Ram has unveiled their new multifunction tailgate to take on GMC.

There is a war going on in the pickup world. What used to be a battle over who had the most towing capacity or who had the most powerful V8 engine has instead been replaced by who has the coolest, most useful tailgate.

GMC fired the first salvo last year with their Multi-Pro tailgate. Capable of deploying in any of 6 different configurations, the Multi-Pro allowed pickup owners to turn their tailgate into a mobile workbench and then back again all with a few flicks of the wrist.

And they were awful about it, too. GMC even rubbed Ram’s face in their Multi-Pro tailgate shortly before The Big Game on Twitter. But Ram shot back saying they were bringing a fancy tailgate of their own to the party, and now we get to see just what all the fuss was about.

Ram doesn’t have a fancy name for their multifunction tailgate, simply opting to call it the “multifunction tailgate.” And we’re a little unclear just how multifunction this tailgate is, since it seems that all it can do is swing open in one of four different ways.

2019 Ram 1500 Multifunction Tailgate
via Ram

There’s a big seam down the middle that allows two halves of the tailgate to swing open independently. Or the whole thing can be laid down flat like a regular tailgate. You cannot lay down each panel flat independently because that would require some complicated hinges that Ram just doesn’t have the engineering genius to produce.

RELATED: RAM MIGHT BE GETTING ITS OWN FANCY TAILGATE TO TAKE ON GMC

The panels are split 60:40 and can be opened 88 degrees. They can be remotely released and are damped to prevent the tailgate from being damaged. Additionally, Ram also has a retractable center-mounted step to make it a little easier to get into the bed.

Ram has also given us a new RamBox cargo management system that basically adds saddlebags to either side of the bed rails. Each storage bin is weatherproof, lockable, illuminated, and drainable, and comes with a 115-volt, 400-watt outlet.

There’s also a “bed divider/two-foot bed extender and cargo rail system with four sliding, adjustable cleats”. If you’re into that.

The new multifunction tailgate will be available on all 2019 Ram 1500 trims starting in the second quarter of this year. Pricing is $995, with an additional $295 for the center-mounted bed step. Ram didn’t provide pricing on the RamBox or bed divider/extender, but hopefully it’s not too pricey.

NEXT: 2019 GMC SIERRA DENALI GETS NEW TAILGATE AND OTHER FEATURES