Congratulation to the Best Truck on the market, RAM.

Jw anyone know when Ram is going too release towing numbers on HD trucks..?

Good job Ram. You won when you have only one other competitor to compete against in this test. Not much to brag about.

God Job Ram! Mark you state:"we expect there to be strong competition from both GM and Ford with their new versions in the coming months." I did not know that Ford was coming out with a new truck this year? Went back thru the files here and do not see anything mentioned..besides a new grille.

The Tacoma has been beaten off-road by a full-size F-150 and now Ram. Keep those mid-size tank Tacos on the road where they belong!

wait, so let me get this straight. the Tacoma came in second place in the Off-Road shootout behind the Raptor, while alos beating the crap out of the Power Wagon, but this stickered up piece of junk Ram Outdoorsman beat it off-road????? riiiiiiight. I'm sure.lol Dodge is such junk, but to go and lie about it's capabilities, that's going a bit overboard. yeah they've come a long way, whoop-t-do for them, but if you're Power Wagon got whipped off-road, then your raggedy Outdoorsman isn't going to suddenly beat the truck that beat your $60,000 truck. see what I'm getting at Dodge?

I am an avid car enthusiast so I do look at all of the auto sites every day (sorry PUTC we aren't in an exclusive relationship) and Allpar is stating that the 8 speeds current used are from ZF (duh!) but when Chrysler takes over full production they will be making tweaks to that tranny. It sounds like different clutch plates will go in for fast lock-up. the 9 speeds slated for transverse mounting will also get some changes and possibly increase ratio range.

My question that I hope Mark investigates is will the 845RE transmission as built by Chrysler have improved performance over the ZF unit? (ie larger ratio spread from 7:1 to maybe 8:1? or increase mpgs?).

I know that it is uncommon to have yet another tweak for the second year of production but it might allow Ram to edge out GM when they introduce their 8-speeds.

Personally I am glad that the HP wars seem to be largely overwith and the new war is over mpg's.

I'd like to see them take these trucks down the Rubicon trail and see which one comes out the winner, I bet it isn't the Ram and I'm a Ram fan.

The Ram did not beat the Tacoma off-road!

Remember these fools from the magazine rate BS stuff like heated leather seats and cushy rides into their findings, hardly the stuff off-roaders care about!

The Tacoma is a more nimble package than the heavy Ram with its lack of proper off-road angles, do the math...

In this day and age, heated leather seats will always win truck competitions because the city slickers idea of off-roading is the construction zone!

Not many Dodge's in the Dakar rally this year explains how the world does not trust these tanks for off-roading unlike the huge number of Toyota's competing including a fleet of Tacoma's and Tundra's at this years event at Dakar!

Keep your cushy rides and leather seats and leave the real stuff to more capable pickups!

Funny they only show pics of the Ram plowing its lack of ground clearance through some mild silt and not any pics like the Tacoma above!

They probably took the Ram around those harder obstacles for fear of breaking their plastic bumpers with its lack of approach angles, break-over angles and gave the Ram the nod for its cushy ride and heated leather seats, etc...

The Dakar Rally would be a good off-road test but hey only 1 Dodge Ram showed up this year against a fleet of Tundra's that will destroy the lonely Ram!

Go Toyota!

good job dodge....sorry ford only some magazine believe your the best but a new dash and engine dont reflect the reality of a good pickup ..

Good job Ram. I'd take both these trucks Ram for work, and the taco for a beater around town to get pick up parts.

What this magazine and others like to call "all around" is not all around off-road but all around like grocery store, going to church and that cushy ride always sway's the voters...

Now if it was "all around" off-roading the Tacoma would win hands down! Better off-road angles and utility off-road and a proven system over the years with better ground clearance!

Go Toyota!

Further proof that GM and Ford trucks are substandard!!!

GUTS
GLORY
WINNING OVER CONSUMERS AND THE MEDIA
EST TRUCKS ON THE MARKET
RAM

@OXI omg did air ride just beat your leaf spring Tacoma.
Does this mean your taking off that massive stack of leaf springs and installing air bags?
The golden taco just got beat in a off road competition.
I think you might want to move up to a Land Rover.

Oxi is a moron. He obviously has no clue. Own all the brands, then comment. I have, and Ram is hands down the best.

Read the full review. Ram scored higher not only on interior but also higher than the Tacoma on the trails. The Taco was obnoxious off-road.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_1303_2013_pickup_truck_of_the_year/viewall.html

*However, the Ram had a warning light go on for suspension overheating. I knew this suspenion with the air bags and coil springs was questionable.

On Ram:
"Speaking of the desert, this is one spot that proved to be too much for the trucks air suspension. It often felt too soft and some judges even experienced a suspension overheating warning light."

On Tacoma:
"The interior noises were extremely obnoxious off-road. The faster you went, the more the inside sounded as though it was shaking loose around you. The slower you go however, the harsher the suspension felt. For a truck with such extreme looks and off-road attributes we just expected more...The two biggest performance complaints was the very invasive traction control system and slow to actuate four-wheel drive engagement."

Suspenion overheating? LOL! Ram suspenions are garbage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

Man, that new Fiat is unimpressive:

-expen$ive

-terrible approach/departure angles despite adjustable suspension (that overheats)

-worse payload than a Tacoma!?

-weak towing--even for a 1/2 ton

-slow--even slower than a Tacoma!?

What exactly does this truck do well?

"The two biggest performance complaints was the very invasive traction control system and slow to actuate four-wheel drive engagement."

hey genius, turn off the traction control! what a moron tester. I bet they never even engaged the diff lock, a-trac, or used the hill descent control that comes on the Tacoma. they're too busy worrying about cushy rides and fancy interiors. what a bunch of pansies! how hard is it to put the truck in neutral and turn a knob to engage 4wd? it's the exact set-up that many other trucks use. you turn the knob to the right to engage 4hi, you push and turn to engage 4lo. simple as that! Sorry those Billstein shocks were too "rough" for you sissies.lol you guys deserve a cupcake truck like the Ram with it's overheating carlike suspension. I'll keep my rugged Tacoma that drives like a TRUCK.

Looks like mine!

A couple things: this is now available with 265/70 17s. Atleast mine had the 275/70 17s that have a few plys more. Wish they would just put Destination A/Ts on it. For this truck, I would think they would have put on the 275s, or even 285s as an option. For the use I do, the 265 size is good, but the ply can be better. Since they sell allot of 20" wheels, why not an offroad 20 inch wheel, because the current 20" tire is mostly street. Leave the smaller tires for those that don't spend as much time offroad/or care more about mileage. It would have done better on their ramp test with the bigger tire. Why not? Toyota sells the Rock Crusher or whatever they call it, with good offroad tires. Oh well, no flat tires on mine yet in atleast 39,000 miles.

They tested a 3.55 geared truck, not a 3.92. like mine. Back when they were TRX4s, the only gear was a 3.92. Recently they changed that, 2012? But, they said it could use more power, well duh, you tested the 3.55 geared one!

It was a 6 speed truck, not an eight speed, and if it were an 8 speed, it would have had alot more starting ratio (I had better watch, Big Al from Oz and his buddy George will not like me talking gears!) Even a 3.21 geared 8 speed has a better starting ratio then a 3.92 6 speed, let alone this 3.55 6 speed.

The heavier truck out stopped the toy, oops, lighter truck.

Everbody will bitch that I am a Ram fanboy, but I will atleast say what they noticed the air system hot light came on. If you buy this to go PLAYING offroad ALL DAY, this might be not the deal for you. But if you NEED to go offroad to do actually get somewhere, it'll be fine. the people that want trucks just to play alot of times just build their own, or buy a Raptor or the Tacoma.

Now for the resident Tacoma owners:

@Oxi: Plastic bumpers? I don't believe so, but say whay you want, the bumpers on your Tacoma don't appear that tough. Well, A STOCK ONE. you had to change yours, it was too wimpy and didn't give you all the angles you wanted. I bet if a Tacoma and a Ram both ran head on into the same thing, that Tacoma would be worse off! What do they do, stick a 3x3 strip of aluminum behind a Tacoma bumper still? I will remember that when they get old enough to scrap, so I can get $$ from recylcling it!

I don't believe leather or heated seats are an option for an Outdoorsman. Maybe that's starting on the Sport models. More stuff Tacoma doesn't offer though. I don't know, I never priced or built such truck.

@Robert: Stickered up? If you read and look at it, you would see the Tacoma is FAR more stickered up then this Ram, it has this big huge Raptor wanna be sticker on the bed. The judges even commented it didn't have that many stickers on it. Is your butt hurt? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You call an Outdoorsman "raggedy" Well, they kinda thought the Tacoma wasn't as well built, well, if YOU ACTUALLY READ the story. They said the Tacoma made it's share of noises, wasn't very refined, had an old interior....

Comparing a 2500 Power Wagon to an F-150 play only truck, and two midsizers that can't hardly move anything heavy, or fit anybody/anything big in them is an apples to oranges comparison.

Can't wait for the new IIHS safety test to see if the Tacoma and Tundra fail it (a poor rating) like the new for 2012 Camry did, while a Dodge model designed for 2008 got an acceptable.

Maybe your dealer will cut you some slack on the stickers the new Tacoma has.

Apparently you can't just turn off or delete the nanny crap on the Tacoma.

"The two biggest performance complaints was the very invasive traction control system and slow to actuate four-wheel drive engagement. If you want to let loose with the Tacoma in the sand or hold it sideways over the dirt, 4-Lo was the only way to defeat the electronic nannies and let you have fun. You could trick it into letting you have a good time in 2WD, but you won't be able to lock up the rear axle, and once you got too loose it would shut you down. For most of our testing 4-Hi wasn't the place to be. We don't like comparing this truck to the Ford Raptor, because the two are worlds different, but if it had the same electronic nanny delete feature that the Raptor does, it would be an absolute animal off-road. For a truck with such extreme looks and off-road attributes we just expected more."

Read more: http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_1303_2013_pickup_truck_of_the_year/viewall.html#ixzz2HK6dQh6u

I knew it!!

I was almost gonna say that the Fiat did out stop the Tacoma by a whopping foot--but I KNEW that TRX4 Tom would start beating that drum.

So yes--it outstopped the Tacoma by one foot. And is more expensive, slower, hauls less, etc.

It looks like the main thing that killed the Tacoma was a dated interior that rattled and squeeked offroad. The electronic nannies also seemed to kill much of the Tacoma's offroad prowess. Oddly enough they rated the Ram 1500 higher for trail performance.
Here is an interesting quote from 4 Wheeler,"PTOTY isn't a tow-off or an off-road drag race, but rather a weeklong on- and off-road adventure that places the pickups in a variety of scenarios."
When one looks at the comments from their editors most of them said that they did not want a toy but a truck for utility purposes ie. tow/haul.
Isn't that a blatant contradiction?
The other oddity that was pointed out rather less eloquently by Robert was that fact that in the PUTC Offroad test, the Taco Baja came in 2nd behind the Raptor but ahead of the PowerWagon which is much more effective as a tow/haul offroad tool than the Ram 1500.

I did find it intersting that during testing the 4 Wheeler crew got a overheat warning light on the suspension of the Ram. "Speaking of the desert, this is one spot that proved to be too much for the trucks air suspension. It often felt too soft and some judges even experienced a suspension overheating warning light."

That will be an area to watch as Ram rolls out these air ride trucks.

They also commented that the Ram 1500 5.7/6 speed seemed to be lacking down low torque.
"The excitement of a rumbling V-8 under the hood of a 1/2-ton is apart of what gives this genre of truck its appeal The Ram's 5.7L is a strong engine, but after a week of testing, , some of the judges felt as thought it lacked lo-end grunt. When you wanted power, it was there, but you had to seriously engage the pedal to get things moving."

This 4 Wheeler magazine test raises more questions than it answers!

Payload is pretty appalling on the Ram Outdoorsman.

Payload

Ram
1,270

Tacoma Baja
1,425

Again, the idiot didn't know how to turn off the traction control. it's very easy to do. the diff will NOT unlock unless you push the button after having it locked. I own one, I know exactly how they operate off-road. I know for FACT that you can disable the TC by the push of a button and you can lock the diff and it STAYS locked. if you want to drive a nannied up truck, try a GM sometime. my God what a lawyer truck my 2011 Z71 was. hopefully the new ones will have eased back on that crap. @Tom, that is the TRX Baja edition. basically the SAME truck as my TRDOR except they have aftermarket wheels and tires, upgraded exhaust, and yeah you get some cheesy sticker. you can save $$$ by just buying a TRDOR and have basically the same truck. I find it hard to believe that the BFG AT's would get out performed by the tires on the Ram.

@Dav: if you read the story, it is a 3.55 geared truck, which I don't know why they tested that. 3.92 are available. That would change your "slower then a Tacoma" complaint, and the towing issue. Matter of fact, with 3.21s and 8 speed it would walk a Taco, and then beat it in mileage. And comfort.

Atleast the air ride can hold it level with a load. Most folks put a washer into a Tacoma and they think it's maxed out! Toyota builds their Taco leaves completely flat. Like a Nissan. Probably come from the same place.

If anybody big rides in the back of a Taco, have fun being squished up! Just as much or more interior space in a Ram quad as the Toyota "Crew" (crew of 12 year olds, cause they like the stickers.)

I better check the amout of used Tacos piling up at the dealership, must be up to 10, or 12 maybe?

Does a Tacoma even come with a 7 pin plug?

The bottom line here is that Chevrolet has ZERO, ZIP, NADA to compete with either the Ford, Toyota or Dodge when it comes to going off the concrete. What heppened to Chevy? Oh ya, 1988 happened.

What heppened to Chevy? Oh ya, 1988 happened.

@Rod, I have a fully restored 84 Chevy that would destroy both the Dodge and Toyota up top off road. No, Chevy doesn't build them for dirt anymore. No SFA's, low slung frame's, short wheel travel etc.. I hope whoever made the decision to neuter Chevy trucks got canned with old GM. Idiot..

Robert, You are wrong., You can turn TC off but if you go above 30 mph and it can kick in again. It never goees off completely, it lurks and will instantly come back on if you get crazy off-road like in these tests.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/232951-how-does-traction-control-button-work.html

As for the dated interior in the Tacoma, they just upgraded it in 2012. what do these goons want? people that buy Tacoma's are not looking to haul a 10,000 boat, don't need a whole lot of room that you get in a full-size truck, and aren't interested in heated steering wheels and seats that massage your butt while you drive. they want a simple, reliable, capable truck. that's what sells the Tacoma. to sit here and beat your chest about how much more a 1/2 ton can haul compared to a mid-size truck is foolish. if I wanted a 1/2 truck I would have bought one. I've owned three 1/2 tons though and didn't want another.

Every time a Ram truck wins an award it seems to bring out the morons. You don't like Ram? Then don't buy one. You don't like that they keep getting awards? Start your own publication, create an award then give it to who ever you want. Good lord, the hurt feelings over something as unimportant as this award are truely unbeleivable. Why do you all care so much? Buy what you like. I'm a Ram guy and this award, just like all the others this truck has won, is meaningless. I determine the truck I need by my needs and wants (and income). Not how many awards it has won.

@oxi Still busy being a hypocrite I see. Do you have to work at it or does it just come naturally? Why is it when the Tacoma wins an award for highest resale value its improtant, but when the Tacoma is beaten by another vehicle for an award that makes the award null and void?

Congrats to Dodge for aspiring to be more like Ford -- It's a good formula for success...

@ TRX4 TOM

Speak of the devil, my Thunder Road recently got hit by a Camry and the Camry crumpled. My Dodge was a good truck and if the insurance totals it out (if cost exceeds 75% of value), I will be getting another Dodge with a Hemi, just haven't decided what kind yet.

Congrats to Dodge for aspiring to be more like Ford -- It's a good formula for success...

- This.

"Remember these fools from the magazine rate BS stuff like..."

So I guess we can disqualify the Taco from its win in 2001, 1998 and 1996 because their ratings are BS.

Ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Wheeler_(magazine)

Toyota needs to greatly increase the build quality of their obnoxious mid-size tanks.

Guys (any gals? I don't know what I was thinking. This is the little ACCESS CAB! You can only fit 5 year olds in the back!

I can picture Oxi and his wife, with a 5 year old buckled in in the back of this access cab: "Son, (he points) when the fit hits the shan, here is were I want you to meet me when all hell breaks loose. There is a cache right there. You understandme?" "yes father, now can I PLEASE eat the rest of my MRE?"

Seriously, nobody can sit in the back. No wonder it has such payload numbers! It's a very expensive 2 seater you have there! 35K for that?

It's sorta funny, they compare a tiny truck to a crew cab. Atleast a quad cab with 3.92s woulda been a alot closer of a comparison. Can this model even be bought in a Toyota "crew of 12 year olds?"

As for the braking, somebody will be along real soon to say "braking is whatever % dependant on tires". Lol, the Taco has about the same size tires as this Ram, and I know there is alot of tread squirm on these Good Years. 5500 of truck vs 4100, and it stops better!

Hey, can somebody get a 6 speed auto with the Taco? Likewise, wish Ram would make a 7 speed manual available, as I know how to either put down the phone,or use bluetooth, so I can shift.

Toyota suspensions are so crappy!

Actually in the 2008 half ton shootout, they said the Tundra was pretty stiff, almost too stiff. Other reviews have said it as well.

I just want (got) a reliable truck that doesn't need the gas pedal always worked on.

Wonder what the highway mileage on the toy would be?

I heard Tonka wants to make a special edition one?

you just have to love these Dodge guys preaching to anyone else about "quality".lol to hear them tell it, you'd think they wrote the book on it and set the standard of what a "quality" vehicle is supposed to be. LMAO! whatever happened to the Dakota btw? where'd it go?lol

@Dave & Lou,

Off-road testing with interior testing?

That makes no sense...

Why go off-roading if you're going to worry about some interior rattles?

Toyota should have won with its better approach/departure/breakover angles and locker availability...

oxi has 12 inches of ground clearance under the lowest point on the front skid plates underneath with no air bags needed!

Ram with its overheating air suspension is for posers!

Well there you have it, further proof that the hemi is peaky gutless POS.

This new pickup is an embarassment. Dodge hasn't made a half ton worth a damn since 2001.

"We know the competition must have been close because we had the chance to test the Baja, along with three other hard-core 4x4s in our Ultimate 4x4 Shootout, where the Ford SVT Raptor was the eventual winner. "

This!

@CUMMINS I6: well, there you have it, it's a 3.55 geared truck, not a 3.92 geared 6 speed, or even a 3.55 geared 8 speed.

There you have it, you can't read.

There you have it, nobody wants a 4x2 Cummins or any other heavy diesel (all the HD diesels out now that might ever go off the pavement or in the snow because the front end is so heavy they sink down and can't get traction for nothing, therefore, they NEED 4x4.

There you have it, the HD's cost a whole lot more.

There you have it, the I6 Cummins had it's share of issues in 2007, 2008 , 2009.... Hope the new ones can be best in class in mileage, although they get better mileage then a Hemi, they aren't doing as well as the competition. There you have it, we don't all need 650 or 800 foot pounds of torque, and we don't need DEF either. There you have it, we don't all need a truck capable of towing 20,000 pounds. There you have it, a Hemi is more reliable then a 6.7, wish Hemis could have a manual as well. There you have it, give us 425 ft pounds of torque from a v-6 diesel, at a low rpm. Although the diesel fumes suck, and some folks think black smoke is cool. There you have it, the front end on the 2500 and 3500 is punching a big hole in the air, great for the big engine that needs air, but we don't need that much. There you have it, a 2500 DOES have a quicker turning ratio.

But there you have it!

haha what a POS toyota sucks!

@ Pat You are on the money. Just drove my pal's new 2012 Tundra Rock Warrior. Turned the TC off and it lit up in the dash. As soon as I hit 30 mph, the light went out and the TC came back on. Tried it several times, same result.

Since they are comparing a crew to a jacket/coat access cab, maybe next time they will just compare a regular cab higher axle gear to it, instead of the crew. then alot of the price / performance would be better,with about as much space. Actually if they compared a Pentastar v-6 4x4 3.55 geared 8 speed single cab to the book/computer access cab special. Then they can maybe even hook up 5,000 pounds trailers, no weight, we better not do that, Oxi and Robert will be upset. They never even tow. I know! We will hook up car dolleys onthe back towing 3000 pound cars. Nah, the Tacoma crowd will never be happy, they hardly ever tow, so why test it, right?

I do find it odd that 4 Wheeler Magazine got a "Suspension OverHeat" light to activate but they did not talk to a Ram Engineer to ask about the significance of such an alarm.

Does it go into "limp home mode" like a diesel running low on DEF? or is it just a warning like a "low oil" idiot light right before your engine seizes into one very expensive lump?

I like the fact that there is such a warning. Maybe all of those Raptors that bent frames would not of done so if they had it. But then again, idiot lights are called idiot lights for a reason. Idiots ignore them or do not know what a guage reading means.

I'm not liking the 4 Wheeler test.

I would push that dodge before i would even think about driving a jap truck...they can't run with the big dogs!

I have seen air bags fail on military trucks for the U.S. Army... they lean to the failure, very unsafe and not good off-road...

The U.S. Marines new tactical trucks use coil springs and a-arms on their MTVR's and hydraulics on the LVSR...

Hint Marines off-road, Army runs in convoys!

In fact Oshkosh Defense ran a 13,500 pound truck at Baja 2 years ago with NO coil, air or leaf springs. All hydraulics and shocks with a fully independent suspension for testing!

The future for hard core military trucks is NOT with air bags!

Go Toyota!

I have driven many Toyota's trucks over the years unlike 99% of those that respond on here!

Toyota interiors: yes they creak and rattle, big deal its a pickup truck not a fuel economy sedan that full-size owners want to create out of this industry!

Nobody comes close to making an off-road capable 4-cylinder pickup like Toyota, hence their popularity here and abroad! Not everyone needs the dimensions of full-size nor the loud V8's...

The Tacoma with 2.7liter and 4.10 gears with 5-speed manual are bulletproof and tough. Yes they cannot tow much nor are fast on the freeway but that is not why I choose my pickup. That is to speed pulling a large trailer and having higher operating costs like full-size!

Too bad most full-size are garage queens anyways!