Story and photos by Mike Magda

Back in the day, travel-trailer owners used their personal vehicles or shop trucks to tote their Airstreams or Vagabonds cross country — there were no one-ton turbo-diesel crew cabs with navigation systems and leather seats. This is how real truckers went on vacation with their families.

The fifth annual Trail Along to Pismo vintage RV show was held last weekend in Pismo Beach, Calif., and it featured an eclectic collection of old pickup trucks, station wagons, woodies and a few truly unusual home-built tow-vehicle creations. Highlights included a BMW pickup along with the Boles Aeros, Streamliners, Silver Streaks and the always cool Teardrops.

The show offers a nostalgic atmosphere, with kids riding around on Stingray bikes, women dressed in poodle skirts and all the trailers decorated in classic vintage decor. We strolled through the 300 allotted spaces at the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort looking for the coolest tow vehicles we could find. We'll let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Despite the law and warnings that seat belts save lives, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says people still aren’t wearing them, making high-travel holiday weekends especially dangerous.

According to NHTSA, if all passengers age 5 and older had worn seat belts, 3,341 lives would have been spared in 2010. As with other years, the organization is asking police to ramp up efforts to ticket seat belt scofflaws. The annual Click It or Ticket law enforcement crackdown has resulted in more than 3 million seat belt citations over the last five years, NHTSA reports.

NHTSA says this year’s Click It or Ticket crackdown is specifically targeting drivers who try to fake it. “Our new ad campaign focuses on a move known as the ‘fake-a-roony’ — quickly and momentarily pulling your belt across your chest when driving past a police car,” it said in a statement.

With Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, NHTSA is renewing its campaign to get people to buckle up by dispelling some common seat belt myths:

The Myth: If your car has airbags, you don’t need to use a seat belt.
The Real Deal: Airbags are designed to protect a buckled occupant. When a passenger is unbuckled, airbags become less effective or worse they can become deadly themselves.

The Myth: Seat belts can trap you in a fire or underwater.
The Real Deal: Incidents involving fire or water account for one-half of 1% of all crashes. But more importantly, you can’t escape such dangers unless you’re conscious. Wearing a seat belt gives you a much greater chance of being conscious and able-bodied.

The Myth: If you’re not going far or traveling fast, seat belts aren’t necessary.
The Real Deal: Seemingly routine trips can be deceptively dangerous. Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from home and at speeds of less than 40 mph.

The Myth: Your seat belt can hurt you in a crash.
The Real Deal: In a crash, everything in your car can cause you harm — your seat belt is one of the few things that can actually save you.

The Myth: Just being in a pickup truck makes you safer than everyone else.
The Real Deal: For SUV, pickup and van occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60%.

The Myth: It’s not as essential for guys to wear seat belts; they’re much better drivers.
The Real Deal: Young men are most at risk. Among passenger vehicle occupants, men ages 18 to 34, who were killed in fatal crashes, 66% were not buckled. That’s the highest of any age group.

Related
Strict Laws Convince Teens to Buckle Up
Illinois Seat Belt Law Reminder
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Two redesigned vehicles have been named Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: the 2013 Acura RDX crossover and the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan.

The compact sedan and compact crossover received the group’s highest rating, Good, across all areas of testing: front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. The rollover test includes a roof-strength test. To pass it, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times its weight.

According to IIHS, 2006-11 3 Series models received Good ratings in front and side crash tests and Acceptable in roof-strength tests, but rear crash-test scores vary by model because of different types of seats and head restraints. Model-year 2009-11 sedans with power leather seats received a Good rating in the rear crash test, but 2006-08 sedans with power leather seats were rated Acceptable, and 2006 sedans with manual leather seats received a Poor rating, the lowest on the scale.

The 2007-12 RDX received a Good score in every category except roof strength, where it earned a rating of Marginal.

Related

Research the 2013 Acura RDX
Research the 2012 BMW 3 Series
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]]> http://dailydriverblog.com/2012/05/2013-acura-rdx-2012-bmw-3-series-earn-iihs-top-safety-pick/feed/ 0 http://dailydriverblog.com/2012/05/road-test-2012-ram-1500-sport-cc-4x4/ http://dailydriverblog.com/2012/05/road-test-2012-ram-1500-sport-cc-4x4/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 18:59:40 +0000 admin http://dailydriverblog.com/2012/05/road-test-2012-ram-1500-sport-cc-4x4/
Story and Photos by Dan Sanchez

At a time when just about every dollar of one’s paycheck is accounted for, people often save money by owning one vehicle that can perform a variety of tasks. This is a reason why truck sales, especially crew cabs, remain high. So it’s comforting to know that trucks like the 2012 Ram 1500 crew cab 4×4 have evolved into a vehicle that can haul cargo to the construction site, pick up the kids from school and tow your trailer to a campsite for a fun weekend adventure.

Despite the rise in luxury truck sales, truck enthusiasts who depend on their vehicles know that gas mileage and tow ratings matter more than leather seats and a wood-grain dash. Nevertheless, our Ram test vehicle was a fully equipped four-wheel-drive Sport crew cab with leather seating, navigation, sunroof and many more options that jacked up the sticker (to dowwnload the Ram 1500 pricing sheet, click here) above $51,000. That’s a whole lot of extras on a truck whose base price is around $40,000 and includes a 5.7-liter Hemi engine, a six-speed automatic transmission and a gas mileage rating of 19 mpg on the highway.

While the base model seems much more reasonable to anyone willing to give up some luxury items, like an $850 power sunroof or a $1,695 rear-seat video system, one of the more useful options is a 3.92:1 rear axle ratio and a limited-slip differential. With a standard payload capacity of 1,500 pounds, the added rear-axle options gave our test truck a towing capacity of 10,200 pounds. This would prove to be a great asset in the off-road conditions we put the truck through.

Although the bright Flame Red truck looked great with its color-matched bumpers, grille and sport performance hood, we got it covered in dirt and dust while traveling over several off-road trails that included deep ruts, river washes and loose terrain.

The Ram’s suspension hasn’t changed in several years, and it still proved to be capable. It uses aluminum A-arms, coil springs and twin-tube shocks in the front with a five-link suspension with coil springs, track bar and twin-tube shocks at the rear. We drove the Ram over a steep hill climb and washed-out trails that put the suspension into its maximum point of articulation. Despite the conditions, the Ram provided a predictable and well-balanced ride. The truck never felt unsteady or incapable of handling anything a stock-height truck could drive over.

The stiffer ladder-style chassis allowed the suspension to fully extend and compress while slowly crawling over deeply rutted areas. The only limiting factor was the P275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler HP tires that were an option for our test model’s Sport package. The tires were mounted on polished 20-inch aluminum wheels that looked great, but the combination was better suited for high mileage and a smooth highway ride. It may not be enough traction to tread where Jeeps roam, but the Ram can still easily get you to any campsite off the beaten path.

The only other drawback we saw was ground clearance. You can simply never have enough of it, but we didn’t want to go into more rugged terrain and risk scratching the air dam. That in and of itself is not much to complain about, but we were well aware that if the truck were outfitted with a set of all-terrain tires and a 3-inch body lift, it would be dramatically more capable without any other changes. Nevertheless, we realized that the Ram was set up to be a good compromise that also offers comfort, smooth operation and capabilities in other areas, which we experienced on our test drive.

With the Ram’s crew-cab design, there’s plenty of room and storage areas in the doors, center console and under the rear seats. Our test model came equipped with a rear entertainment system that connected to a media center featuring a 40-gigabyte hard drive and GPS navigation. These are nice items to have so you don’t get lost finding that off-road trail off the highway or getting to a new restaurant you’ve always wanted to try. The truck also featured Uconnect, which allows you to make hands-free phone calls via Bluetooth and connects you to assistance when you need it. For daily driving, the interior is more than spacious and comfortable for driving with the family or taking your boss out for lunch.

But some truck owners also use their vehicles for work. In this case, the RamBox Cargo Management System comes in handy. The RamBox safely stores items in the sides of the bed with a lockable, weatherproof lid. The boxes can hold lots of 12-ounce beverages (140 total) for your weekend getaways. That was perfect for our off-road excursion, leaving more room in the cab for passengers and eliminating the chance of an ice chest bouncing around in the bed. The RamBox can also hold work tools, tow straps and other items you may want to keep in the vehicle. We liked that both boxes, and the tailgate, lock with the ignition key. It’s a great feature, especially when used with any aftermarket hard folding tonneau cover to secure tools and other items you may use to transport to and from the job site.

We took our truck on an exciting off-road trip, but we also saw how well it performs with a heavy load in the bed by hauling 1,000 pounds of scrap metal to the local recycling yard. We especially liked how the new 65RFE six-speed gave us access to all six gears when manually shifting with the console shifter, which came in handy with the heavier load.

Our test model had an optional urethane spray-in bed liner that worked exceptionally well; it didn’t leave any dents or scratches from the load. With the extra weight, the truck sank an inch or two but still drove and handled predictably. The Ram looked quite comfortable carrying the hefty load and it didn’t feel overly top-heavy, especially when maneuvering around corners and in stop-and-go traffic. In fact, several workers around the recycling yard gathered around to check out the truck, and they gave us a few thumbs-up. Others liked the tailgate assist that made it effortless to open and close the tailgate when moving the payload.

While the as-tested price gave us (and other truck owners we talked with) a little bit of sticker shock, the Ram 1500 crew cab is definitely a vehicle that proved it could take on mildly difficult off-road terrain, haul heavy loads and keep the family quiet and comfortable in a roomy cab. We also liked that our test truck managed to get 20 mpg on the highway and 15 mpg in combined off-road and street driving conditions. But with a moderate base price and lots of options, buyers can outfit the Ram 1500 crew cab to whatever fits their needs and budget.

With a stiff ladder-style chassis, the suspension can fully extend and compress while slowly crawling over deeply rutted areas. Ground clearance is an issue, and although the truck is capable of more rugged terrain, we were not willing to damage the front air dam.

The 5.7-liter Hemi is powerful, making 390 hp and 407 pounds-feet of torque. But it’s also more fuel efficient achieving 20 mpg (unloaded) on the highway during our test, largely due to the modified 65RFE transmission that gives the driver access (through manual shifting only–you'll use only five gears in “D”) to all six gears.

Our test vehicle came equipped with P275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler HP tires and polished 20-inch wheels. The combination is better suited for pavement comfort and traction rather than off-road conditions, but we didn’t hold that against it.

The interior of our truck had all the amenities, including leather seating. This made the ride seem a bit more comfortable, especially with the power 10-way adjustable driver’s seat and six-way adjustable passenger seat. A navigation system and a multimedia center keeps you and the family entertained.

With good looks and rugged capabilities, the 2012 Ram 1500 crew cab can meet the needs of truck enthusiasts who use their vehicles for work and play; it's more than just a four-wheel-drive truck with good off-road capabilities. It also functions well as a daily driver and heavy hauler when needed.