| RAM TRUCKS NEWS |
2011 RAM 1500 Quad Cab Hemi Judged Best Pickup for $30,000
The best pickup truck for $30,000 is the Ram 2011 1500 Quad Cab Hemi according to a recent comparison test against Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan and Toyota pickups. Let the debates begin among the fan class for each truck.
By Ken Griffin @ TorqueNews.com
After all, by sheer numbers the Ford F-150 continues to be the top selling vehicle – not just pickup – in the United States. Fans of the Chevrolet Silverado are also legion and jumping up and down in the background desperate for attention would be fans of the Toyota Tacoma. But now fans of the Ram 1500 Quad Cab Hemi have the bragging rights thanks to the win at PickupTrucks.com first value comparison event.
Well, OK, maybe there's no dedicated fan base for the Nissan. Quick can you even name the Nissan pickup? We had to look it up. It's called the Nissan Titan.
Five trucks were tested by PickupTrucks.com to select the Best Pickup for thirty thousand dollars: 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 Extended Cab; 2011 Ford F-150 Regular Cab; 2011 Nissan Titan King Cab; 2011 Ram 1500 Quad Cab; 2011 Toyota Tundra Double Cab.
Pickups are hugely important vehicle to Ford and pickups in general are showing strength as TorqueNews.com managing editor Patrick Rall reported in his article Ford Reports Truck Sales Continue To Grow: "Ford, Ram, GMC and Chevrolet have all been having strong years in terms of pickup truck sales and with the trucks currently accounting for 13% of new vehicles sold in the US this month; this is the strongest month in relation to the rest of the industry for pickups since December 2010."
"This test is an overwhelmingly strong third-party validation of Ram Truck's Value for the money and proof positive that we are meeting the needs and expectations of our truck customers," said Fred Diaz, Ram Truck Brand president and CEO – Chrysler Group LLC, in an announcement. "The Ram 1500 Quad Cab is one of our most popular models. Ram Quad Cab gives you four full doors and seating for up to six adults. Equipped with the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, the Ram 1500 balances 20 mpg fuel economy with the performance and capability of 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque. Ride comfort is also exceptional, thanks to a Ram 1500's segment-exclusive coil spring rear suspension."
Click here to read more @TorqueNews.com
| RAM TRUCKS NEWS |
2012 RAM Trucks Get New 6-Speed Transmissions
By Mike Levine@PickUpTrucks.com
The Ram truck brand is increasing the number of gears available for its 2012 light- and heavy-duty pickups with the introduction of two six-speed transmissions.
Light-Duty Ram Transmission Changes
The 2012 Ram 1500 half-ton sees the previously offered 545RFE five-speed automatic gearbox recalibrated and upgraded to take full advantage of the split 2nd gear, so all six speeds are available to the driver in a newly available "Electronic Range Select" mode.
The 545RFE transmission was unique. Even though it was identified as a five-speed transmission, 2nd gear was split into two cogs, depending on whether you were upshifting or downshifting. On the way up, it was 1.67, but there was a 1.50 "kickdown" ratio on the 3-2 downshift to smooth out what would otherwise be a large gap between the gears. Fourth and 5th gears were overdrives for improved highway performance and fuel economy.
Electronic Range Select mode lets the driver manually limit the highest available transmission gear, allowing manual upshifts and downshifts based on road speed and engine speed. It's especially useful for towing through hill country when the climbs and descents are closely spaced together.
The recalibrated 545RFE in the Ram 1500 is now called the 65RFE automatic six-speed.
In full auto-shift mode, the 65RFE behaves the same as the old 545RFE, keeping the split 2nd gear and kickdown behavior. Also added is a new torque converter that's expected to marginally improve fuel economy, but not enough to boost EPA mileage ratings.
The 65RFE is standard with the 4.7-liter V-8 and 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 gas engines.
Click here to read the full article @PickUptrucks.com
| RAM TRUCKS NEWS |
2012 RAM Trucks Get New 6-Speed Transmissions
From Allpar.com
For 2011, the Ram Chassis Cabs gained new styling and interiors. A new full sized crew cab was launched; polished aluninum wheels were optional on all models; and upfit capability remained the same.
The Ram 3500 gained a 2011-model-year best-in-class 26,000 pound GCWR and 13,000 pound GVWR. Ram 3500 was the only chassis cab with a gasoline-engine option; all can have the proven Cummins diesel engine. The gas engine is the most powerful in its class, while the diesel uses an NOx Adsorber Catalyst that provides 2010 emissions compliance without a urea/DEF injection system. (There are rumors that, in pursuit of higher gas mileage, Dodge might adopt urea/DEF though they do not legally need to).
Thanks partly to a new six-speed transmission,
chassis cab gas mileage has been best in Class 4 and Class 5 — 14%
better than Ford F-550 and 23% better than GMC C5500. Still, the 2011 Dodge
Ram will have the largest standard fuel tank (52 gallons).
Click here to read more @ Allpar.com