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Ford F-450 claims best-in-class towing, company abandons practice of removing items to boost payload number

The ongoing heavy-duty truck battle between Ford and Ram is showing no signs of slowing down. The Blue Oval is trying to remove at least one point of contention between the two brands by testing its 2015 F-450 Super Duty using the Society of Automotive Engineers J2807 towing standard, which Ram also uses. In the new evaluation, the F-450 is rated at a max towing capacity of 31,200 pounds. That's an identical amount as under Ford's own, previous test.
"We leave no doubt with customers that the F-450 pickup truck has best-in-class towing of 31,200 pounds - whether tested using our own internal towing standards or SAE J2807," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president for Global Product Development, in the company's release.
At the same time, Ford is also changing how it calculates the F-450's payload. Instead of using its minimum curb weight as before, the brand is now using the truck's base curb weight. The revision lowers the pickup's rating to 5,300 pounds, compared to 5,450 pounds previously. The company said in its announcement that the reason for this is "aligning its payload rating practices with other manufacturers to make it easier for customers to compare vehicles." General Motors made a similar switch for its pickups in August.

Ram and Jeep diesel emissions allegations spur class action lawsuits

This shouldn't come as a surprise. Last week, the EPA issued a notice of violation to FCA after it determined that Jeep and Ram installed eight undisclosed auxiliary emissions control devices on diesel vehicles. Since then US law firm Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC and Canadian firm Sotos LLP have launched class action suits on behalf of owners. These latest lawsuits are unrelated to a previous class action suit brought against FCA and Cummins over NOx emissions in 2007 to 2012 Ram models. The violation notice – and the subsequent lawsuits – covers 2014 to 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 models equipped with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6, a total of about 104,000 vehicles in the US. The EPA says that while the emissions control devices aren't necessarily illegal, installing them without disclosing them to the EPA is, as they produce more emissions in real world use than in testing. Skirting certification in this way might be a violation of the Clean Air Act. FCA could see fines of up to $45,000 per vehicle, depending on the outcome of the EPA investigation. FCA denies that these are cheat devices, and has proposed software updates to bring the vehicles into compliance. As for the lawsuits, Heninger Garrison Davis says that "Fiat Chrysler marketed those vehicles as environmentally friendly with enhanced fuel efficiency, better performance, and lower emissions. Although the diesel vehicles were successfully marketed as 'clean,' their environmentally-friendly representations were deceptive to consumers." The suit seeks an undisclosed amount of compensation for owners of these vehicles. In Canada, Sotos LLP is seeking $250 million in damages on behalf of owners. This suit, filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, also claims deception on the part of FCA, "resulting in losses and damage" to owners. These are similar claims to group actions against Volkswagen with regard to its diesel emissions cheating scandal. While VW is fixing or buying back many of the affected vehicles, the company is defending itself against some suits on behalf of owners, saying it expects " no decline in the residual values of the affected vehicles as a result of this issue." Don't be surprised if FCA mounts a similar defense.

2019 Ram 1500 truck Ram-o-rama: Many trims, options spotted on the road

We'll give Ram credit. It provided an impressive variety of 2019 Ram 1500 trucks to peruse at the Detroit Auto Show. There was a Big Horn Sport, Laramie, Limited and Rebel, with both the Quad Cab and Crew Cab on display as well. We even got to see both five- and six-passenger interiors. However, all that variety still only scratched the surface of the 2019 Ram. To help flesh things out a bit, spy photographers recently captured a bunch of 2019 Ram variations testing out on public roads. With the truck unveiled, camouflage was unnecessary, giving us unimpeded first looks at a number of trim levels, bed/cab combinations and options. Among these are the base level Ram Tradesman, which features blacked out plastic grille and other trim. There's also a single pic of the Ram Lone Star, which is really just what they call the Big Horn in Texas (look for the badge on the tailgate). We also got our first look both Big Horn and Laramie Quad Cabs with a long bed. In terms of options, there's a Big Horn with small, basic wheels and a Limited with the new bi-LED headlight option (have fun with those, oncoming traffic). There's also a Ram Rebel with a different hood that's missing the extra vents found on the truck at the auto show and in previously published pictures. Perhaps this is an option, perhaps its just the wrong hood placed on a test mule. We'll see. In any event, we'll know a lot more about all the different variants as the new Ram keeps inches closer to its on-sale date. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Ram 1500: Other trim levels spied View 14 Photos Spy Photos RAM Truck