2012 Ram 2500 Slt on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Germany threatens to ban FCA vehicles over diesel emissions dispute

Germany is threatening to ban sales of FCA products over diesel emissions. According to the newspaper Bild Am Sonntag, Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority found evidence of a so-called defeat device that shuts down certain emissions controls after running for 22 minutes. A standard diesel emissions test in the European Union reportedly takes 20 minutes to complete. FCA denies the allegations. "We believe all our vehicles respect EU emissions standards and we believe Italian regulators are the competent authority to evaluate this," the company said in a statement. The latter part of that statement drew ire from German authorities, especially after FCA declined to meet with German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt to discuss the issue. Graziano Delrio, the Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, vowed to work with German authorities on behalf of FCA. According to EU law, FCA is required to homologate its vehicles in Italy because that's where its regional operations are based. When will the diesel-scented soap opera end? We wish we knew, but our Magic 8 Ball is covered in soot. Related Video: News Source: Financial TimesImage Credit: Giuseppe Aresu/Bloomberg via Getty Government/Legal Green Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Emissions Diesel Vehicles FCA

2020 Ram HD trucks revealed in spy shots, along with interior

It looks like FCA isn't too concerned with keeping its redesigned Heavy Duty trucks under wraps before their reveals. Our spy photographers managed to catch a fleet of 2020 Ram HDs running around completely undisguised. Not only do we get to see exterior design details, but there are also shots of the HD's interior in Laramie trim. Shots of the new Power Wagon went up a few days ago, but now we get to see the truck in both Laramie Longhorn and Limited trims. It's clear the trucks are following in the footsteps of the 2019 Ram 1500 redesign for their inspiration — we like the new Ram, so that's a good thing. The departure from traditional Ram HD styling means the retirement of the crosshair grille. We can see this first in the brown Laramie Longhorn at the top here. Thankfully, Ram didn't go as far as GM did with its crazy grille design on the freshly released Silverado HD. That being said, it's still pretty large. It appears more upright and tough-looking than the similarly styled 1500 Laramie Longhorn, but still adopts the same design language. 2020 Ram 2500 Limited View 12 Photos The 2500 Limited doesn't exactly look finished, but it's clear we're looking at a more luxuriously appointed truck from the photos. There's more chrome, and the grille design is much more complex than the Laramie Longhorn. In fact, there might even be a bit too much chrome for our taste — tow hooks probably aren't in need of any shiny bling. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Tradesman View 8 Photos Finally, we also get to see the Tradesman trim of a Power Wagon. The red looks good on the big truck, but the trim we saw the other day had a much meaner front-end design. This one would be better for those who want a more discreet Power Wagon. Interior shots surfaced alongside these new trucks too. We wouldn't have imagined much difference between the 1500 and HD interiors, and that seems to be the case. The model we're looking at here has the 8.4-inch screen with Uconnect, but the massive 12-incher will undoubtedly be available too. We expect an "official" debut of this truck early next year, with the Detroit Auto Show being the most likely of places for that to happen. Related video:

Want a V8 on the cheap? Buy a work truck

In case you didn't notice, V8 cars have gotten pretty expensive. If you want a modern muscle car like the Dodge Challenger R/T, Ford Mustang GT, or Chevy Camaro SS, you'll need between $34,000 and $38,000 for a stripped out example of one. The cheapest of those is the Challenger, and the priciest is the Camaro. These are also the cheapest V8 cars the companies offer. But if you absolutely have to have a V8 for less, there is an option, work trucks. As it turns out, all of the Big Three offer their most basic work trucks with V8s. And because they're so basic, they're pretty affordable, especially when sticking with the standard two-wheel drive. A Ram 1500 Tradesman with a V8 can be had for as little as $29,840, which is a little more than $4,000 less than a Challenger R/T. For a bit more at $30,275, you can have a Chevy Silverado W/T, almost $8,000 less than a Camaro SS. The most expensive is the V8 Ford F-150 starts at a starting price of $30,670, which is a bit over $5,000 less than the Mustang. Of course you'll be in an ultra bare bones vehicle with few comforts, and the price will go up if you add stuff, but we're bargain hunting here, and sacrifices are sometimes necessary. Besides, what you lose in comfort, you gain in loads of cargo space and towing (try to look at the bright side). Also, as a side note, all three trucks are available with optional electronic locking rear differentials. At the discounted price of these trucks, you still get a heaping helping of power. The most potent of the trio is the Ram 1500 Tradesman with 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque generated by a 5.7-liter V8. Compared with the Challenger R/T, the Ram is up by 20 horsepower and they're tied for torque. The value proposition is even more stark between the two vehicles when looking at the price per horsepower. Each pony in the Ram costs $75.54, while the Challenger charges you $90.91. The Challenger is also more expensive per horsepower than its close competitors. The F-150's 5.0-liter V8 is just barely behind the Ram with 395 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. That's still more power than the Challenger, and it matches the torque of the 2017 Mustang GT. On the down side, it still would be down 20 horsepower on that same 2017 Mustang, and it's behind by 60 horsepower and 20 pound-feet on the new 2018 Mustang GT. The F-150 also just edges out the Mustang in the dollar per horsepower measure.