The electronic warning indicator is probably one of the most annoying (albeit useful) inventions in automotive history. Not that this was an innovation - something like this first appeared during the Second World War - but the "idiot indicator" can inspire and annoy with equal force. Especially when you're trying to have fun driving an off-road pickup truck.
Oh, those off-road pickups. The configuration of this niche market has expanded significantly over the past 10-12 years, not least due to the widespread success of sub-brands such as Pro-4X, FX4 and Z71. Ford launched its F-150 SVT Raptor on sale in 2009, and almost every one of us immediately wanted to go off-road. The Raptor turned out to be a handsome man with aggressively swollen arches, which was much easier for his wife to justify the purchase of which than, say, purchasing a huge Ram Power Wagon.In fact, all the research conducted among both owners and the market shows things in a slightly different light. Most pickup buyers don't care about their off-road capability. Or they come across it so rarely that it's time to ask a question about the reasonableness of selling off-road pickups. But just imagine how cool you will look behind the wheel of such a handsome man! And our thunderous applause for those pickup truck owners who use them for off-road driving. If glossy brochures don't seduce you with colorful photos of pickup trucks towing trailers, pulling stumps and doing other rude male chores, then there is a selection of pictures of forest / desert / mountain trails and mud baths that appeal to your ego for you. "I can do that too!". Optical perception plays a very important role in the sales process. We understand, that buyers want to look good while driving their purchase, but for us as enthusiasts, content plays an equally important role. Any automaker can make an off-road package by offering shock absorbers and matching body decals. We decided to find out which of the pickups feels better than the others in their "natural" environment.
"The transmission fluid temperature light came on," shouts from the driver's window Nate Martinez, junior road test editor. "Possibly pressed the brake pedal with my left foot."He is driving a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the Hungry Valley State Vehicular recreational area just north of Los Angeles. A beautiful summer morning, about 25 degrees.Paying as much as $ 10 at the entrance, the Tundra and Ram 1500 Rebel 4x4 Hemi entered the Hungry Valley. Five dollars a head start is paltry compared to the prices of these pickups. The new Rebel, the most off-road-focused model in the Ram 1500 family since the previous generation, starts at $ 42,465. For that money, you get just a V-6 and rear-wheel drive. The extra boldness will set you back $ 5,100 on top, for all-wheel drive and a 395-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (which is what we tested). Spend another $ 4,885 on options - a limited-slip rear differential, RamBox load securing system, underbody protection, and Uconnect with an 8.4-inch touchscreen - and you get a fully packaged $ 52,450 black and red pickup.Ram admits that the Rebel is not as uncompromising an SUV as a pickup with the Ram Runner package installed, but it has received a lot of improvements and deserves a bright debut. The new exterior design, with a sculpted, masculine front, is the Ram 1500's boldest physical experiment since 1994. The body and suspension structures are designed to provide the Rebel with high flotation while maintaining the unrivaled stability on pavement that helped this two-tone Ram win the Pickup of the Year award in 2013 and 2014. As standard, the car is equipped with air suspension on Bilstein shock absorbers, the adjustable ride height in this case hints at the extraordinary ability of the Rebel off-road. (For comparison,
The Tundra TRD Pro also features its own Bilstein shock kit, complete with custom front and rear springs, allowing Toyota to ride comfortably on both highway and mountain trails. Ranked one rank above the TRD Off-Road Pack, the Tundra is the flagship of the lineup with the TRD Pro trim level. Our unreal orange car starts at $ 45,195 for the CrewMax cab option. 17-inch TRD forged wheels with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T / A KO tires are a great value for $ 3,200, and for another $ 410 you can order a special underbody protection and additional tie-downs with hooks, which eventually brings us to $ 48,805. Frankly speaking, none of the pickups presented here will be able to compete with the Raptor,
Not included in the price? The transmission fluid overheat indicator on the Tundra dashboard illuminated while Martinez and I frolicked at the Hungry Valley training ground. We overcame man-made obstacles, took turns and navigated the terrain. Of course, the indicator went out by itself when we went faster, and the air began to flow where needed. When the threat of overheating was over, we suddenly wondered about another potential problem for the Tundra: whether the dirt that gets under the wheels would clog up the holes in the exhaust pipes located directly behind them, and whether it would stone them, which you will inevitably run into, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. Sometimes you even have to change some parts of the exhaust pipes, in stores, for example https://carwrenching.com/best-exhaust-system-for-toyota-tundra/, when the exhaust system has failed.
None of these pickups are ideal for the Rubicon track, as both have large overhangs at the front and rear and overly long wheelbases, although the TRD Pro and Rebel suspension can handle the harsh conditions of the rocky Hungry Valley trails and similar places quite well. Both pickups offer you comfortable seats and excellent visibility, as well as a lot of torque at low revs, allowing them to make their way through the most unfriendly sections of the chosen route without any problems. At the same time, the difference between these two cars is felt almost immediately. The Tundra's BFG tires are more grippy in the contact patch and therefore find traction faster than Ram's Toyo Open Country A / T II tires. Not that the Ram has a clutch deficit. On the contrary, it requires a little less effort on your part in the process of overcoming obstacles. At low speeds, the Tundra needs a little more effort on the steering wheel, its body shakes more in bumpy areas and takes longer to absorb vibration. The Rebel literally floats on the same site, its suspension masterly controls the dose of vibration transmitted to the body, regardless of the mode of operation of the air suspension - whether it is set to "Normal" or "Off Road", which is 2.5 cm higher.
Both the Tundra and Ram offer a high level of comfort. In truth, modern pickups are some of the most comfortable vehicles on the market. The automakers have managed to keep the roomy bodywork combined with the rear axle, while equipping them with better tires and smarter suspension systems, as well as improving the sound and vibration isolation of the cab, making the TRD Pro and Rebel great vehicles for daily commuting. Both have noticeably reduced tire noise levels, so much so that the main sound heard by the driver is the whistle of oncoming air flow (in the case of the Rebel) or the muffled rumbling of the TRD exhaust system (as in the Tundra). And while the Ram continues to score on road comfort, this TRD Pro is the most comfortable in the Tundra family in our opinion.This comfort and smooth ride allows our pickups to pick up incredible speed at an incredible pace. The high seating position strangely dulls the sense of speed. Of course, the V8 cannot be called quiet, but it absolutely does not strain, accelerating the car to high speeds, unlike the Ariel Atom planted below nowhere with the same engine. On a straight line, these two go head to head up to 65 km / h, and then the Tundra, which has 14 hp at its disposal. less, comes alive and bypasses the Ram (acceleration from 0 to 96 km / h in 6.6 and 6.8 seconds, respectively). The picture is the same in the quarter - 15.2 seconds (147.7 km / h at the finish line) for the Tundra and 15.3 seconds (143.9 km / h) for the Ram. Both engines reach their peak power at 5600 rpm, but Toyota's twin-shaft V8 is much more lively at high rpm.This advantage took on new colors as we left the training area and entered the main Hungry Valley area, where dozens of routes awaited us. After making a small circle and consolidating the acquired skills, we hit the road. At the head of the column is Martinez at the wheel of the Rebel, followed by me in the TRD Pro.
A few minutes later, it was like I was back on the Baja California track. Last year, Martinez and I covered over 4,000 km of the main Baja circuit in the latest TRD Pro in seven days. Sitting behind the wheel of the new Tundra, I began to remember that trip, how scared I was to drive along an unknown route, and how this feeling gave way to confidence as I got used to the car. It's like driving in mud: the higher the speed, the more fun. In instrumental tests, the BFG tires showed just 0.66g of average lateral acceleration, while the Ram's Toyo tires showed 0.71g, which left the Tundra in the G8 with 30.6 seconds and 0.53g far behind the Ram with its 29.1 seconds and 0.60g. On a wobbly surface where the stabilization system does not actively participate in the initiation of understeer in conditions of lack of traction, the power and handling of the Tundra is controlled by the driver. You drive and the car drives. You turn the gas, she goes. You put on the brake, the car slows down.
"Beware!" - Martinez said, standing at the start line. "Traction control is super aggressive."
My first mistake was trying to control the Rebel like it was a TRD Pro, because Ram immediately made me feel like an idiot. Display warnings urging me to service the engine and brakes followed one another, making it clear that the Ram didn't like my left-footed braking and the speed at which I was trying to drive. The steering effort is calibrated in such a way that when driving slowly on a rocky surface, it becomes tighter for greater accuracy, so I provoked it to be even heavier with my manipulations. In combat conditions, both Toyo and BFG performed equally well. The Rebel activated ABS earlier and more often, and immediately its stabilization system began to take control of the gas pedal from the driver. We had a great ride with Ram.
“I would love to be here all day,” Martinez sighed longingly at the finish line, checking his work email on his iPhone.
“Yes, but not behind the wheel of the Rebel,” I summed up.
The Rebel and TRD Pro are very similar in terms of comfort, fuel consumption (roughly 16.3 liters per 100 kilometers in mixed mode) and suitability for daily use. The Ram wins over with interesting and useful features and a superbly finished interior that is best in its class. Off-roading is only a small part of our life, but if I get into the wild, then I will gladly do it on the Tundra TRD Pro.2nd place: Ram 1500 Rebel 4x4 HemiA little piquancy off-road will not hurt him.
1st place: Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Do you want to feel like a real pro on an impassable mountain trail?
How to tell everyone that you have a cool SUV
If your car does not have prominent winch bumpers that hint at certain features of the male anatomy, then how do you make people around you know that your pickup is a cool SUV if you are driving it along a city avenue? Here are some opaque hints from the Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
Large inscriptions. No one should question your loyalty to your chosen brand. The Tundra Pro has special stamped side body panels and black badge piping for this. In case of sudden amnesia, Ram had huge letters RAM inscribed on the tailgate. Or here's another great idea: hood air intakes that aren't used to cool the engine compartment.
The tread pattern of the Rad Tires all-terrain tires is designed for optimal traction in all conditions, and it is also pleasing to the eye. Ram were so excited about the Toyo Open Country A / T II's tread pattern that they decided to replicate it on the seat trims. The optional BFGoodrich All-Terrain T / A KO tires offered for the Tundra are well known among pickup truck owners. Owners reported more than 100 million miles driven according to tirerack.com research, nearly 8 million more miles than the combined runners-up and third-place wheels combined.
Really go off-road. The USA is full of great off-road routes. There is literally everything - from snowy forests to sand dunes, from rocky trails to swamps, extinct volcanoes, fords, bogs and so on. Enjoy it all, but always remember to take your time.