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Ram is crushing the full-size pickup truck market. The Ram 1500 continues to outrank its competitors with critics, and the Ram TRX is still THE hot pickup truck. The one weak spot in the lineup is the strange choice for Ram not to use the Cummings turbo-diesel in the Ram Power Wagon. Thanks to America Expedition Vehicles (AEV), now you can get the Cummins diesel Power Wagon Ram won’t make – and it’s a doozy. Meet the AEV Prospector XL.

AEV Prospector XL profile
AEV Prospector XL | AEV

Does the Ram Power Wagon come with a Cummins diesel? 

For some reason, the Ram Power Wagon doesn’t come with a Cummins turbodiesel. This feels like a missed opportunity from the company that offers the 700+-hp Ram TRX. Well, the folks at AEV saw fit to remedy this oversight and now offer the Prospector XL, a Ram Power Wagon with upgraded suspension, huge tires, and the Cummins diesel. 

What is the AEV Prospector XL

Prospector XL badge upclose
AEV Prospector XL | AEV

The Prospector XL is a Ram Power Wagon that has been given the business. According to Car and Driver, AEV starts with a bang, completely disrespecting the Ford Bronco’s Sasquatch package by giving the Prospector XL 40-in off-road tires. That, my friends, is a hellova lot of tire. 

AEV continues the transformation with exaggerated fender flares that grow the truck’s width by almost 5 inches. Ram says the reason they wouldn’t do the Cummins in the Ram Power Wagon is becuase it would weigh too much. AEV apparently saw this as a challenge and rose to the occasion. The Prospector XL is equipped with AEV’s DualSport R/T Suspension system raising the ride height to an astounding 84.6-inches, which is 4.4-inches higher than a standard Ram 2500. 

How much does the AEV Prospector XL cost? 

AEV Prospector XL | AEV in green, kicking up dust
AEV Prospector XL | AEV

There is no such thing as a cheap HD pickup truck. They don’t exist. However, seeing as how everything is relative, the Prospector XL is a bargain. Car and Driver’s 2020 model-year example costs $94,528, including the $19,999 Prospector XL package (which has since increased to $20,999), plus a few other options such as a full-size spare tire, additional lights front and rear, power running boards, and leather seats.

If spec’d properly, the Prospector is within a few grand of the Ram 1500 TRX. Don’t get me wrong, the TRX is one of the baddest trucks on the road, but it isn’t even kind of as cool as the Prospector. If you can get a full-blown HD Ram Power Wagon with a Cummings making 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque on 40-in tires, badass suspension, and after-market leather (if you care for such things) for a few thousand dollars more than the TRX, why wouldn’t you? 

Is the AEV Prospector XL Power Wagon fast? 

The AEV Prospector XL parked in the desert is a Ram Power Wagon with a Cummins Diesel
AEV Prospector XL | AEV

The AEV Prospector is not a fast truck. The Cummins diesel makes plenty of power but in all the wrong ways for acceleration. The Prospector XL takes an agonizing 8.3-seconds to hit 60 mph. However, it has enough torque to spin the Earth a little to get a headstart. 

If you dig AEV’s style, check out this insane Jeep Wrangler in the link below! 

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Staff Writer

Peter Corn

Peter Corn joined MotorBiscuit as an Autos Writer in 2020 and brings his quippiest Southern drawl to our table. Having, in his words, “helped” rebuild his dad’s 1959 MGA as a small child, Peter grew up loving vintage cars and trucks, adding motorcycles and all things 4×4 as he went.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Archeology and Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and has since melded his love of driving with storytelling. His voice, full of pleasantries and witticisms, can be enjoyed in The Gentleman Racer, The Vintagent, Gear Patrol, Iron & Air Magazine, and Classic Car Club Magazine.

Peter is a co-founder of both The Colloquial Magazine and The Fire Escape, the official podcast of The Colloquial. In an effort to increase his abilities in “ramping anything with wheels,” Peter has taken track training from Classic Car Club Manhattan and attended Rally School at Monticello Motor Club, where he was coached by eight-time Performance Rally motorsport champion Chris Duplessis.

On a lucky day, we get to hear Peter tell the story of his first car, a jewel of a 1958 Ford Fairlane, into which he dumped more time and money than made sense, but he has no regrets.