American Expedition Vehicles builds the diesel Power Wagon that Ram won’t—and then some.
We’re guessing that Chevrolet turned to Wixom, Michigan-based American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) for help with its Colorado ZR2 Bison because AEV is one of the most respected aftermarket firms when it comes to building off-road and overlanding rigs. The company has a reputation for delivering the durability and reliability one expects from an OEM, which is rare in the aftermarket world. But AEV also builds and sells upgrades for Jeeps, as well as for heavy-duty Ram pickups, which leads us to arguably its most imposing creation: the Prospector XL. Think of it as AEV’s answer for those who wonder why Ram doesn’t build a Power Wagon with the Ram HD’s optional Cummins turbo-diesel engine.
Ram will tell you that the Cummins mill is too heavy for the Power Wagon’s intended off-road use, yet the Prospector XL certainly makes a case for such a combination. It is so big and awesome and American, it should come with its own belt buckle. Ford may promote the 37-inch tires on its F-150 and Bronco Raptors, but the Prospector XL’s rubber measures 40 inches in diameter. Let that sink in. The tires on this truck are tall enough to ride some amusement park rides. Fender flares increase the truck’s stock width by nearly five inches, to 88.2. And AEV’s DualSport RT Suspension system raises the cab height to a ridiculous elevation—84.6 inches, which is some 4.4 inches higher than a stock Ram 2500. AEV’s off-road bumpers don’t look gaudy or oversized, though. And without the perspective of a nearby normal-sized pickup truck—if such a thing exists in the heavy-duty truck segment—the Prospector doesn’t look too disproportionately enormous.
HIGHS: Reasonably priced for the added equipment, a rare sight, incredibly capable, smooth riding.
The shocking thing is that this 8780-pound truck is a relative value. As it sits, our 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. The latter is an interesting upgrade that initially had us scratching our heads, but it does make some financial sense: To unlock leather upholstery in an HD Ram pickup you must step up a few trim levels. Conversely, having an aftermarket leather option enables buyers to source a lower-spec model to start with while keeping the final price within a few grand of our long-term Ram 1500 TRX. We’ve seen countless more TRXs on the road than Prospectors, and simply put, the AEV is cooler. There, we said it.
If you’re into the juxtaposed “fast pickup” genre, look to a TRX or a Raptor because the Prospector isn’t fast or quick. We won’t even call it swift. With all 370 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque working to get this rig moving, the soonest you’ll reach 60 mph is 8.3 seconds—unless you fall off a mountain pass, at which point even the big Cummins can’t defy gravity. Though if that does happen, an optional Warn winch is there to assist with the recovery. We didn’t find an excuse to use that winch in what little off-roading we did. Which is a good thing because the Prospector attracted quite an audience at our local off-road park. With those 40-inch tires, we found that we could climb onto and over large concrete blocks with little effort. In a practical application this means that most downed tree trunks amount to nothing more than speed bumps. The only thing stopping us from tackling the gnarliest obstacles we could find was the fear of damaging AEV’s truck.
LOWS: StairMaster-sponsored ingress and egress, rather slow, parking garages are off limits.
Despite each wheel and tire weighing 141 pounds—which contributed to the Prospector XL’s lowly 13-mpg average fuel economy—its acceleration was just quick enough to stay clear of our list of slowest efforts we measured in 2021. Yet while every coal-rolling, bro-dozering pickup you pass salutes the AEV’s awesomeness, you’ll be wise to steer away from any stoplight challenges. Odds are the diesel engines in those trucks have been electronically uncorked, which any Prospector XL owner could do. But we recommend following AEV’s lead and leaving the powertrain alone. Sure, there may be some additional pound-feet available from a tweak here and there. But when you modify a Cummins engine, you potentially jeopardize its notorious reliability. This 6.7-liter inline-six is as close to an industrial-grade engine as you can get in a vehicle this side of a Class 8 semi.
That 13-mpg fuel-economy figure also is better than we were expecting. Massive tires, a larger frontal area, and a curb weight flirting with 9000 pounds are not mpg friendly. A fuel-consumption average in the single digits—which would be only slightly worse than the 10 mpg our long-term TRX has managed thus far—wouldn’t have surprised us. Interestingly, the AEV achieved 15 mpg on our 75-mph highway test, which is 1 mpg better than a TRX fared.
Obviously, getting into the Prospector is a light workout. The power running boards from Amp Research deploy with alarming quickness and make the otherwise mid-thigh step-up height manageable. We deactivated them when off-roading out of fear we’d open the door and they’d drop onto a boulder, likely snapping like a major leaguer breaking a bat over his knee. Once inside, though, the visibility from the elevated driver’s perch is great. However, be mindful that Miatas and small hatchbacks can hide in this truck’s shadow. Settle in and the ride quality is about what you’d expect from a vehicle with four massive donuts insulating its body and cabin from the road, which is to say it’s pretty good. At 70 mph the interior hums with 68 decibels of noise, which isn’t only better than we expected considering the fist-sized tread blocks of the 40-inch Toyos, it’s downright good. For comparison, a 2020 Ram 2500 Laramie rolling on more street-focused rubber was 2 decibels quieter inside at that speed.
In short, the Prospector XL is over the top yet not nearly as difficult to live with as its size suggests. Ram may not build a diesel Power Wagon, but if it ever decided to, it should take a lesson from Chevy and partner with AEV. We imagine Ram could even design a fancy belt buckle to go with it.
Specifications
Specifications
2020 AEV Prospector XL Diesel Crew Cab 4×4
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
PRICEBase/As Tested: $71,344/$94,528
Ram Options: Level 2 Equipment Group, $4890; Big Horn package, $4900; Sport Appearance package, $895; Off Road package, $495; limited-slip rear differential, $445; bucket front seats, $295; Billet Silver Metallic paint, $200; auxiliary switches, $145; 220-amp alternator, $100; clearance lamps, $95 AEV Options: F1 leather upgrade, $3500; Warn TI-s winch, $2452; Amp Research power side steps, $1571; full-size spare, $816; Vision X light bar, $790; tonneau cover, $470; vehicle-recovery kit, $435; rear-bumper lighting, $415; Spare-tire tie-down strap, $275
ENGINEturbocharged and intercooled pushrod 24-valve diesel inline-6, iron block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 408 in3, 6690 cm3Power: 370 hp @ 2800 rpm
Torque: 850 lb-ft @ 1152 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed automatic
CHASSISSuspension, F/R: live axle/live axleBrakes, F/R: 14.2-in vented disc/14.1-in vented discTires: Toyo Open Country M/T
40×13.5R-17LT 121Q M+S
DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 149.0 inLength: 238.9 inWidth: 88.2 inHeight: 84.6 in
Passenger Volume: 125 ft3
Curb Weight: 8780 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 8.3 sec1/4-Mile: 16.6 sec @ 84 mph100 mph: 26.2 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.0 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.9 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.8 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 101 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 202 ft
C/D FUEL ECONOMYObserved: 13 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 15 mpg
Highway Range: 460 mi
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Keyword: AEV Prospector XL Tested: How to Supersize a Ram 2500 HD