2021 Ram 1500 Big Horn/lone Star on 2040-cars

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Ram/Jeep Ecodiesel engine has Maserati roots

The 3.0L turbodiesel V6 in the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel earned a slot on Ward's Automotive 2014 10 Best Engines for its power, fuel economy and refinement. In a piece looking at how Fiat subsidiary VM Motor developed the engine, Ward's also makes note of the fact that the same lump goes in diesel versions of the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli. They're tuned a bit differently, naturally, with the QP putting out 275 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, the smaller, lighter Ghibli making do with the same number of horses but a lower torque output of 420 lb-ft.
The 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet put out by the oil-burning six-cylinder in the Ram was tamed with a host of advances, but it appears that Ram hasn't tamed demand: the initial allocation of 8,000 engines was spoken for within three days of the truck going on sale. Head over to Ward's to read the story of how Ram worked out the equation light-duty-pickup + diesel = success.

2022 Ram 1500 Review | Still great, but is it still best?

Things have gotten interesting. The 2022 Ram 1500 remains every bit the exceptional pickup it's been since being completely redesigned three years ago. From the humble Tradesman all the way up to the indulgent Limited (with the stupefying Ram TRX on its own high-octane plane of existence), the Ram is a thoughtfully designed truck with distinctive features and a compelling lineup of build combinations. It satisfies the nuts-and-bolts capability requirements of a serious truck, while boasting shockingly refined road manners and a knock-out interior. It's a winner. The wrinkle is that this winner's league just got a whole lot harder this season. Last year's updated Ford F-150 saw the addition of a hybrid powertrain Ram can't match, plus chassis refinements that wipe out much of the Ram's previous on-road advantages. For 2022, there's an all-new Toyota Tundra that counts a rear coil-spring suspension (just like the Ram) among its multitude of improvements, while the 2022 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra see their laughable interiors get replaced by what appear to be cabins that are every bit the equal (if possibly better) than the Ram in terms of design, quality and feature content. Apart from the Ford, we have yet to spend enough time with these updated competitors to make any definitive statements about which is now the best (OK, so it's probably not the Tundra), but the Ram definitely remains in the running. Interior & technology   |   Passenger & cargo space   |   Performance & fuel economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & features   |   Crash ratings & safety features What's new for 2022? The new Uconnect 5 tech interface is added to the Ram 1500, starting with the Big Horn trim level. It's four times faster and has three times more memory than Uconnect 4 (which was one of the better systems out there as-is). The Trailer Tow Group adds four LED lights directly above the hitch, and a new Clean Air system is now standard, filtering out 95% of air particulates. Then there's the annual Ram tradition of new models and appearance packages, most of which are pictured in the above gallery. The new Laramie G/T and Rebel G/T (pictured above left) are fully described here. The BackCountry, which builds upon the Big Horn/Lone Star, adds a body-color grille surround, black-accented two-tone paint and various black-painted exterior parts. On the other end of the trim level spectrum, the mighty TRX gains an Ignition variant.

Fiat Chrysler to pay $800M in Jeep, Ram emissions cheating case

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has agreed to a settlement worth about $800 million to resolve claims from the U.S. Justice Department and state of California that it used illegal software that produced false results on diesel-emissions tests, but still faces an ongoing criminal probe. The hefty penalty is the latest fallout from the U.S. government's stepped-up enforcement of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen AG admitted in September 2015 to intentionally evading emissions rules. The Fiat Chrysler settlement includes $311 million in total civil penalties to U.S. and California regulators, up to $280 million to resolve claims from diesel owners, and extended warranties worth $105 million. It covers 104,000 Fiat Chrysler 2014-16 Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee diesels, the Justice Department said. Regulators said Fiat Chrysler used "defeat devices" to cheat emissions tests in real-world driving. Fiat Chrysler said in a statement that "the settlements do not change the Company's position that it did not engage in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat emissions tests." The company did not admit liability. "You wouldn't pay $311 million total dollars to the federal government in civil penalties if there were not a serious problem," U.S. assistant attorney general Jeff Clark told a news conference. The settlement also includes $72.5 million for state civil penalties, and $33.5 million in payments to California to offset excess emissions and consumer claims. German auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH, which provided the emissions control software for the vehicles, also agreed to pay $27.5 million to resolve claims from diesel owners. Owners will receive an average of $2,800 to obtain software updates as part of the emissions recall, Fiat Chrysler said. Elizabeth Cabraser, a lawyer for the owners, said the "substantial cash compensation" will ensure that consumers get the recall fix. Bosch, which also provided diesel emissions software to Volkswagen, also agreed to pay $103.5 million to settle claims with 47 U.S. states that said the supplier "enabled" the cheating and should have known its customers would use the software improperly, the New York Attorney General's Office said.