Dodge Pickup Trucks

The SEMA Show plays host to hundreds of vehicles from automakers and aftermarket companies from all across the globe. One of the most consistent groups to take part at the show is Stellantis with Mopar. Most of its brands – especially Jeep – always turn heads with some fantastic concepts. This year was no exception as the auto group brought seven different concepts from Jeep, Ram, and Dodge to the recently concluded event at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

What has the world come to? Just a decade ago, you wouldn’t think much of pick-up trucks in terms of straight-line acceleration. Sure, we’ve had things like the Ford Lightning or the GMC Syclone, but nowadays, you can buy a pick-up truck with well-over 600 and even 700 horsepower out the box. On today’s drag racing video from Sam CarLegion, we have a RAM 1500 TRX going up against a Ford F-150 Roush. The goal is simple – to find out who’s quicker at the quarter-mile.

The Drag Racing and Car Stuff YouTube Channel put out a video of a 2021 Dodge Ram TRX taking on a fellow Mopar beast, the Dodge Challenger, an E 90 BMW 3 Series, and what looks like a highly tuned 90’s Chevy 1500 Pick-Up Truck.

We talk about how the upcoming electric pickup trucks are fast and heavy on performance. Trucks like the Tesla Cybertruck, the Rivian R1T, the GMC Hummer EV, etc. are all quicker than some of the famous supercars of this era. Although internal combustion-engined trucks aren’t known to be ‘fast’, there are a handful of them that could are quite agile. Doug DeMuro decided to list 10 such cool fast trucks, and we agree with every entry on this list.

The 2021 Dodge Durango was launched a few days back and has been welcomed warmly by enthusiasts all around the globe. Dodge has set a cat among the pigeons in form of the 710-horsepower Hellcat engine under the hood of the 2021 Durango. This is certainly bound to reinvigorate the powerful SUV segment. However, it looks like the SUV could do well in another segmentl, thanks to a rendering by X-Tomi Design. X-Tomi has rendered the 2021 Dodge Durango as a pickup truck and we have fallen in love with it. With the Ranger Raptor enjoying some sort of a monopoly on the market, the Durango as a compact, powerful truck could rival it for supremacy. Who are you betting on?

Unveiled in 1967, the Dodge Deora is one of the craziest concept cars of the 1960s. Based on the Dodge A100 pickup, the Deora was built by brothers Mike and Larry Alexander and showcased at the 1967 Detroit Autorama, where it won no fewer than nine awards. Chrysler liked the design so much that it leased the truck for two years to display alongside its factory concept cars. The Deora inspired a Hot Wheels model car and resurfaced in the early 2000s when it was restored. The Deora was auctioned off for $324,500 in 2009. More than ten years later, the Deora was reimagined as a modern concept car.

Ram is the only major truck maker that doesn’t have a presence in the overcrowded midsize pickup truck market. However, it looks like that’s set to change. FCA had previously announced that it will come up with a compact truck in 2022.

People have connected the dots with the latest Dakota trademark filing and presumed that the truck will be given the moniker. However, the trademark doesn’t even specify that. While both these things are true - the arrival of a new compact pickup truck in the future and FCA filing a trademark for Dakota – they may not be connected to each other at all.

Thanks to shows like SEMA, aftermarket companies are able to exercise their creative sides in bringing out the funkiest concepts which, otherwise, wouldn’t have garnered a lot of attention. And, when the products are from brands like Mopar, you know that you’re in for a treat. Mopar will be bringing two concept trucks to the SEMA – a Dodge D200-series ‘Lowliner’ pickup truck and a 1500 Rebel-based concept. We’ll be talking about the former one here, and to say the least, Dodge sure had fun reimagining this truck from the 1960s.

Ram had to keep up with Ford and Chevy, so the time came to give the Ram 1500 a very serious update. And, a serious update is exactly what it got. And, when we say full update, we mean it is all-new with a new frame, new grille, and a completely revised interior, among other things. The fifth-gen model brings together every major selling point the truck has ever had in the best way yet it’s lighter than ever. Even the EcoDiesel V-6 got an update to deliver more power and torque while the truck can even be had with a deployable front air dam and a mild-hybrid drive system. We could talk about the new Ram 1500 all day long, but that’s not why we’re here (you can read our full review for that.) instead, we’re here because we love the look of the new 1500 and decided to make it our wallpaper of the day. Check out our hand-picked favorite or choose from a full gallery of awesome shots.

Pickups are an ever-present, widely accepted member of the American landscape. But it didn’t use to be that way. Even in the 1980s, pickups were considered tools, not family transportation. So what happened? The 1994 Dodge Ram. No, that’s no marketing baloney or brand loyalty soaking through my journalistic integrity. Dodge’s second-generation of Ram pickups is largely credited as the catalyst that transformed the American pickup from a utilitarian workhorse to a friendly companion that wasn’t out-of-place in the mall parking lot. Both Ford and General Motors soon followed Dodge’s lead in making pickups focused more on people than cargo and low costs. The most current culmination of this transformation is Ford’s new Platinum trim for the 2018 Super Duty. Dolled up with all the options, this truck flirts with a $100,000 price tag.

Most than two decades ago, Dodge designers decided to add more creature comforts and convenience features to its pickup. The interesting backstory, as told in this video, is that a designer at Chrysler’s brand new headquarters and technology center went to an area of the complex still under construction to take photos of the construction works’ pickups. The design team studied the photos (Polaroids, no less) to see how loose items were stored inside the cabs. The research resulted in innovative storage solutions considered commonplace in modern trucks. Ram was also the first to offer a four-door extended cab, offering easier entry to the rear bench. Before that, Ford and GM were only using one door on extended cabs.

Ram also introduced the first V-10 engine in a pickup with its new 1994 Ram heavy duty. The venerable Cummins inline-six turbodiesel carried over from the first-generation Ram HD. There was also a trio of engines for the Ram 1500, including the 3.9-liter V-6, the 5.2-liter V-8, and the 5.9-liter V-8. Both the V-8s had a long history with Chrysler, with older version being better known by their cubic-inch displacement of 318 and 360, respectively. Power ranged from 175 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque in the V-6 up to 230 horses and 330 pound-feet in the 5.9-liter. The big 8.0-liter V-10 offered an impressive 300 horses and a diesel-like 450 pound-feet of torque. In fact, the gasoline V-10 put down 30 pound-feet more torque than the 5.9-liter Cummins turbodiesel.

Pickups have come a long way since the early 1990s, and it’s easy to pinpoint where their transition started. The Ram’s “big-rig” styling separated it from everything on the road and continues to directly influence Ram’s design language nearly 25 years later. There’s certainly a lot to be said for that.

Continue reading for more videos of the second-generation Dodge Ram.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investing nearly a million Ram pickup trucks and Dodge Durango crossovers over complaints registered against the rotary dial transmission shifter. The complaints allege vehicles roll away after being parked and point to the rotary electronic shifter as the culprit.

The news comes from Automotive News, which says FCA is cooperating with the NHTSA over the concerns. The NHTSA says it has reports of 25 crashes and nine injuries from owners claiming their vehicles rolled away after being parked. No deaths have been reported in relation to the rotary shifter issue. That is in contrast to FCA’s previous electronic shifter issues. Most notably, “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin was killed when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his steep driveway, pinning the 27-year-old against a brick pillar of his security fence in June of 2016.

Unlike the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300, the Ram trucks and Dodge Durango in question uses the rotary dial rather than the joystick-like gear shifter. However, this now puts both versions of FCA’s electronic shifter into question.

The NHTSA is specifically investigating the 2013 through 2016 Ram 1500 pickup and 2014 through 2016 Dodge Durango. Both vehicles are equipped with the ZF-scoured, eight-speed automatic transmission that requires an electronic shifting mechanism. The rotary shift knob was designed by FCA.

Jaguar Land Rover also uses the same transmission with a similar rotary knob. The NHTSA is including roughly 39,000 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar XF vehicles within its investigation after seven reports of rollaway crashes. Four injuries were associated with the reports. The affected model years include the 2012 through 2014 JLR products.

FCA is urging owners of these vehicles to set the parking brake before exiting the vehicle. We’ll bring you more information as we have it.

Continue reading for more information.

Apparently there’s a lot of Ram Truck fans in Europe. On November 5, 2016, a parade of more than 1,000 Ram pickups drove along the Nürburgring in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record. A Facebook Live video captured more than 45 minutes of passing Rams of various years, many of which dressed up with modifications like LED lights, bumpers, and roll bars.

According to the club that sanctioned the event, Ram World Record, there were 1,152 Ram trucks that participated in the parade. RWR set out to beat Ram’s previous record of 451 trucks set back in April 2015 in Texas.

The parade’s

breaking numbers seems to be contested, though, as Guinness World Records has not updated its website with the event. What’s more, it seems odd that Ram was only able to muster 451 trucks for its record-breaking parade in Texas – Texas. That’s the same state where you’d be able to find at least that many Ram trucks parked at an airport parking garage. Perhaps these European Ram owners are a bit more engaged into the brand.

We reached out to Ram for official word, but until we hear back, take a look at this video. It was shot by Dale Lomas from Bridge To Gantry, a site dedicated to all things Nürburgring. Though he was only a spectator, his video shows (in unofficial detail) the vast number of Ram trucks slowly making their way down the rain-soaked ‘Ring.

Continue reading to watch the video

By now you’ve probably read how the 2017 Ford Super Duty was crowned the Truck of Texas and that the 2017 Nissan Armada won the SUV of Texas. But the Super Duty and Armada were far from the only winners at this year’s Truck Rodeo put on by the Texas Auto Writers Association.

More than 70 journalists and social media influencers descended upon the 1,623-acre Longhorn River Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas to test approximately 71 pickup trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and commercial vehicles in TAWA’s annual event.

A total of 17 categories grouped the vehicles with their competition, ranging from compact crossovers and full-size SUVs to Off-Road pickups. Other categories included best connectivity, best technology, and best powertrain.

Keep reading for the full results.

Continue reading for more information.

It was in 1939 that Dodge debuted a new design for its pickup truck. A marketing campaign accompanied the truck called “Job Rated,” which helped owners choose the right Dodge pickup for the job. Several versions were offered, including half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton versions, with different engine and wheelbase choices intermingled within.

Things were going well for Dodge when World War II broke out. Like nearly every other private business in 1942, Dodge began making wartime equipment. In its case, the Power Wagon was its shining star. However, Dodge promptly restarted production of civilian trucks a mere two hours after the last military truck rolled off the line in 1945.

It was in 1946 that Dodge built this particular pickup – a half-ton class with an inline six-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission, all coated in dark blue with chrome bumpers. It also comes fitted with the Deluxe cab package, which brought more comfortable seats, a driver side armrest and sun visor, dual electric windshield wipers, and chrome trim around the windshield.

The post-war pickups did receive minor updates thanks to enhancements made in wartime production. The chassis and clutch houses were made stronger, and a higher capacity radiator was introduced. All this made the Job Rated Dodge pickup a hardy competitor to other domestic pickups in the post-war boom.

The example seen here recently went under the gavel at the 2016 Mecum car auction at Monterey. It sold for an undisclosed amount, but Mecum’s pre-auction estimate put the price between $50,000 and $60,000.

Continue reading for the full review.