Purists may bristle at the idea, but today’s truck customers are looking for technology and creature comforts in addition to hauling capability. This is even true in the workhorse heavy duty segment. Ram has taken note and delivered a thoroughly luxurious HD for the 2019 model year. Check out the video for eight reasons why the Ram Heavy Duty is well suited for modern truck buyers.
Peek inside the cabin, and you may be surprised to see it is as posh as the interior of the Ram 1500 that won the 2019 MotorTrend Truck of the Year award. Different trims boast special design details, including unique stitching and real wood accents. On Laramie and Longhorn trucks, you’ll find 100 percent leather seats. Being a pickup, function is key, and you could argue the cabin is more skillfully laid out than those of rivals. You can store a laptop in the multiconfigurable center console, and a [...]
For the past 53 years, Jeep enthusiasts have made a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah, not merely to take in the majesty of its monumental red-rock scenery but to drive up it, over it, and on it. What started as a one-day trail drive in 1967 with a handful of local Jeep owners has grown into a nine-day event with thousands of participants from all over the country. For the past dozen or so years, Jeep, as a brand, has been leveraging the Safari by unveiling concept vehicles to the throngs to gauge interest, prove their commitment to the niche endeavor, and gather trail cred in the process.
Jeep concepts aren’t merely fragile show queens. They’re a legitimate “trail-rated” show of force. And because the 2020 Gladiator made its debut this year, all the concepts this year were truck-based. Three were built from available-at-launch Mopar/Jeep Performance parts, and three are outrageous concepts with a good amount [...]
General Motors will have a complete line of electric vehicles and that includes pickup trucks, CEO Mary Barra confirmed today.
GM will not cede leadership in trucks or electric vehicles, Barra told investors on a call to discuss first-quarter earnings.
Barra said further details on the development of its electric trucks will come later, but she wanted to clear the air and assert GM’s standing as a leader in these segments. The comments come as Ford has said it is working on an electric pickup of its own and has invested $500 million in electric vehicle startup Rivian. Ford will use Rivian’s “skateboard” platform to make an undisclosed vehicle. Rivian has shown an electric pickup and an electric SUV to the public so far. Prior to the Ford announcement, GM was in talks with Rivian, but they broke off. Tesla also is working on an electric pickup.
Rivian electric pickup Large [...]
Getting 400 miles out of one tank of gas or diesel is not a big deal; most hybrids can easily get into the 500-mile range and diesel SUVs with 20- to 30-gallon tanks can hit 600-700 miles between fill-ups. But for electric vehicles, the 400-mile range frontier is a big deal.
Tesla has long been the production EV range champ, with a dual-motor Tesla Model S, equipped with a 100-kW-hr battery, capable of driving 335 miles on a single charge. Last week, Tesla released an updated version of the Model S that promises 370 miles of range. But is that really the limit?
We had the exclusive opportunity to drive this updated Tesla Model S from the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, to the company’s design center in Hawthorne, California—a trip that normally requires a stop at a charging station somewhere in between. Yet, after 359 miles of nonstop driving, our intrepid team pulled into [...]
We have enjoyed getting to know our long-term Volvo XC60 over the past several months. Most things we like—including the powertrain and the overall design—and some things we don’t, namely the slow response of the infotainment system. Regardless, you can always count on the XC60 to be quirky and a little unexpected.
Read on to learn seven ways that the XC60 is just a bit different than many other small luxury crossovers.
It Offers a Powerful Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain
Our long-term XC60 features a 2.0-liter turbo-four making 250 hp. Volvo also offers a four-cylinder that makes 316 hp. But something you may not expect on the XC60 is a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pumps out 400 hp. We’ve tested this version hitting 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, which puts it on par with the Honda Civic Type R. Perhaps of greater significance, the model can travel 17 miles [...]
