The Ram 1500 is Motor Trend’s First Ever Back to Back Top Truck

For the first time ever, Motor Trend has named a back to back champion in their Truck of the Year balloting and that truck is the Ram 1500.  The 2014 Ram half ton pickup beat out 8 other vehicles including the Ram Heavy Duty, the Ram ProMaster, the Chevrolet Silverado, the GMC Sierra, the Toyota Tundra, the Ford Transit Connect, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the Nissan NV200.

“Half-ton truck customers have been asking for a diesel engine and Ram is the only truck manufacturer to answer the bell and deliver not only best-in-class fuel economy but also 9,200 pounds of towing capability,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “In a brutally competitive truck industry, the Ram 1500 is the only vehicle to ever win the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award two years in a row, reaffirming the fact that we have the best truck on the road.”

All of these vehicles were evaluated in a long list of categories through four basic types of testing at the Continental Tire Automotive Proving Grounds in Uvalde, Texas.  Those testing procedures as are follows:
1. Standard testing (without load): 0-60 mph and 1/4-mile acceleration, 60-0 mph braking, and maximum lateral grip.
2. Limit handling (without load): closed-course cornering, braking and acceleration.
3. Tow/payload testing: 0-60 acceleration repeated with trailers attached (pickups) or payload secured (vans), loaded to 75 percent of each truck’s maximum rating (as equipped)
4. Road looping: Highway and real-world replication

Where the 2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year award was decided mainly on the excellence of the 5.7L Hemi V8, this year it was the diminutive 3.0LEcoDiesel V6.  In addition to packing enough power to tow 9,200 pounds, the EcoDiesel ram slaughtered the competition in terms of fuel economy with a recorded 15mpg during the torture testing.  More importantly, the Ram EcoDiesel was the best of the best in real world fuel economy with a 4×4 model with 3.92 gears offering up 19mpg in the city, 26 on the highway and 21mpg combined while a 4×2 model with 3.55 gears achieved 18 in the city, 28 on the highway and 22mpg combined.

“For 2014 we had a large and highly competitive field of contenders for Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year,” said Edward Loh, Editor-in-Chief of Motor Trend. “At the end of the day, though, the Ram 1500 quickly rose to the top. Not only did it withstand our rigorous testing, it thoroughly impressed our judges with its vast array of standard and optional equipment, and, most notable, its fuel-efficient, segment-exclusive EcoDiesel V-6. With 420 lb-ft of torque and up to 28 ‘Real MPG’ highway, the EcoDiesel is a true game-changer. In fact it helped make Ram 1500 the Motor Trend 2014 Truck of the Year – and the only consecutive winner in the history of the award.”

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter