2013 SEMA Show: American Expedition Vehicles Reveals the Ram Concept
We've seen American Expedition Vehicles before and spent quite a bit of time behind the wheel of its impressive Jeep Brute and Brute DC pickup trucks, but now AEV has decided to move into a new realm.
Enter the AEV Ram Concept (boy, do we wish it had a better name than that, something like the AEV Monster Crawler seems more appropriate), which will debut at the 2013 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show this week in Las Vegas.
At first glance this truck may look like the next-generation Power Wagon (which debuts next spring) from Ram, but it is actually a 2014 Ram 2500 Cummins-equipped heavyduty with a mountain of new AEV-designed parts and pieces.
The new Ram HD gets a 3-inch suspension lift (using the factory coils to keep as much of the factory ride as possible), custom AEV bumpers that incorporate wide-mouth fender flares able to accommodate a 40-inch tire at the end of each live axle, custom aluminum rims and an exclusive High Steer kit that keeps the steering geometry near stock even though it runs a suspension lift.
Although AEV is calling this off-road beast a concept, it wouldn't make the effort and investment in producing these parts if it didn't think this would be a perfect fit for sportsmen and outdoorsmen who could really enjoy this kind of rig. AEV products, because of how well they're designed and built, typically are more expensive than most of their competitors so we'd expect these bumpers, rims, suspension upgrades and other options to have premium pricing.
We're hoping to get a chance to test-drive this rig at some point next summer, so stay tuned for our full coverage on the trail and in the backcountry at a later date.
To download the press release, click here.
Comments
Now thats a truck.
What a ride! Where is the Viper V10?
Guts
Glory
Ram!!!
GUTS
GLORY
More power to YEA
RAM
If the vehicle is using the factory springs, then this isn't the best possible route for a reliable lift. It's much cheaper.
We have a sorts of lift kits that the guys use and using your original springs with spacers isn't the best. It might look the part, but doesn't perform nowhere near as well as a complete spring replacement.
That alone will reduce it's capability as an expedition vehicle.
GUTS
GLORY
BETTER DESIGNS
BETTER TRUCKS
KILLING THE COMPETITION
2014 RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is Ram Power Wagon killing the competition if there isn't any? LMAO at the TROLLZILLAS!!!
@BAFO..maybe you should call AEV and give their engineers some of your sound engineering advice. Smh
I like the bumper the way it incorporates the flares.
Nice details on the flares at the headlights and fuel-door.
Keep up the good work AEV.
Not bad! but I do not believe the heavy diesel engine is the best for off-road, as the much lighter Hemi has plenty of power for traveling off road! Or a lighter diesel would also be better, unless in soft sand, then weight is the enemy no mater what! and you would do better in a 1/2 tone truck! with the same after market equipment as on a 3/4 ton unit! just too heavy! case in point there is no where this truck could go a stock Raptor could not go! and no where near as fast either! Unless there is a need to carry! and or tow! then you would need the HD tool!
I want it. When is Ram going to put the HO Cummins and Aisin in the 2500? Get rid of the 68RFE already!
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
@The Guy
I don't know if you are correct with your assumption.
Is this a true expedition vehicle? What are the choice expedition vehicles? What are the main attributes needed for an expedition vehicle?
Just think military and what NGO's use. How many Rams have you seen doing expedition work? A diesel is a must as well.
Actually, the style of off roading we do in Australia is expedition style work. The most successful expedition style vehicles are smaller than your full size trucks or if they are the size of a full size truck they have a decent payload capability, look at a Unimog and some of the Asian off road LDTs, MDTs.
This vehicle isn't a true expedition vehicle, it's more a 'show and tell' vehicle. Give me a Unimog for expedition work anyday.
The vehicle does look quite nice, though.
@DeverMike/Paul/Tom Lemon/Greg Baird/TRX4Tom/Dave/Hemi V8/Tom Terrific/sandman 4x4/lautenslager/zveria/Bob/US Truck Driver/Glenn/Jason/Hemi Rampage/smartest truck guy/Maxx/SuperDuty37/Ken/Ron/johnny doe/jim/ALL1/Frank/Idahoe Joe/The Guy or whoever you want to call yourself.
Quit the crap, really.
It's getting long in the tooth.
You want to debate, but it has to be on your terms.
Learn to debate with good information, then we might be able to have a decent debate.
Opinions are good, but if they are only your view to support the UAW, then how good are they. Look at what you guys have done to Detroit.
Terror tactics (union tactics) don't work on me.
If PUTC wants the UAW or whatever to control this site I suppose it's their decision.
It's not kids like I've been told by PUTC.
They don't seem to care. So this will go on.
That truck is nice. i like it. i wonder if it inst too late to make contract with cummins and get the 5.0? THE 5.0 would be plenty powerful.
I know this is stupid. if the vm motori currently used in the GC and RAM 1/2 ton is modular. wouldnt it have enough cojones to be able to move a 3/4 ton RAM?
For states that require front license plates, where do you mount that?
Front states that require a front license plate, where do you put it??
@Karl, a 5.0 Cummins in the 2500 would be sweet. The 3.0 would definitely move it adequately, its problem would be moving heavy loads with it.
Big Al from Oz wrote: "If the vehicle is using the factory springs, then this isn't the best possible route for a reliable lift. It's much cheaper.
We have a sorts of lift kits that the guys use and using your original springs with spacers isn't the best. It might look the part, but doesn't perform nowhere near as well as a complete spring replacement.
That alone will reduce it's capability as an expedition vehicle."
That's not actually true. You've assumed they added spacers. It actually appears that they've replaced/re-positioned the axles themselves, as well as the spring and shock mounting points. This, when paired with the larger wheel wells and tires provides lift without changing the geometry.
I heard somewhere, I don't remember where, that Mazda BT 50
is best expedition vehicle on the world.
@zviera, Could you imagine the snap when you floor that Mazda 2.5l diesel. Lol
Very nicely balanced truck. Not too much and not too little.
I am going hunting on weekend again and I can imagine to
have a use for this, where I go. I barely made it downhil last week
when 4" of snow got on forest road during a day.
Keep good work RAM and AEV in this case.
@HEMI V8 I use to have Toyota Hiace 2.5L diesel 18 years ago.
I can compare and I like my HEMI more. I would get this truck with 6.4HEMI or LO 6.7 Cummins and 8 speed . It will last forever and still have a decent mpg.
@The 2 Hemroids zveria and HemiV8
I don't see many Rams out performing real expeditionary work.
You will actually see more Hiluxes doing that style of work with Landrovers, Patrols, Landcruisers, G Wagens, etc for the smaller vehicles.
The truck looks nice, but it isn't no expeditionary vehicle, sorry.
Is it marketed to the Raptor mall trawlers or off roaders?
So where are the rock sliders?
@zviera, I love my 03 Hemi. 88,000 miles and she runs great. Pulls my trailer through soft beach and dune sand. I am drooling
over the thought of buying a new Power Wagon 6.4L Hemi. My truck still has a lot of life left in it. I do not need one but I want one. Thinking about getting a Jeep SRT for the wife. Of course I will have to drive it as well. ;)
I am not sure why A.E.V. would not have built a Power Wagon. Not enough to upgrade? Don't know. If I get one I want a 6,000$ upgrade in suspension from ICON. 4.5" lift 37" tires.
http://www.iconvehicledynamics.com/featured-vehicles/icon-edition-power-wagon/
I must apologize to all you RAM guys for calling you names. I must admit that I'm really just an insecure guy who is not comfortable driving my non class-leading trucks.
Maybe if I stepped up to the plate and bought a RAM I wouldn't need to feel the need to act like a 2 year old.
@Big Al, Is this expeditionary enough? lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM0dccrWLDA
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFRXSeFkkQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8iqOZmtoGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oiAn28WeAQ&list=TL2uGB3ffHYiwbG4QLIZR2fspxSlsh8ZPa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFRXSeFkkQ
@ Alex
The Ecodiesel 3.0L has a 0-60 of 9.2 seconds in a 2wd Ram 1500. That is slower then a VW Jetta Hybrid by over a second and just as "quick" as a 4 banger Civic. At least it is almost a second quicker then a Prius. I would hate to see what the 0-60 would be in this thing if it had an Ecodiesel, but I bet it would not move it as "adequately" as one would think. A nice rig like this deserves a Cummins or at the very least a 6.4L Hemi. Who gives a damn about being a tree hugger and putting an wimpy Ecodiesel that would barely move it at an unbearable pace just to save fuel in a rig like this. This thing was meant for big balls power, not castration.
@ALL1
Expeditionary vehicles don't require to be any quicker than 20 sec 0-60.
Most roads and the type of driving they do 60-70mph is more than quick enough.
This Ram does look quite nice and probably is acceptable off road. But it needs to have a very economical engine.
Calling something expeditionary and using it are two different things.
Sort of like the Raptor, most are bought to impress the neighbours and drive to the local mall.
Other than northern Canada and Alaska where can you really go expeditionary travelling in the US? It's heavily populated.
Even then a Hilux was used to drive to the North Pole.
A REAL expedition truck would have trail armor like skid plates, rock sliders, bumpers, tire carriers, roof racks, etc...
I agree with some, it is a SEMA show truck, nothing more.
@BAFO
Bro , you didn't get it yet, did you? We all support different brands in here and argue with each other, but you, with your mazda bt50
are not in this circle of fight. Nobody cares about your twisted opinions in here, because it doesn't apply for this market.
I am begin you, please, find some polytruck forum and discus your
12V plug expedition modes with your sisters, so we can all sleep and argue peacefully again.
I would rather listen some trolls, than any opinion from you .
No hard feelings Bro.
Nothing special here. I see trucks that look like this every day. Something I noticed with the new 6.4 Hemi, GM's half ton has more power then the Ram and Ford three quarter ton gas trucks. Anyone wonder why the 6.2 is not being offered in the HD GM trucks, because there will be a new 7.0 gas engine offered in 2016 along with a new larger Duramax that will blow away the competition. Just watch and see!
How is Ram Power Wagon killing the competition if there isn't any? LMAO at the TROLLZILLAS!!!
Posted by: Frank | Nov 4, 2013 2:45:08 PM
You give us plenty to laugh at Frank, each and every time you post. TROLL BOY!
As a Ford fan, its gives me pleasure to say "that is one nice truck!" All the niceities of the Power Wagon with a Cummins! Win win!
@Zveira, I agree with ya bud. Very well balanced. Looks good! Love the SFA, all terrain tires (real ones) and the clear undercarriage. No low slung frames here. That thing looks like it could genuinely pull a stuck tank out of the mud.
@ Big Al
But this is not an expeditionary vehicle. This thing is too big. It would probably do fine on off road environments where there is plenty of room, but the body panels of this thing would not be pretty long on the close trails. As others have said this rig is just for show. I do agree with you that a real expeditionary vehicle does not need a big hp engine as long as it has lots of torque which is why I would drool over a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with an Ecodiesel, and would replace my current Jeep in a heartbeat with one. The current V6 does a good job on the trails and is a blast when we go to Moab, but an Ecodiesel would be a lot better for that type of purpose. I am not against the Ecodiesel at all and would actually love to have one, just not in a pick up. I would gladly pay more for fuel for more power in a truck, and will not settle on less power just to save fuel. In a Jeep on the trails is a different story.
@Big Al- that gave me pause, too. If it came from anyone other than AEV I'd call it a budget spacer job, but those guys don't do anything that doesn't work as intended. If the things they have done with the Wrangler are any indication, then this will be top notch. Perhaps you don't see many Rams period. Here in'Murica the list of vehicles we can buy with a solid front axle, 4 doors and a diesel is really short. The HD Ram, the Super Duty and the Terrastar. That's pretty much it. And yes- there is plenty of space left for expedition trips in the US and lower Canada- plenty.
@sandman4x4- given the choice between a Hemi or the Cummins ISB for EXPEDITION work, the choice is easy- diesel all the way. One reason: Fuel economy. Sure, in some applications the lighter weight and high-rev HP of the Hemi will out-do the Cummins, but that is really secondary to range- you have to carry almost twice as much gas to make up for the fuel economy, taking up space and cargo capacity.
@karl- I think the VM A630 from the 1500 would be awesome. Every bit as much torque as the Hemi. You only need horsepower for going fast and mud bogging.
@supercrew02- you can get a winch-roller cover/license plate holder.
@All 1, you obviously haven't driven a Cummins. I don't know what kind of 0-60 time you think the 6.7 Cummins does, but it is about the same as the EcoDiesel (9-10 seconds). I never said the 2500 should use the 3.0, I am just saying if it did and was driven empty, it would do just fine. If you want a fast car, don't buy a truck! Not even a 6.4 Hemi! Buy a Mustang GT and put a supercharger on it.
Alex, You do know that All1 works for Cummins don't you?
That truck looks wicked!
HOW ABOUT SOME HYDRAULIC AUTOMATIC STEPS TO GET IN
I always wondered why Ram did not put a Cummins into the Power Wagon. Most cite the location of the intercooler but that is really a lame excuse. It can be relocated. Weight of the diesel, larger axles and extra cost are the most likely reasons. The Power Wagon begs for a diesel though. The Cummins 5.0 would be ideal except it is heavy. Iveco does have some I6 diesels but I suspect that they would be as big as a I6 Cummins.
I see way more moderately modiefied Cummins HD's than I see Power Wagons. As several bloggers have pointed out, the fuel range of a loaded 5.7 gasser HD for "in the middle of f--kin' no where" trips would suck. In the days of old with pickups with dual tanks, there were times were I would get nervous about getting home.
I love you Lou_BC. You offer such excellent information and contribute so much to this site. My hat is off to you. *wink*
@Jason, didn't know that, but a stock Cummins 6.7 still isn't any faster than about 9-10 seconds 0-60. I still want one, but it's not to set land speed records
@FordTrUcks1 or more specifically "fake FordTrucks1" - you should "hook up" with the "fake Lou" that was stalking me. He had those kind of fantasies too.
Sorry but I don't play on that team.
"Exit only" if you know what I mean.
@Alex
Exactly, the Ram 2500 diesels go 0-60 from 9-10 seconds depending on the configuration and that is with a 350-385hp and 660-850 lb-ft of torque engine. Just think of how slow it would be if you put an engine with 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque I the very same truck. Also, I used to work for Cummins, but that was 4 years ago.
@zveria
The BT50 is no expeditionary vehicle.
Where do you get the idea that a BT50 is an expeditionary truck? I really thought you would have known better than that.
As for brands, I really don't give a flying F$%k about brands, I leave that to the pre-puberscent boys like yourself and HemiV7.
Here are some links to some safari/expeditionary vehicles. Initially this style of vehicle started out form ex-military vehicles.
http://globalxvehicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/120-Left-Side-1024x768.jpg
http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/16432826+w600+re0/131_0907_02_z%2B4x4_expedition_vehicles%2Bgxv_unimog_u500.jpg
http://www.earthcruiser.com.au/assets/images/pages/home/home_large1b.jpg
http://www.special-mobils.com/Bilder/produkte/tanis/tanis_a_pop.jpg
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/h2RwD8nEoBc/hqdefault.jpg
http://www.globalxvehicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/4wd-Expedition-Vehicles-.jpg
Like I said the truck looks nice, maybe to pretty, lots of eye candy than substance.
Would look better at a shopping mall.
TOTAL JUNK 1
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