2012 Ram 1500 St on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ram 1500 TRX and Toyota goes in on EVs | Autoblog Podcast #710

This episode of the Autoblog Podcast features Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. John is beck from a recent first drive of the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and has a 2022 Ford Bronco 4-Door Black Diamond in his driveway. Meanwhile, Greg just got out of a 2022 Ram 1500 TRX and back into Autoblog's long-term Acura TLX. After talking about the car's they've been driving, they dive into the news, including EV announcements from Toyota and Lexus, rumors of a turbo I6 Dodge Challenger, a list of future classics from Hagerty and a review of the sitcom American Auto. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Enjoy your holidays, and we'll see you in 2022. Autoblog Podcast #710 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 2022 Ram 1500 TRX 2021 Acura TLX 2022 Ford Bronco Black Diamond News: Toyota and Lexus preview future EVs Dodge Challenger could get a downsized turbo straight-six Hagerty's list of future classic cars to buy before values take off NBC's American Auto fires on most cylinders Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:

Hennessey Mammoth 1000 6x6 TRX is prehistoric excess

A few things have changed on the way to the Hennessey Mammoth 1000 6x6 TRX, the six-wheeled pickup based on the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX announced in September 2020. Back then, it was going to be powered by the 7.0-liter Hellephant engine, tuned from a stock 1,000 horsepower to 1,200 hp, it would cost $500,000 before customization, and the Texas tuner said there'd only be three built — likely owing to the exceeding scarcity of that crate motor. The good news for folks who thought they'd be left in the cold is that a slightly different but still astonishingly massive Mammoth is going into serial production, and at a lower price. Instead of the Hellephant, a 6.2-liter Hellcat lives under the chest-height hood. In the Ram 1500 TRX the engine makes 702 hp and 650 lb-ft., but a 2.65-liter supercharger is the heart of a Lone Star State overhaul boosting output to 1,012 hp and 969 lb-ft. The rest sticks to the original formula. The lengthened frame stretches overall length to 283 inches, a skosh more than four feet longer than the donor truck — long enough to hold plywood and a picnic in the bed. A Bilstein suspension hangs all that sheetmetal seven feet high over 20-inch wheels wearing 37-inch Toyo Open Country rubber. If for some reason the six-toed contact patch doesn't get a driver out of trouble, the third axle can be locked up. In case of greater calamity, the stinger front bumper is ready to accept a winch, and the rear bumper sprouts a couple of attachment points. There are also footholds in that rear bumper to make rummaging in the bed easier, but those footholds are so high up they could use the same retractable steps alongside the cabin to reach. Naturally, the interior has been reworked, and there are a "dazzling array of LED lights." Hennessey says it will make 12 of these — the largest truck in the company's 30-year history — every year. The Mammoth 6x6 can be ordered directly from Texas or at any authorized Ram retailer for $449,950. We can't wait to see what happens when this meets the GMC Hummer EV pickup on the trail. If you like the idea of the Mammoth but this Mammoth is a tad too mammoth, consider the rest of Hennessey's family of Elephantidae, the four-wheeled Mammoth 900 and Mammoth 1000, or the Mammoth SUV.   Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.