The Back Channel: 777 and Second Place
The room argues over a 777-horsepower truck that assists your hands and a compact Kia that just ended several conversations.
Hank Whitaker Six point two liters, supercharged, 777 horsepower, zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. Ram built a monument. I will not hear otherwise.
Olivia Mercer They also made the Hands-Free Active Drive Assist standard. Level 2+, Hank. The most powerful production gas-powered off-road truck ever made will steer itself down the highway for you.
Hank Whitaker That is a convenience feature on a vehicle that hits 118 miles per hour and has 11.8 inches of ground clearance. Those two facts are not in conflict.
Olivia Mercer They are not in conflict. They are a confession. The era is admitting something, and it chose to do it at the top of the spec sheet.
Daniel Pruitt For the record, Ram calls it Hands-Free Active Drive Assist, Level 2+. It is a driver assist. The driver is responsible. The release is clear on that.
Ruth Sandoval Thank you, Daniel. Also, $99,995 plus $2,795 destination. Someone was going to drop the destination charge.
Marcus Ellery I am reading that the interior includes real carbon-fiber trim and a 900-watt Harman Kardon audio system with 19 speakers. A ten-inch subwoofer in an off-road truck. Someone built this vehicle as an argument, and the argument is about everything at once.
Hank Whitaker Marcus, may I bring you to the K4. A compact Kia. Second highest ranked vehicle in initial quality industrywide, per JD Power. One spot from the top of the entire study.
Olivia Mercer Which is the part of today that Hank cannot explain with displacement.
Marcus Ellery Second highest in initial quality is not second-best car in America, to be precise. But it is the kind of number that makes a room go quiet.
Theo Park Two stories today. One is about what a truck can do. The other is about whether a car simply works. The second one travels further.
Frank Barlow 777 horsepower, Level 2+, second overall in quality. The industry filed a lot of paperwork this week. We reported it. Moving on.