Motor Trend has selected the Ram 1500 as its 2014 Truck of the Year
Motor Trend has selected the Ram 1500 as its 2014 Truck of the YearÂŽ. Truck of the YearÂŽ is one of several coveted honors Motor Trend bestows on automakers, including Best Driverâs CarÂŽ, Sport/Utility of the YearÂŽ, and Car of the YearÂŽ. Motor Trend, a publication of Source Interlink Media, LLC, was founded in 1949 and has a circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7 million. Internationally recognized as one of the leading brands in automotive publishing, MOTOR TREND comprises Motor Trend Magazine.
The announcement was made at the Chrysler Group LLC Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan, the birthplace of Ram Trucks. A full report on Motor Trendâs comprehensive Truck of the Year testing will be featured on MotorTrend.com and in the February 2014 issue of Motor Trend.
Nine Truck of the Year contenders were put through an extensive battery of testing designed to evaluate virtually every aspect of each vehicle. In addition to the 2014 Ram 1500, the judges examined other all-new or significantly updated trucks the industry produced this year: the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ram Heavy Duty, and Toyota Tundra pickups; and the Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster vans.
To determine which truck deserved top honors, the Motor Trend judges took the nine contenders to the Continental Tire Automotive Proving Grounds in Uvalde, Texas. There, the judges tested each truckâs perforÂmance with the following exercises:
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 truckâs maximum rating (as equipped)
4. Road looping: Highway and real-world replication.
At Continentalâs 5,000-acre proving grounds, the team utilized the facilityâs 8.5-mile high-speed oval, 15-acre dynamics pad, 1.1-mile dry-handling road course, and multi-surfaced ride road to evaluate each truckâs capabilities and expose strengths and weaknesses. Following the teamâs intensive, weeklong evaluation in Uvalde, the trucks were shipped to Motor Trend headquarters in El Segundo, California, to undergo proprietary âIntellichoice Real MPGâ fuel-economy testing. Using advanced technology including a weather station, GPS data-logger, and flow-rate and gas analyzers, Real MPG measures exhaust samples every second during an 88-mile drive to record accurate real-world fuel economy.
Once testing was completed, the judges convened to determine which truck would be crowned Truck of the Year. The winner is not chosen from a direct comparison against the other contenders, but rather as a result of how each contender measured up against the awardâs six criteria: Design Advancement, Engineering Excellence, Efficiency, Safety, Value and Performance of Intended Function.
With the votes cast, the Ram 1500 clearly emerged as Motor Trendâs 2014 Truck of the Year. The judges were particularly impressed with the performance of the Ram 1500âs all-new EcoDiesel V-6 engine as well as its eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission, a combination that boasts a towing capacity of up to 9,200 pounds. Further, Motor Trendâs Real MPG testing supported what the team learned in Uvalde: None of the gas-powered half-ton trucks in this yearâs competition â be they V-6 or V-8, 4×2 or 4×4 â could match the EcoDieselâs mileage.
After delivering observed fuel economy of 15 mpg under extreme testing at Continentalâs proving grounds, the EcoDiesel continued to impress during the Real MPG test loop, returning the following frugal stats: 19/26/21 mpg city/highway/combined for the Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4×4 with a 3.92 rear axle and an even more notable 18/28/22 for the Lone Star Crew Cab 4×2 with a 3.55 rear axle.
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