Motor News

The Cadillac XT4 is getting a long-awaited facelift which includes restyled front and rear fascias and updated LED running lights.The interior is also updated and is designed around a 33-inch curved LED touchscreen display.The refresh also adds revised 18- and 20-inch wheel designs, as well as three new exterior paint colors. The 2024 XT4 is scheduled to go on sale this summer, with production to take place at GM’s Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas.As the XT4 SUV rounds the corner on its sixth birthday, Cadillac is giving it a long-awaited facelift. The front end of the car is new, with a redesigned grille and distinctive vertical running lights similar to those on other Cadillac models. Changes to the rear are more subtle, with Cadillac moving reflectors and reshaping the rear bumper.More CadillacChanges to the interior of the XT4 are highlighted by the 33-inch curved LED touchscreen display spanning from the dash in front of the driver to the edge of the passenger side of the dashboard. The XT4 adopts the screen straight from the Lyriq and runs Cadillac’s latest infotainment interface—which is based on Google’s Android Automotive software—and features wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audiophiles and tech enthusiasts should be sated by the addition of a 13-speaker AKG stereo system as an optional extra, and the upgrade of the XT4’s onboard Wi-Fi hotspot to 5G.A new lineup of 18- and 20-inch wheel designs is available, as are three new exterior paint options: Emerald Lake Metallic, Midnight Sky Metallic and Deep Sea Metallic. Interior styling changes based on selected trim, ranging from piano-black plastics in the Luxury trim, to carbon fiber, wood or aluminum in the Premium Luxury and Sport trims. Mechanically the 2024 XT4 remains unchanged. The little Caddy is powered by the same turbocharged four-cylinder producing 235 horsepower, no matter the trim, and still pairs with the same nine-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel-drive systems as the outgoing model. During our acceleration test on a 2019 XT4 Sport, the subcompact took a lackluster 7.8 seconds to reach 60 mph, leaving it far behind class competitors like the BMW X1 or Mercedes-Benz GLB250. Cadillac hasn’t revealed pricing figures yet, but we expect a small bump from the current model to bring the Luxury trim starting around $38,000 and the top two trims starting closer to the $42,000 mark. The new XT4 is scheduled to go on sale this summer, with production taking place at GM’s Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

For kids of all ages with money to burn, may we interest you in some incredibly detailed 1:32-scale custom slot car tracks?Slot Mods Racing has produced plenty of real-world-inspired slot car tracks, but the company’s latest brings together The Blues Brothers, Animal House, Mad Magazine, and other pop culture icons to the small stage.These customer tracks start at $75,000 and come with hand-built tracks, scenery and people, and six cars to race with.Some people have all the fun. One such person appears to be David Beattie, the founder of Slot Mods Racing, a company that hand-builds bespoke 1:32-scale wooden raceways. We’ve featured his modified slot car tracks before, but his latest creation deserves a fresh look.Normal—if we can use the word—Slot Mods Raceways tracks are designed to mimic the look and feel of real-world race tracks. The team calls these Custom Scenic Megatracks and has created a 10-foot diameter Pebble Beach raceway and a 9-by-15-foot Lotman Laguna Raceway, for example. Because of space limitations, the scale versions of real-world tracks that Slot Mods creates “are built to the “spirit” rather than being a perfect replica,” the company said. The newest Slot Mods track couldn’t be modeled on anything that exists in the real world and instead takes inspiration from a dive deep into decades-old pop culture.Called the Mad Cave Raceway, this new track combines famous movie scenes including the float parade gone haywire scene from Animal House and references to The Blues Brothers alongside billboards for Mad Magazine and Spy vs. Spy. Beattie posted on LinkedIn that Evil Knievel and John Belushi also make appearances. A childhood’s worth of enjoyment is now contained in a model slot car universe. Some people have all the fun.More from the Same MakerSlot Mods’ Custom Scenic Megatracks are not cheap, with the custom builds starting at $75,000. The final price is based on size, complexity, and scenic elements, and if that’s too rich for your blood, the company offers a six-by-12-foot Standard Scenic Raceway basic offering that starts at $50,000. If you just want to focus on racing slot cars and not as much on the landscape they’re racing in, Slot Mods offers a four-by-eight-foot flat-pack Origins Series raceway. This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.But the real fun here is in the (admittedly expensive) customization. While the standard Megatrack components including cars, scenery and buildings – are built to 1:32 scale, 1:24-scale cars can also be used. Each Megatrack comes standard with hand-painted wooden tracks, as well as “period-correct grandstands, structures, signs and advertising banners, aluminum Armco railing, hand-carved and painted landscaping, shrubs and trees, lap timing system and PC tablet, slot car controllers, variable power supply, LED base lighting, and six slot cars,” according to the company’s FAQ. You can also add external LCD monitors, tablet computer controllers, and POV-in-car cameras.The Mad Cave Raceway proves that the FAQ needs at least one update. The page currently says Slot Mods would like to be able to offer custom-made slot cars in the future, but we can’t help but notice that scale Cake Float car zipping between Ray’s Music Exchange and signs showing Alfred E. Neuman. Fun times.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Porsche has been talking about it since last fall, but now it has officially released this limited-edition car with the impressive name of 911 GT3 RS Tribute to Carrera RS.Since the car to which it pays tribute is already special, this is . . . extra special?It will be on display to the public at the 12 Hours of Sebring in mid-March and reach customers starting in “a few weeks,” Porsche said. Porsche just pulled the sheet on the first production version of its newest special edition, the 911 GT3 RS Tribute to Carrera RS package. Which is a mouthful, but when you really break it down is a special edition (RS), of a special edition (GT3), of one of our favorite sports cars. To say this is extra special isn’t incorrect.Related StoriesUnlike the 50-year-old 911 Carrera RS 2.7 from which this draws inspiration, there isn’t any extra performance for this 518-hp GT3 RS. Underneath the Python Green on white livery is a GT3 RS with the Weissach package. The Weissach package nets some exposed carbon fiber (can be painted at customer’s request), lightweight magnesium wheels (painted green here), carbon-fiber anti-roll bars and rear shear plate, and magnesium shift paddles. And that’s in addition to the active aerodynamics, wider tires, and its highly adjustable suspension, in addition to a host of other modifications that the non-Weissach GT3 RSs have. Inside you’ll find Python Green stitching and illuminated doorsill guards that read, “Tribute to Carrera RS.” The package also includes some RS-branded valve stems, custom license plate frames, a Porsche Design watch, and a pair of 1:43 scale models, one of the 2023 GT3 RS and one of the Carrera RS.Porsche foreshadowed this production tribute at the GT3 RS’s reveal last August. But we have now had it officially confirmed that the tribute package will ring in at $314,000, not including a gas-guzzler tax in an amount to be named later. That’s $55,230 more than an “off the shelf” GT3 RS with Weissach, if such a thing even exists. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The 2004 Land Rover Discovery II came standard with a 217-hp 4.6-liter V-8 and four-speed automatic transmission.This Disco that’s up for auction on Bring a Trailer, however, relies on a 5.3-liter V-8 from a Chevy for motivation. It mates to a six-speed automatic transmission.The auction ends on February 24, and bids have already eclipsed five figures.Car and DriverIt’s no Toyota Prius, but this 2004 Land Rover Discovery II is a hybrid. Don’t bother looking for any electric drive motors or high-capacity batteries, though, because this Disco’s not a gasoline-electric hybrid, but a manufacturing one. You see, this British box no longer relies on the 217-hp 4.6-liter V-8 it left the factory with. Instead, it utilizes a good old American General Motors mill from a Chevrolet.Related StoriesBring a Trailer doesn’t share the specific Chevy this Rover’s Vortec 5.3-liter V-8—or LC9 to you GM nerds—was plucked from. We presume the engine, which was factory rated to produce north of 300 horsepower, came out of a Tahoe or Suburban from the late 2000s or early-to-mid 2010s. Then again, it may have come from one of the bow-tie brand’s full-size pickups of that era. Bring a TrailerDoes it really matter what kind of Chevy this engine once pushed around, though? Why dwell on the past, when you can look toward the future?Oh, and what a potentially frustrating and fun future this near-20-year-old Disco holds for the winner of this auction. We won’t sugarcoat it; this vintage of Discovery, much like Land Rover’s in general, is no poster child for reliability. In theory, the Vortec V-8 and the 6L80E six-speed automatic ought to give this off-road-ready rig a shot at reliably running around town or motoring about off-tarmac; however, the reality is that Discos of this period often suffer from non-powertrain-related issues, too. While the LC9 and 6L80E engine and transmission are reliable workhorses, this reputation may fail to carry over to this Rover if the individual or shop responsible for its heart transplant cut corners somewhere. That said, there’s no indication of this based on the information and images provided to Bring a Trailer. Bring a TrailerWe hope this Discovery is as good as it looks, and that the winning bidder encounters next-to-know frustrations and instead manages to simply have fun pushing the limits of this machine’s off-road capability. Even in its factory form, the 2004 Discovery II was never a slouch off the beaten path, but the myriad of upgrades made to this body-on-frame SUV surely makes it an even better tool for traversing the unknown. This includes the likes of a four-inch lift, aftermarket front and rear bumpers that ought to improve this Disco’s front and rear departure angles, and 16-inch Terrafirma wheels wrapped in beefy Nitto Ridge Grappler tires.If you were hoping to score this Discovery II for cheap, then you better think again. Although this auction may still have plenty of time left until it closes on February 24, it’s generated enough interest that bidding on this Land Rover has already eclipsed five figures. We may not call this 2004 Discovery II a bargain, but this British-American hybrid is still a toy worthy of a spot in our hearts.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

A 2021 McLaren Elva with no windshield is up for auction on Bring a Trailer until Thursday, February 23.The limited-production Elva was also offered with a windshield, but this example was ordered in the coolest spec—without one.The Elva’s missing glass barrier is offset by a deployable deflector that directs air and debris over the cockpit, but it’s unlikely to be 100 percent effective.Car and DriverCan you imagine hundreds of ultra-rich people insane enough to spend $1.7 million on an 804-hp V-8–powered roadster without a windshield? Well, they exist, because 399 McLaren Elvas were built and sold around the globe, some of which had front glass in order to be road legal. Still, it would be great to be one of the lucky sons of guns who own an open-cockpit version. And here’s an opportunity: there’s a windshield-less 2021 Elva currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bring a TrailerThe Elva on BaT still has five days left until the bidding ends, and the latest offer is within spitting distance of its nearly $1.7 million starting price, suggesting that when the auction closes on Thursday, February 23, the 37-mile example will sell for more than what the original owner paid, which was $1,789,572, according to the listing.More DetailsWhat is so intriguing about a seven-figure hypercar that literally offers no physical protection from, say, a bird strike or—more likely—stray rocks shot from an 18-wheeler? Simply put, it’s because it provides a one-of-a-kind driving experience, not to mention it looks like nothing else on the road. Okay, other open-cockpit exotics like the Aston Martin V12 Speedster and Ferrari Monza exist, but neither seemingly made it to America. Bring a TrailerWe shared extensive driving impressions in our review. While McLaren incorporated a deployable deflector on the hood that’s designed to direct air and debris over the cockpit, it’s unlikely that it’s 100 percent effective. How can it be when the Elva is said to reach a top speed of 203 mph? One solution would be to wear a full-face helmet whenever doing anything more strenuous than parading around town letting everyone know you come from money.Bring a TrailerBring a TrailerThe windshield issue aside, who can resist Elva’s crazy design? It looks like something the inventor of Hot Wheels would use as their daily driver. The fact that McLaren claims the mid-engine/rear-drive two-seater weighs less than 3000 pounds and hits 60 mph in under 3.0 seconds makes it even more desirable.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The 2023 Chevy Colorado is an exceptional truck. With class-leading capability, good pricing, and a fully redesigned cabin, it’s my favorite mid-size truck. But that new interior has one strange compromise: There’s no physical control for the truck’s lights.To turn them on or off, the driver has to open a submenu in the truck’s standard 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display. Since the truck has automatic lights, you shouldn’t need to do that often. But when you’re on a windy two-lane and reach a “Daylight Headlight Section,” you’ll have to fiddle with the touchscreen rather than flicking a switch. And if that infotainment system fails, you’ll lose the ability to control your lights. “The main thing is, one, we understand that most customers put their vehicle[‘s lights] on auto,” Nick Katcherian, the chief engineer of the new Colorado, told Road & Track. “And, fun fact, I learned in the rain yesterday that, if your windshield wipers are on, your lights turn on as well. So we’re looking at trying to conserve space and we have the opportunity to virtualize a lot of our switches, so we really have just taken advantage of that opportunity with our new infotainment system.” Chevy says removing the switch freed up space, but there’s quite a bit of free real estate here.Mack HoganKatcherian says he isn’t concerned about bugs or issues with the light control, even though we imagine some work truck owners might be skeptical. According to the engineer, the legal requirement to make the headlight switch always available means that the light control module loads on top of the rest of the infotainment system. More Colorado”There’s no such thing as bugging in a way that won’t give you the option to turn the headlights on and off.” Katcherian claims that his team removed all possible bugs from the infotainment system. He also noted that in the long term, software-based switches can help add features to vehicles after they’re sold or support optional add-ons. “So I think you’ll see kind of a transition from more physical switches to more virtual switches overall, because it gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of what you can update and how you can update them in the future,” Katcherian said. More

The Chevy Colorado has been around for 20 years, yet it’s only just entered its third generation. It was a much-needed replacement to the S-10 back in 2003. The Colorado continues as the smallest Chevy pickup available, but today it faces some strong competition from mid-size rivals such as the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator. The Colorado is offered as a four-door cab with a five-foot-two-inch box no matter how far over its $30,695 starting price you dare to climb. The new Chevy replaced the outgoing 308-hp V-6 and Duramax Diesel powertrain options with a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The five trims offered vary from work truck to rock-crawling plaything. We’ve driven four of them (in a few months Chevy will give us the keys to the ZR2 released later this year). So naturally, we spent our lunch break poring over the online configurator for the new Colorado, doing a little window shopping before we had to clock back in. Here’s how some of our staff would spec the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado.The Little Pickups from General Motors:Ezra Dyer’s $32,600 Rear-Wheel-Drive Colorado WTCar and DriverCar and DriverFor my 2023 Colorado, I’m envisioning a basic starting point for a truck that will be built into a monster—namely, a prerunner. With the new Colorado’s sharper approach and departure angles and punchy turbo power, it’ll make a great candidate for off-roading of the Mint 400 variety, even in two-wheel-drive form. So I’m starting with a two-wheel-drive WT and adding the upgraded engine with 310 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque ($1050). Hell, give me the front center console ($135) so I’ll have somewhere to rest my right elbow during blasts across the Warp Zone lake bed. And I’ll grab the automatic locking differential ($325)—or, as I call it, “poor man’s four-wheel-drive.” My only frivolous spend, if you can call it that, is for Glacier Blue Metallic paint ($395), because the other WT colors are boring. That puts me at $32,600 all in, leaving me plenty of imaginary budget for long-travel suspension, fiberglass bodywork, and bed-mounted spares. —Ezra DyerDrew Dorian’s $33,110 Rear-Wheel-Drive Colorado WTCar and DriverCar and DriverEzra’s right. There’s something charming about the base Work Truck trim. Sure, the Colorado is offered in higher-end trims that are more focused on off-roading too, but the WT has a lovable blue-collar, straight-from-the-fleet appearance. I particularly like it in Sand Dune Metallic which, combined with the 17-inch steel wheels, gives it a handsome look. I’d stick with rear-wheel drive because, honestly, I’m putting this thing to work, not taking it to the trails, so why bother? The 237-hp version of the turbo four is fine too. Where I would spend some money, though, is on several option packages, because believe it or not Chevy will let you add some very non-WT options to the WT. First, I’d start with the WT Convenience and WT Convenience II packages ($415 and $545, respectively), the first of which adds a remote locking tailgate, a manual sliding rear window, and a rear window defogger. The second one adds an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and a tailgate with an integrated storage cubby. I’d then add the Safety package ($505), which includes heated and power-adjustable exterior mirrors with black-painted caps, rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert with automated emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring. Finally, the Technology package ($950) adds adaptive cruise control, rear pedestrian alert, and a 360-degree exterior camera system. Considering the Colorado comes standard with that big 11.3-inch touchscreen and a digital gauge display, you’re getting a very not-basic base truck here, and the total is just $33,110. Jumping up to one of the Colorado’s more expensive trims puts it in Silverado 1500 price territory, so if you’re smart you’ll stick with the WT too. —Drew DorianAustin Irwin’s $41,200 Colorado Trail BossCar and DriverCar and DriverI don’t like getting bossed around. I want to be the one calling the shots. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be brainstorming on Zoom all afternoon I’d be in the kitchen building a grilled-cheese triptych. True genius takes time and, in some cases, many slices of cheese. That’s why I’d choose the Colorado Trail Boss. It’s Chevy’s own perfect sandwich. It’s got the off-road attitude of the more expensive ZR2 but costs less than the Z71. You can’t get the LED headlights, which is a huge bummer, but you do get 1.5 inches of extra suspension travel up front with an extra 1.0 inch in the rear. Plus it has four-wheel drive and the limited-slip differential from the Z71. I’d get mine painted in Nitro Yellow Metallic ($395), which is close enough to the color of Kraft Singles. The standard gloss-black 18-inch wheels are fine, but wrap them in 32-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires ($495). The Trail Boss also gets the 310-hp engine and 7700 pounds of towing, which makes adding the Advanced Trailering package’s ($620) integrated trailer brake controller a must-have. It’s a little silly that cruise control and a manual sliding rear window are an option on a mid-size pickup that costs $41,200, but sometimes you have to pay the cost to be the boss. Another extra is Chevy’s chemically bonded sprayed-on bedliner ($475). The only superfluous (a new word I learned from a recent Zoom meeting) option I’d get would be the darkened name plates and badges ($195). I can hear the salesperson now, “Sir, at $8 a letter, you need to get this for your truck.” Hey buddy, don’t tell me what to do! —Austin IrwinAndrew Krok’s $42,545 Four-Wheel-Drive Colorado LTCar and DriverCar and DriverIn the interest of trying to keep things somewhat affordable, I chose an LT, which is the next step above the base trim work truck. I did opt for the beefier engine tune ($1050), which puts out 310 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, for a little more around-town moxie. I would’ve loved to add all the bells and whistles in the LT Convenience Package III, but instead, I settled for LT Convenience II, which forgoes stuff like a heated steering wheel in favor of the thicker-sidewalled 17-inch wheels, since Michigan’s roads are garbage. I capped it off with the Tech package for the 360-degree cameras, the Safety package for a little extra peace of mind, a spray-on bedliner, and the Bose seven-speaker audio upgrade. The Harvest Bronze Metallic paint is a freebie and is a class above an otherwise boring selection of free paint choices. —Andrew KrokKatherine Keeler’s Colorado ZR2 Desert BossCar and DriverCar and DriverOrdinarily, I would spec a truck practically and prudently. But much like the mid-size Colorado that lives in a full-size world, I too suffer from a Napoleon complex. With a little help from a stool and some grab handles, I’d jump into the boss of all bosses, the Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss. It’s not available today, but Chevy isn’t going to ignore you if you flash a rucksack full of Benjamin Franklins at them. To make the ZR2 (and myself) feel even more special, I’d spend extra for Radiant Red Tintcoat paint ($495). The Desert Boss package is the quickest way to cover the ZR2 with accessories, short of crashing one into an O’Reilly Auto Parts store. Unfortunately, Chevy’s configurator doesn’t reveal how much they’re charging to add the heavy-duty front bumper, winch, LED roof lights, and underbody camera. It’s also the only way to get the best-looking wheels offered, these 17-inch beadlock-capable units with the Tech Bronze surface. That equipment, plus the 430 pound-feet of torque from the ZR2’s high-output engine, is plenty to pull Mom’s car out of the ditch, should she end up there, again. Love you, Mom! Like others, I’ve added the Safety package ($445), to keep myself safe from bigger trucks. The yellow seatbelts ($50) were too good to overlook, and to save the most important for last, I picked the off-road steps ($495) over entering the Colorado with a running start. Crap, did I mention I’m a little afraid of heights? Mom? —Katherine Keeler More

Expectations are a powerful thing. A company can make money and its stock will fall if they aren’t met. Expectations have been running high in the Car and Driver office for the electrified Ram 1500 REV ever since Ram CEO Mike Koval got our attention back in 2021 when he made promises about the electric version of the regular half-ton Ram that was then on the way. At the time, Koval announced that although the brand’s EV truck would arrive after the competition, it wouldn’t follow in their footsteps. He claimed a 2024 launch date would be an advantage, allowing Ram to benchmark the EV pickups from Ford and General Motors. Fast forward to last month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where we were wowed by the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept and our expectations for the production truck rose even higher.The LetdownA month later, while watching the Super Bowl, an innuendo-stuffed ad teased the real Ram 1500 REV and offered several laugh-out-loud moments. However, when we finally got a good look at the production model, we let out a collective “What the?”Admittedly, we don’t have all the technical details, but the most striking part is how little the REV resembles the concept and how much it looks like the current gas-fed model. Now no one expected the production version of the Ram EV to be as wild as the concept. We all know they’re just that, conceptualizations. So the show truck’s exaggerated proportions, pillarless coach doors, and even its electrochromic glass roof weren’t features we expected to reach customers. Obviously, most of this wasn’t making it to production. Michael SimariWhat we did hope for was that the innovative and useful features on the concept might make it to production—the folding midgate to extend the pickup bed into the cabin, for example. The original Chevy Avalanche had a midgate, for Pete’s sake, a feature that will return on the upcoming Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Opening the bed to the cabin also gave Ram’s concept a pass-through to allow long narrow objects to slot through the truck’s cabin and into the front trunk. That appears to have been ditched. Eliminating the concept’s midgate means the intriguing third-row jump seats integrated into it are also missing. As far as the interior, it doesn’t draw too many complaints because Rams have attractive cabins with top-notch materials, but it’s essentially the same design as its gasoline counterparts with the exception of the display for the front-seat passenger, just like the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. That’s neat, but it doesn’t break the mold.Take AdvantageIt’s not just the concept that fueled our dreams for an EV Ram pickup. Ram is late, but the lateness doesn’t appear to have created any competitive advantage or driven any big innovation. Again, range, power, and other specifications remain unknown—prove us wrong, Ram—but converting the gas-powered version into an EV is exactly what Ford has done with its F-150 Lightning. Back in 2021, Koval claimed the electric Ram 1500 would deliver 500 miles of driving range. He also said it would “redefine the full-size segment” and surpass rivals, suggesting it’d exceed the Lightning’s 10,000-pound towing capacity. If the production truck hits those lofty marks, it’ll be enough to beat Ford and GM. Currently, the Lightning has an EPA-rated range as high as 320 miles, the GMC Hummer EV tops out at 329 miles, and GM is targeting up to 400 miles per charge with the electric Silverado and Sierra. However, neither GM truck is on the market yet. Ram’s 500 miles on a single charge would make it a segment leader, if not at the top of the EV class.But that number is likely going to come thanks to a confirmed range-extending version with a gasoline engine. A range extender (as the name implies) will also help raise the battery’s range while towing. Ram’s REV might be able to go farther than pure EV pickups, but a plug-in hybrid isn’t the same thing as a battery electric vehicle (BEV).The Road to Becoming RealWant to tow with an EV pickup? We can think of better things to do, but we’ll talk about towing capacity anyway. The Rivian R1T leads the segment with its up to 11,000-pound rating, more than any other electric pickup. Stay tuned if Ram will be able to beat that bogey, which is what Koval alluded to. Based on how one-upmanship traditionally works in the pickup-truck wars, though, expect the Ram 1500 REV to barely edge its rivals rather than bound over them. A 10,500-pound (or 11,500-pound) max tow rating seems attainable, but it would only make the REV best in class by a thin margin. There’s Still Hope Other than offering a gas-fueled range extender, the production version of the Ram 1500 REV isn’t the game changer we thought it would be.Of course, there’s still hope that the truck will satisfy expectations. More details are coming, and it’s possible a bunch of innovative features aren’t obvious in the handful of photos we’ve seen so far. However, from the looks of it—with the exception of a plug-in-hybrid version—Ram’s EV isn’t a big step forward in tech and design. Mostly, we blame the concept for writing a check the production truck appears unable to cash.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More