) to honor the five branches of the United States armed forces. Ram first showed off a 1500 in Gator green, and the most recent examples are seen in Patriot Blue and Ceramic Gray. Each model has several special-edition features, such as a plethora of American flags, and each color is limited to 500-1,000 examples. Ram's Built to Serve model program launched last year around Veteran's Day and continues this week with Flag Day, June 14, 2020, as the peg. Ram doesn't specify which color set goes with which military branch, but it's fairly easy to connect the dots. The first launch, which included Gator (1,000 units) and Diamond Black (1,000 units) is likely a nod to the army. This launch, which includes Patriot Blue (1,000 units) and Ceramic Gray (1,000 units), is almost certainly a nod to the navy.  The next three sets will release in the future. Anvil (1,000 units) and Billet Silver (1,000 units) might be for the U.S. Air Force, while Tank (1,000 units) and Flame Red (1,000 units) could honor the Marines. The most limited release will feature Spitfire (500 units) and Bright White (500 units) paint schemes, and likely links to the coast guard. The exterior of every Built to Serve truck wears an American flag and "Built to Serve" decal on each rear quarter panel. They also have 20-inch Technical Gray aluminum wheels, body-color wheel arches, a black grille, black grille surround, black bumpers, black-bezel lighting, black badging, black side steps, and black dual four-inch exhaust tips.  Available on all body styles and powertrains, the Built to Serve Package is a $2,795 option. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The interior of each Built to Serve 1500 has been dressed to fit each branch, as well. The first round had Light Frost contrast stitching, this round features Light Ambassador Blue stitching, the next will feature Light Diesel Gray, then Core Green, then Orange. Built to Serve embroidered Velcro panels are found on each front seat, and buyers can add their own patches on a separate Velcro panel on the inside shoulder of the front seats. The back of each front seat has Pouch Attachment Ladder System/Modular Lightweight Load-bearing Equipment (PALS/MOLLE) webbing.

Ram extends Black Package to Heavy Duty trucks

If you liked the Black Express package Ram offers on its 1500 light-duty pickup but need the added capability of a Heavy Duty model, we've got good news for you.
This week at the Atlanta International Auto Show, the Ram truck brand is rolling out the Black package for the Ram HD 2500 and 3500 SRW. It features a sinister-looking exterior with 20-inch alloys, fog lamps, grille, front and rear bumpers and badges all blacked out. All the body-side badging has also been removed, unless you go for Cummins power, in which case you still get a chrome diesel badge on the side.
In correspondence with Autoblog, Ram spokesman Nick Cappa explained that the popularity of the Black edition light-duty truck was the impetus for the Heavy Duty edition you see here. "Ram has a reputation for going further on design and custom-looks from the factory," explained Cappa, pointing towards the Express, Sport and Longhorn editions. "This type of forward design-thinking led us to extend the aggressive appearance to the HD trucks, which in the past has been a bit more subtle."

2019 Ram 1500 eTorque Drivers' Notes Review | Filling in the gaps

When the 2019 Ram 1500 debuted earlier this year at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the biggest news was arguably the addition of the 48-volt mild hybrid system. Dubbed eTorque, the system is standard on V6-equipped models and a $1,450 option on trucks with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. It's not a hybrid in the traditional sense. Despite Ram's claim that the system adds up to 130 pound-feet of torque on the V8, it only does so for a fraction of a second and doesn't actually change the engine's total output. You'd be hard pressed to notice a difference if you didn't know the system was there. But that's kind of the point. There's been a lot of confusion about what eTorque is and how the system works. Much of that falls on FCA's shoulders. The automaker didn't do a great job of explaining the whole thing, leaving us to work out much of it for ourselves. This isn't meant to boost performance, towing or payload. The Ram eTorque can't run on battery power, so don't expect a Toyota Prius with a bed and wood trim. It's here to make the truck just a little bit more efficient by improving areas where conventional internal-combustion engine's fall short. The eTorque system replaces the engine's alternator with a small, belt-driven electric motor. On the V6, the motor is part of the water pump assembly and driven by that belt; the V8 uses a dedicated belt that's separate from the other accessories. A small battery pack is mounted upright behind the rear seats inside the truck's cabin. There's also a DC-to-DC converter to charge the battery and convert 48 volts down to 12 to power the truck's normal systems. Visually, the only difference between an eTorque-equipped model and a standard one is a small metal box at the top of the engine. There's no badging and the battery pack can't be seen, even with the rear seats folded up. The system is designed to be as seamless and innocuous as possible. The auto start/stop system spins up the engine a little quicker. Shifts from the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission are a little smoother as the eTorque system smooths out and fills in the gaps. It does so for a fraction of a second, but it works its magic often. Big gains in fuel economy have already been made. It's going to take things like Ram's eTorque system to improve internal combustion engines from here on out. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I'd like to say I noticed a huge difference between the Ram eTorque and the regular Ram, but I didn't. That's how it's supposed to work.