With the somewhat recent debut of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor off-roader, it’s tempting to draw parallels between it and the Ram Power Wagon. But for all their similarities, these are beasts of a different breed.

First offered as part of the 2005 (Dodge) Ram Heavy Duty lineup, the Power Wagon is just as much a hard-core off-road machine as the Raptor, but the target audiences share only their distaste for pavement. For the Raptor, home turf is the low-lying deserts, places where it can flex its suspension at 100 mph over sand washes and scrub. The Power Wagon, though, answers a higher calling and makes its home climbing mountains and patrolling the back roads of our highest altitudes, not our lowest.

2010 Ram Power Wagon Rear Three Quarter View Snow

For everything the Power Wagon offers, though, there are a few options we’re left pining for. The redesigned-for-2010 package can only be ordered with the Crew Cab four-door body and 6.4-ft. bed, making the truck simultaneously too long for the most serious off-roading while handicapping customers who need the load space of the 8.2-ft. box. The Power Wagon also is only offered with the 5.7L 383-hp Hemi gasoline V-8 engine and its 400 lb.-ft. of torque and the five-speed automatic. The combination is more than enough to pull the rig through most any situation, but we can’t help but wish the legendary Cummins turbodiesel were available, and maybe a stick shift.

2010 Ram Power Wagon Front Three Quarter View High Mud

The recipe to build a Power Wagon is rather simple. Start with a $39,430 Ram 2500 SLT Crew Cab 4×4 and mark the $6,350 option box innocuously titled “Customer Preferred Package 26P.” For a base price of $45,780, you walk out the door with an old-school manual transfer case on the floor, lockable front and rear axles, a remote-disconnecting front stabilizer bar, skid plates on the fuel tank and transfer case, a Warn winch up front and a high-output alternator to run it, Bilstein shocks, a trailer brake controller and tow hitch, 17-in. wheels wrapped in 32-in. all-terrain tires, a 2-inch lift, and a 4.56 rear axle ratio.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is including Toyota electronics as a possible conduit in its investigation of unintended acceleration, Automotive News reports. The news Web site cites an unidentified Transportation official who confirmed the inclusion of possible electronic problems via email.

Thus far, Toyota has suspended production and sales of key models in its lineup while it rushes to revise its pedal assemblies. The world’s largest automaker has also issued recalls affecting some 7.5 million vehicles worldwide (Click here for our timeline).

“We’re not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects and monitor the implementation of the recalls,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an unrelated statement today, chastising the automaker for what he feels was a reluctance to initiate a recall.

Toyota issued a response on its media site today, saying, “Since these issues first came to our attention, we have understood that the soonest possible action would be in the best interests of our customers and have acted accordingly. We are very grateful for the advice of all the government agencies involved and feel that through our handling of the recall we have a chance to regain the trust of our customers.”

Source: Automotive News, Detroit Free Press, Toyota

BMW’s most athletic 7 Series sedan, the 2011 Alpina B7, can be had for a starting price of $122,875 when it hits North American dealers this spring. A long wheelbase version will sell for $126,775. Both prices include an $875 destination and handling charge.

For the uninitiated, Alpina is the sole BMW-backed tuner and car manufacturer that bases its products on the Bavarian luxury machines. Each of its models is sold, warrantied, and serviced at authorized BMW dealers.

This latest B7 is the second generation to come to the States. Like its predecessor, it reeks of exclusivity and performance. Its twin turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 boasts an impressive 500 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque courtesy of new pistons, larger intercoolers, and a revised 14.5 psi boost pressure.

Power output is some 100 hp and 66 lb-ft more than a 750i with the same base mill and catapults the four door to 60 mph in a reported 4.5 seconds. Rowing through the Alpina-tuned six-speed auto takes only a “few hundred milliseconds”.

Handling is beefed up through shorter springs and 21-in. forged alloys wrapped in sticky Michelin rubber. New splitters fore and aft also reduce lift by 30% up front and 15% out back, while at the same time providing a clean look.

Swing open a door and you’ll find Lavalina leather matched with Myrtle Burl wood trim. Alcantara headlining and Alpina badges round out the customized interior.

Source: BMW