Dodge Off Road Cars

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.

With the Bronco out of the bag, perhaps Dodge should think seriously about coming up with a proper rival for FoMoCo’s SUV. That rival could be a revival model of the Ramcharger, and given the recent rumors saying a Raptorized Bronco is coming in the near future, why not make it a Dodge Ramcharger TRX? Dodge obviously has the firepower and a potential platform, courtesy of the Ram 1500 TRX.

Old SUVs, for some reason, are all the rage right now. People are going back in time and are looking to lay their hands on classics like the Wagoneers, Broncos, LandCruisers, etc. The Dodge RamCharger is also one among them and is one of the most sought-after SUVs today. The Dodge RamCharger was originally launched in 1974. It was based on the much larger Dodge D-Series. The SUV was a hit and went through two different generations, spanning almost two decades. A third generation was built in Mexico at the turn of the millennium, but lasted just two years before disappearing into oblivion.

The caliber of vehicles that revolve through Jay Leno’s garage is never short of amazing. From the Ford Model T to the latest supercars, the weekly show that follows Leno’s automotive passion never ceases to amaze.

This week is no different with a custom-built and restored 1942 Dodge Power Wagon 6x6 from Legacy Classic Trucks. Built by Legacy’s founder and operator, Winslow Bent, the truck combines some military surplus parts, civilian parts, and a modern powertrain together in the most interesting truck we’ve seen in a while.

Not to spoil the video, but this Power Wagon has a storied past. Its beefy frame, axles, and running gear (save for the modern wheels and Toyo tires, of course) were from a WC63 Dodge truck that saw service in the European theater during WWII. After the war, the truck was shipped to Norway, followed by its shipment to the U.S. Sadly when Bent stumbled upon the truck, the body, engine, and bed were long removed.

What’s when Bent got the idea of combining the frame with a newer body. After WWII, Dodge began selling the WC trucks with the Power Wagon designation. The close-cab trucks were popular with ranchers, forestry fire services, and other hard-duty jobs. Bent took the newer Power Wagon cab and modified it to fit onto the frame, while the cargo bed is custom built.

Power comes from a modern 3.9-liter four-cylinder Cummins turbodiesel. It is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox that powers all three axles though a massive part-time transfer case. Large, 37-inch Toyo mud tires put the power to the ground.

If you’re into historical vehicles, or that old-school, wartime feel, the Legacy Power Wagon can’t be missed.

Every fall, dozens of journalists from all over Texas and around the country gather to compare, test, and crown the winner of the “Truck of Texas” competition. It’s a coveted award from the Texas Auto Writers Association that signifies Texas’ collective approval of a truck. And not only are trucks involved, awards go out for the SUV and CUV of Texas.

I already touched on the topic in the preview piece, but awards are also given to the winner in each vehicle category and for various things like “best connectivity” and “best powertrain.”

This year’s competition was fierce. There were 84 vehicles present from 21 automakers entered into 17 different categories. Evaluating the field were 69 TAWA members comprised of journalists and social media influencers.

So let’s get down to the results. Keep reading for the full breakdown.

Continue reading for the results of the 2015 TAWA Truck Rodeo

The Power Wagon name is an icon, having been tied to some of the greatest and most utilitarian pickups of the last 70 years. Even today, the Power Wagon name lives on under the Ram brand and boasts some of the most hard-core off-road equipment found on any showroom floor.

I’ve already given the introduction to how much Texans love their trucks and how every year the Texas Auto Writers Association gathers to crown the winner; the coveted “Truck of Texas” award. Now let’s get down to some results.

Besides the main award, there were 17 other categories that each of the 75 vehicles fell into. These consisted of titles like “Midsized Crossover Utility Vehicles” and “Luxury Pickup Trucks.” Awards were also given for best connectivity, best powertrain, and best technology.

Each vehicle was subjected to a battery of tests that measured its ability to perform its intended function, whether that be towing, going off road, surrounding its occupants in luxury, or proving a great all-round family hauler. The vehicles were all competing within their respective category for the win.

So which truck, SUV, or crossover took home the Truck of Texas award? Continue reading to find out.

Not much goes together quite like Texas and trucks. It’s the U.S.’ largest truck market by a long shot and it’s plain to see as you peruse any given parking lot. Texans love their trucks. That’s why the Texas Auto Writers Association crowns a Truck of Texas winner every year after an extensive evaluation process.

As a member of TAWA, I spent the better part of a week in the dusty hills outside San Antonio testing 75 contenders vying for the prized top spot. Eighteen automakers from around the world were in attendance, the majority bringing more than a handful of vehicles.

Ground zero for testing was the famed Knibbe Ranch, with hundreds of acres of sprawling across the Lonestar state. Muddy creek crossings and rocky hill climbs, combined with twisty country roads and newly paved highways provided the test beds. Those trucks, SUVs and crossovers brave enough to tackle the off-road section were subjected to rock-strewn dirt roads that punished suspension parts and underbody skidplates. More road-biased crossovers were thrown around narrow roads and up steep hills. The new pavement along the Texas highway was still covered in loose asphalt with orange caution cones proving a tempting (yet highly illegal) slalom course. Thankfully no one attempted that obstacle.

The 60 journalists judging the event had a huge decision to make. What truck, SUV or crossover would be crowned the Truck of Texas? Well, you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out. We’ll announce the top winner and the winners of sub-categories on Wednesday.

Click past the jump for a full photo gallery

The boys from Top Gear USA were back this week and they are starting to pick up a little bit of speed in terms of entertainment value. The discussions still tend to be a little too rehearsed, but we didn’t want to turn off the television as soon as they started talking. Well, except for when Adam opened his mouth, but we’re used to that.

The main focus this week was trying to figure out which truck was the best in America. After spending the entire first episode trying to convince us all that pick-up trucks could be convinced by two-door models, this was a welcome change. Other segments included battling it out between the Local Motors’ Rally Fighter and an airboat, and a trip around the Top Gear test track with actor/comedian Bill Engvall.

Hit the jump to check out the full details on Top Gear USA: Season 2 Episode 3.

Our motto at this website is ‘no boring cars’. Whether that’s sports cars, Italian exotics, or super luxurious sedans, we love them all. For this review though, we decided to change things up a bit. We wanted to find out what you can and can’t do in a truck during a week test and, living up to our motto, we went all out and got one of the biggest heavy duty trucks on the market, the 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Mega Cab.

The Ram 2500 might not be everyone’s choice for a daily driver and to be honest, it wasn’t ours either, but we put all that aside and used this four-door, four-wheel drive turbo diesel behemoth every day of the week, during which time we never came close to the truck’s full capabilities.

Although it couldn’t fit in our garage, or in a normal parking space, we did our best. Hit the jump to see how the week went and our new review style.

Photos of the new 2011 Dodge Durango have been coming out very slowly. Not that we’re in a huge hurry to see an updated version of a pretty awful vehicle. We’ve seen the exterior before, but today, Chrysler has released an image of the new Durango’s interior.

The new Durango differs from the Jeep Grand Cherokee in a few very important ways. All the controls and gizmos are housed on the dashboard, which will give owners more room to store things in the center console.

The two-tone leather interior is fairly nice and the extra lighting touches really set the car off. We like the fact that there is enough chrome to keep lovers of the material happy, but not too much to make it gaudy. Overall, it looks far more luxurious than the old model, or any other Dodge product currently on the market.

We need to play around in it first, but it seems that Chrysler is taking its interior design seriously.