2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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FCA's SEMA vans: A Ram ProMaster bar and a Mopar'd Pacifica

For this year's SEMA show, FCA created six machines that range from mild to wild, and what we have here are the two mildest examples: a custom Ram ProMaster and an accessorized Chrysler Pacifica. Of the two, the ProMaster is easily the more interesting. It's called the BrewMaster and it's a rolling bar. Get it? View 11 Photos The pub-themed interior has a variety of custom touches, including Mopar neon signs and beer taps with shift-knob handles. The outside gets some conceptual parts as well. The grille loses the crosshair design in favor of a large-font "RAM" badge in the center, similar to the one on the Ram Rebel. It also gets some custom 20-inch wheels and large fender flares to accommodate the wider rubber. The message here: Don't drink and drive, but definitely drive somewhere and drink. The Pacifica has far fewer custom goodies, and, sadly, no Hellcat powertrain, but that means what you see is something you could realistically replicate at a dealer. Called the Pacifica Cadence, this van is a rolling showcase of Mopar accessories. The newest piece is a running board that is designed to look like part of the sheetmetal, as opposed to a tacked-on aftermarket accessory. We'd say it's fairly successful if not super-exciting. View 7 Photos The Pacifica also features loads of other Mopar bits including the roof rack, dog kennel, all-weather floor mats, and wireless charging pad. Aside from the custom wrap and painted wheels, you could outfit your own Pacifica identically using a Mopar catalog. As for the BrewMaster, that might require a bit more custom work. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: FCA, Joel Stocksdale SEMA Show Chrysler RAM Minivan/Van Concept Cars chrysler pacifica ram promaster SEMA 2016

Ram's 700 mini-truck blends Fiat genes with 1500 styling cues

Ram's on-again, off-again sub-1500 pickup is allegedly on its way to production, but we haven't seen it yet. In the meantime, the company's Mexican division introduced a trucklet named 700 built on a unibody architecture. The 700's positioning suggests it picks up where the Dakota left off, but it's a completely different breed of truck. And, while its unibody bones are reminiscent of the Honda Ridgeline, it's a much smaller model that's essentially a badge-engineered version of the Fiat Strada. No, not the hatchback briefly sold in the United States from 1979 to 1982; we're talking about the little, economy car-derived pickup sold in dozens of global markets. Think of the 700 as the Dodge Rampage's distant heir. Visually, its front end borrows a handful of styling cues from the 1500, including an upright grille characterized by a bold Ram emblem and mesh inserts. Called SLT, the base model wears a decidedly downmarket look with black plastic bumpers and steel wheels covered by plastic hubcaps. The mid-range Big Horn blurs the line between a commercial vehicle and a crossover with a practical cargo box, while the range-topping Laramie variant is aimed at motorists who want an outdoorsy daily driver. Ram offers two- and four-door models, though only the SLT is available in the former configuration. The 700 boasts a usable 1,653-pound payload and an 880-pound towing capacity. Power comes from a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that sends 84 horsepower to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. Buyers can pay extra for a turbocharged, 1.3-liter four that delivers 98 horsepower. It doesn't appear that four-wheel drive is available, and there's no automatic transmission on the menu. Small and cheap doesn't necessarily mean basic. The 700 can be equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, a rear-view camera, and electronic driving aids such as ABS brakes and traction control, plus LED headlights. Laramie models also benefit from partial leather upholstery. Ram will release the 2021 700 in the Mexican market this month, but we're not expecting the model to find its way north to the U.S. Drivers who want a small, unibody truck will need to wait until Ford releases the Maverick, which will ride on the same basic platform as the Escape and the Bronco Sport. It's tentatively due out in 2021 as a 2022 model.

2020 Ram 1500's new EcoDiesel horsepower and torque revealed

Following on the reveals of Ford and GM's light-duty diesel full-size pickup truck engines, Ram has finally revealed its second-generation EcoDiesel V6 for the 2020 Ram 1500 and 2019 Ram 1500 Classic. The engine is once again a 3.0-liter V6, but it now makes 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. That's an increase of 20 horsepower and 60 pound-feet of torque over the previous engine. Ram notes a number of changes were made to achieve these numbers, including adding a water-cooled variable geometry turbo, reducing compression ratio from 16.5:1 to 16:1, adding lighter pistons, revising the intake ports, and using a new fuel injection system and exhaust gas recirculation system. Those numbers also put the new Ram diesel at the top of its class for torque. Just behind it is the 3.0-liter inline-six in the 2020 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra that makes a bit more power at 277 horsepower but less torque at 460 pound-feet. Then there's the 2019 Ford F-150's 3.0-liter V6 that makes 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. The Ram engine also hits peak torque at 1,600 rpm, which is sooner than the Ford engine at 1,750 rpm. The Chevy engine's torque arrives even earlier than both at 1,500 rpm. The Ram's maximum towing capacity of 12,560 pounds also tops the F-150 diesel's 11,400 pounds. There are still a number of unknowns regarding the new EcoDiesel engine, though. Ram hasn't announced payload capacity, pricing or fuel economy for the engine. We expect fuel economy will be slightly improved over its predecessor's 20 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. But we don't know if it will match or surpass the F-150 diesel's 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. All these numbers should be announced closer to the engine's release window of fourth quarter of 2019. The engine will also be available in every single trim and configuration of the 2020 Ram 1500 including the Rebel, which used to be a gas-only trim. The engine will even be available on the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic. This should also be the engine that will soon appear in the Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler.