The Most Expensive Brand New RAM Trucks

by Gabrielle DeSantis

In terms of variety, RAM has Ford and Chevy beat, and especially when it comes to farm work. RAM offers the 1500 in TRX and Classic fashion, the 2500, the 3500, and the Chassis Cab, which is more for industrial applications. They are, however, more expensive as a whole. The cheapest RAM is the 1500 Classic, starting at $28,855. RAM offers six different trim levels for the 2500 and 3500. 

Starting with the Limited, RAM also offers the Limited Longhorn, Laramie, Power Wagon, Bighorn, and Tradesman. The 1500 gets the same trims but swaps the Power Wagon for the Rebel. The 1500 Classic gets the Tradesman, as well as the Warlock and the Express. These are some of the most expensive configurations for new RAM trucks.

Locked down performance: 1500 TRX

2021 RAM 1500 TRX | RAM Trucks

The 1500 TRX has only one configuration as a 4WD crew cab with a 5’7” box. It has a 700 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It starts at $72,120, making it the most expensive 1500, and doesn’t offer much in the way of performance upgrades. RAM offers an engine-block heater for an extra $95. It’s a pure-bred race truck, but that’s about it.

Otherwise, there are two different levels of equipment upgrades. Level 1 priced at $3,420 includes heated front seats, a rear window defroster, power-adjustable pedals, and other various amenities. Level 2 costs $7,920 and has everything in Level 1, plus blind-spot and cross-path detection, a remote start system, and many other features. 

MId-Level work truck: RAM 2500 Limited Mega Cab

2021 ram 2500 towing a boat
2021 RAM 2500 | RAM Trucks

The 2500 Mega Cab starts at $69,435 and offers plenty of options. It comes standard with a 410-hp 6.4-liter V8, but $9,400 more gets the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel inline-six. This beast produces up to 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque, allowing the truck much better towing capability than the gasoline motor. 

RAM offers a locking differential for $445 extra, and a lower gear ratio for another $145. Automatic-leveling rear air suspension costs another $1,705, while dual 380-amp alternators run an additional $395. RAM offers these upgrades as part of more comprehensive packages as well, including cold weather, protection, and off-road packages.

Ultimate beast mode: RAM 3500 Limited Mega Cab

2021 RAM 2500 driving through water
2021 RAM 3500 | RAM Trucks

Starting at $70,790, the 3500 Limited Mega Cab is the most expensive passenger truck that RAM sells. Equipping it with the high output 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel costs an extra $12,195, and nets 420 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque. The GVWR package for the 2500 maxed out at 10,000 pounds, but the 3500 goes all the way up to 14,000. Otherwise, it has the same options as the 2500. 

Don’t let the TRX sour the 1500 experience. If configured right, the 1500 can be a great work truck. The 3500 is for hauling giant trees around, or for hauling other trucks out of ditches. For dragging a simple trailer around the country, stick to the 2500. Its limits won’t be breached, and it won’t be as aggressive or cumbersome as the 3500. 

The extra power from the HO Cummins turbodiesel would ensure some freeway passing ability, but the standard Cummins will tick all the boxes on its own. Either way, RAM makes the most expensive trucks, but their power output and luxury helps make up for it.

RELATED: 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor R Vs. 2021 Ram 1500 TRX

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This Biden-Approved EV Is Extremely Problematic

by Gabrielle DeSantis

United States President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is making some big changes. President Joe Biden and his administration are dealing with major issues plaguing the United States, like carbon emissions. Biden has signed an executive order. The administration is introducing several new emission-reduction proposals. The President has also championed U.S.-built, union-made electric vehicles. There’s just one issue. Only one vehicle qualifies as American-built and union-made.

What EV is union-made and built in the U.S.?

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Alex Wong via Getty Images

Electric vehicles account for more of the total new-vehicle market share than ever before. Automakers like Ford, Audi, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tesla, and many more are introducing new EVs. Tesla is a pioneer in electric vehicle production but is responsible for a smaller percentage of the new EV market share today, thanks to other automakers participating.

Electric vehicles are becoming more common. That being said, there is only one automaker producing EVs that are both American-built and union-made. President Joe Biden clearly wants more automakers to meet these expectations to make electric vehicle production as beneficial to all parties involved as possible. The only automaker that currently meets this expectation is Chevrolet.

The Chevrolet Bolt EUV and EV are the only models made in America by unionized workers. The problem is that Chevy Bolt EVs are known to catch fire. Chevy Bolt EVs have been recalled by the thousands this year alone. Furthermore, the Chevrolet Bolt EUV has not been released yet. What does this mean? The one electric vehicle that meets Biden’s new expectations has a reputation of spontaneously combusting.

Is the Chevy Bolt EV the future of electric vehicles?

2022 Chevy Bolt EV parked on the beach.
2022 Chevy Bolt EV | Chevrolet

The Chevrolet Bolt EV actually isn’t the worst electric vehicle despite its unexpected pyrotechnics. When the Chevy Bolt EV isn’t bursting into flames, it exhibits great driving range and acceleration. Automakers are moving toward making more exciting electric vehicles, but the Chevrolet Bolt EV may be too hot to handle for most consumers.

President Biden expressed his desire to produce more American-made, union-built EVs in his recent meeting with top automakers. Biden’s hopes of a future where American-made, union-built EVs dominate the American automotive industry don’t align with the current reality. The Chevy Bolt EV is popular but sells nowhere near the number of units that the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, and Ford Mustang Mach-E sell.

The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV are both estimated to have a battery range of over 240 miles on a single charge. The 2022 Chevy Bolt EV is estimated to travel 259 miles on a full battery. The new Chevy Bolt will be more than $5,000 cheaper than the 2021 model. It will also include an interior and exterior redesign.

Are President Joe Biden’s EV goals achievable?

According to Reuters, President Joe Biden wants 50% of the new vehicles produced to be electric vehicles in 2030. This means more automakers introducing electric vehicles than ever before in history. It also means some flagship model vehicles will either be electrified or undermined by EVs.

Many of the automakers present at the President’s meeting agree that a significant number of new electric vehicles can be produced by 2030. The big caveat is where these vehicles are being built and who is building them. Tesla is an industry leader in electric vehicle production and doesn’t seem keen on using unionized workers. The majority of today’s most popular electric vehicles aren’t American-made and union-built.

We can produce and purchase more electric vehicles in the next decade than ever before. Will the automakers producing these vehicles like Tesla receive the President’s support? Or is the President setting the bar too high for automakers to meet realistically?

RELATED: Can non-Tesla Electric Vehicles Charge at Tesla Charging Stations?

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Watch Crazy: Driver Repeatedly Rams Into Passing Car After Hitting It

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Is it COVID that is making people crazy? It just seems that some weird stuff keeps happening that is unexplainable. Like this incident in a Target parking lot in Texas. It started out as just an accident but turned into some crazy s**t.

This type of car accident must happen hundreds of times every day

Parking lot battering ram action | YouTube

A Toyota Camry was backing out of a parking space as a Hyundai Sonata drove by. The Camry driver backs into the Hyundai, which must happen 100 times a day. You have either done this yourself, been the victim, or at least know someone this has happened to. It is the definition of a car accident.

As this unfolds a bystander begins capturing the incident with her phone. For the woman driving the Camry, it is just one of those things. You would expect her to apologize, exchange insurance info, and hope her rates don’t go up.

As it turns out, a Camry works well as a battering ram

But no. Instead, this turned into her repeatedly backing into the Hyundai. Then she used her Camry as a battering ram to physically push it out of her way. Watch for yourself as the crazy unfolds.

Between hits, the woman yells at the stunned man driving the Hyundai to move his car. Then she pulls forward, kicks it into reverse, and backs into the Hyundai again as the man gets out. After ramming it yet again, the man frantically calls someone; we assume the police, to report what is happening. And it keeps happening. 

So he foolishly stands behind the Camry to block it from ramming his car some more. That was a bad idea as the woman keeps up in her determination to move anything and everything out of her way. Would you put yourself in harm’s way to save a Hyundai Sonata? 

The victim thinks he’s Superman or something

Parking lot battering ram action
Parking lot battering ram action | YouTube

Not surprisingly, his attempts to become Superman and stop her car barehanded are unsuccessful. He almost gets run over numerous times. The man should have run for cover; as this is escalating quickly.

For her final flourish, she pushes the Hyundai out of the way, continues backing out, and flees the scene. Now it is a hit and run. Probably reckless driving. Plus, whatever else trying to run over someone is charged as. 

It is amazing that in this world people act this way. It is as if it is perfectly normal to use your car as a battering ram to move another car out of your way. Especially, when you’ve just hit the passing car. As Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

RELATED: Does Road Rage Cause Accidents?

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Harry Bradley, Designer of the Modern-Day Wienermobile

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Kids and adults alike gawk in awe when the Wienermobile drives by. That split second, that passing glace, it’s enough to make a memory that’ll last a lifetime. I still remember the first time I saw the Wienermobile on the open road. But let’s meet Harry Bradley, the man behind the meaty machine and other automotive designs for General Motors and Hot Wheels.

Harry Bradley’s Chevy La Jolla | Custom Car Photo Archive

Harry Bradley’s early career

Born in 1939, Harry Bradley loved drawing cars from a young age. The 1941 Buick Special sedan was an early inspiration for his career choice, which led him to study industrial design at New York’s Pratt University. In fact, Pratt University was recommended by General Motors themselves, who hired Harry after he’d graduated. And while working for GM, Harry received a master’s degree from Stanford University in biomechanics.

Though his tenure with General Motors was short, Harry spent four years putting his hand on some of the most iconic 60s muscle cars. And while Harry never had a production, or even a concept design pinned entirely to his name, pictured above is his own customized Bel Air, which he called the La Jolla.

It encompassed Harry’s design philosophy, taking what we understand about a car and morphing it into something else. And that way of thinking translated to his next, most popular career: designing the first generation of Hot Wheels.

Harry Bradley designed some of the first Hot Wheels cars

Original 1968 Hot Wheels Set
Original 1968 Hot Wheels Set | Gabe Ginsberg via Getty Images

It’s 1968, and toymaker Mattel is launching a brand new line, Hot Wheels. Small, die-cast car models for children to play with, and Harry was in on the ground floor. For one model, he took inspiration from the El Camino he drove to work. Others were carbon copies of the Dodge Deora that never made it to full production. But he didn’t stick around, leaving in 1969 before the company really took off.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Harry explains, “My son was probably the only child in America who didn’t have a Hot Wheels car. He couldn’t have them in the house because when you have crutches, you can’t have tiny little cars on the floor hiding in dark places.” You see, part of Harry’s decision to design automobiles at a desk is because, at the age of 10, he contracted polio. Though the inability to use his legs never stopped him from enjoying all things automotive and using his drawing gift.

After leaving Mattel, Harry began teaching at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena (where many automotive designers, such as Bryan Nesbitt, end up in some capacity) and still does to this day. But on the side, he runs a design business in his home. This allows him to consult with major automakers on designs, while also being hired for more obscure projects. One of with included the modernization of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

Harry designed the modern-day Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
How Much Does the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Cost? | MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

We say modern day because the Wienermobile has been around since 1936 (making it three years older than Harry). Back then it was crude sheet metal that resembled a hot dog, but that’s where the iconic look originated. However, when Harry was tasked with the project in 1995, there were talks of redesigning the Wienermobile altogether.

Modernizing it (for 1995 at least) could’ve meant a design similar to a Star Wars spacecraft. There were also ideas of linking hot dogs together to make a chain rather than just the one hot dog in a bun. But Harry explained that “You don’t want to tamper with the lineage just to bring in some modern features. It’s something that everybody is familiar with. And as it turns out, the best design is one giant wienie on top of one giant bun. It just works.”

That design mindset still holds true, with the Mustang Mach-E being the most recent talking point of lineage versus modern-day demand. But Harry is a rare breed, able to take what we know about cars and flip it on it’s head. He’s designed land-speed record achievers, the football helmet cars you see at games, Indy 500 vehicles, and this custom Corvette wagon that’s currently on sale. And while Harry believes automakers don’t design cars like they used to, they also don’t make auto designers like Harry anymore either.

RELATED: How Much Does the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Cost?

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