The large American pickup truck is a polarizing machine. These burly beasts are often the butt of jokes and the recipients of unfortunate modifications, but there’s a reason America still has a truck fever of 2500 and up. New diesel pickup trucks are so good they can be your work vehicle, your luxury car, and your family car. I just drove the 2025 Ram 2500 and I’m in love. The truck and its incredible 6.7-liter 1,075 lb-ft torque Cummins straight-six diesel is so comfortable and so powerful that you won’t care how big it is. Lash up that trailer, it’s time for a road trip!
America’s Big Three have been locked into an arms race for what feels like an eternity. Ford, General Motors, and Ram each want to claim the crown of America’s best pickup truck, and the competition has been sizzling hot across the different truck classes. Ford will happily sell you a single cab long bed Ford Super Duty F-450 that’s capable of towing a 40,000-pound gooseneck trailer. General Motors currently offers the only diesel half-ton on the market. Ram? It’s coming swinging for the fences with what it feels is the perfect combination of a mountain of power, fine transmission tuning, and a kind of comfort you’d expect from a luxury marque, not a truck brand.
I think Ram hit this one out of the park.
(Full Disclosure: Ram invited me out to Las Vegas, Nevada, to take its new Heavy Duty lineup on what was more or less an intense 24-hour gauntlet of testing. Ram paid for my travel, lodging (at a weird casino), good food, and fuel.)
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter which brand you pick nowadays. Today’s heavy-duty pickup trucks are so mind-blowing in their capabilities that loyalists of blue ovals, bowties, and rams are all winners, and the sales of these brands show it. Last year I got to test a 2024 Ford Super Duty F-250 Power Stroke by hauling my family’s camper out to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Then I raced down to Wilmington, North Carolina to pick up a project car and drive back home. The Ford was so powerful and so comfortable I wouldn’t have had nearly as good of a time in something else. Yet, as you’re about to read, Ram’s new glorious trucks beat last year’s big red truck from Dearborn.
A Lump Of Cummins Power
Back in early January Stellantis announced its new lineup of Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 trucks. In its release, the automaker boasted the truck’s enhanced towing features and new benchmarks in comfort, technology, and luxury.
The headlining feature was what you’ll find under the hood. Ram’s internal data reveals that 70 percent of Ram 2500 customers opt for the diesel while nearly all customers get the diesel in the Ram 3500. That’s a lot of diesel diehards.
So the company worked to make sure everyone’s favorite Cummins diesel was even better. The first major change was that Ram completely eliminated the standard Cummins B6.7 straight-six. In the past, buyers were able to opt for a standard B6.7 or pay more for the High Output version. Ram realized that the vast majority of buyers got the High Output version, so the standard model was discontinued. So now, all HDs get the same chunky 6.7-liter Cummins High Output turbodiesel making 430 horsepower and a whopping 1,075 lb-ft no matter if you buy the 2500 or higher.
The diesel under the hood of these trucks is the latest version of the Cummins B6.7. Cummins outright calls the B6.7 a “million-mile workhorse” and claims that “no other diesel has more miles on the road or more worldwide experience than the legendary 6.7L.” Indeed, the iconic Cummins 5.9-liter gets all of the love and attention from diesel truck nuts, but the B6.7 has become a legend of its own. A while back Cummins described why the 6.7 is so great:
To deliver more power and meet stricter emissions requirements, we knew the 5.9L would need to evolve in order to continue exceeding RAM owners’ expectations. In January 2007, we introduced 6.7L Turbo Diesel for pickups, bringing a 13% increase in displacement and some exciting new technologies. Out of the gate, it bested 5.9L power output and met stricter emissions regulations.
The model-year 2013.5 engine introduced a number of performance and environmental enhancements. The addition of SCR (Selective Catalyst Reduction) technology delivered a 10% boost to fuel efficiency and another increase in peak torque, while doubling the 6.7L’s oil change intervals.
The new 6.7L Turbo Diesel retains the familiar cast iron block and cylinder heads of the 5.9L, but advances in fuel and air delivery change nearly everything else, especially power ratings and maintenance intervals – now at 15,000 miles. The 6.7L produces up to 900 lb-ft torque and 385 HP. Plus, full torque is reached at a low 1,700 RPM. This makes the ride in today’s Cummins-powered RAM 2500 and 3500 models quieter, smoother and more powerful than ever before. Beyond the benefits of increased displacement, advances in Cummins technology continue to set the bar for power, fuel economy, durability and clean emissions.
Today, Cummins says that the B6.7, which is now up to 1,025 lb-ft of torque, is the largest straight-six diesel you can buy in the light truck and medium-duty market. Cummins and Ram discuss the improvements for the 2025 engine, writing:
Working closely with Cummins, the 6.7-liter High-Output inline-6-cylinder Turbo Diesel engine boasts several improvements in drivability, fuel economy, durability, startability, serviceability, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
A redesigned block and head, robust heavy-duty pistons, new performance intake manifold, a new turbo, larger intake/exhaust valves for improved port flow and a higher-pressure fuel system enhance the diesel’s hallmark durability and efficiency. To make service easier, and improve air flow and performance, the new Cummins engine uses improved intake port geometry for top feed injectors, top load lubrication and integrated fuel filters. Helping customers in extremely cold environments, Ram Heavy Duty trucks equipped with the Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel use glow plugs. Noise, vibration and harshness were reduced using helical transmission gears.
The new 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty integrates the TorqueFlite HD eight-speed automatic transmission that features a lower cruise engine rpm and improved performance on graded roads.
That new fuel system includes a fuel pump that helps diesel fire into the cylinders at 30,000 PSI. That new TorqueFlight also replaces the previous AISIN AS69RC six-speed and the Chrysler 68 RFE. The HD 8 transmission has a relatively tall 3.42 rear axle ratio for better fuel economy and a relatively short 4.89 ratio first gear which helps with starts while loaded. When the truck is unloaded, it starts in second gear.
We’ll get back to this in a moment because the marketing speak wasn’t lying here. The cool thing is that Ram also isn’t doing any funny business on price. Spending an additional $12,595 over an equivalent gas truck gets you the diesel with all of the improvements. Ram says this is about what the High Output diesel cost before, so you’re basically getting the upgrades for a similar price.
Ram claims that the Cummins gives you a “best-in-class standard 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque.” The word “standard” is important there. Ford’s 6.7-liter High Output Power Stroke V8 offers 500 HP and 1,200 lb-ft of torque, but it’s not the standard diesel option for those trucks.
Ram says these upgrades, as well as some transmission tweaking, are part of why these trucks have some seriously impressive ratings:
The all-new 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel is rated at 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque, while the 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 is rated at 405 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque. Capability includes a maximum towing capacity of 36,610 pounds (diesel) and a maximum payload of 7,590 pounds (gas). Ram 3500 Heavy Duty maximum gooseneck and conventional hitch maximum trailer weight ratings for 2025 are 36,610 pounds and 23,000 pounds, respectively.
Now, I will note that these ratings are somewhat behind Ford. A Ford F-350 DRW can tow up to 28,000 pounds from its conventional hitch receiver. Likewise, a Ford F-350 DRW can haul up to a 40,000-pound gooseneck trailer depending on configuration. Ram acknowledges this and counters with the fact that its trucks are more comfortable.
The Comfy Truck
That might sound odd to hear in a product that you might think would be geared towards blue-collar work.
While it’s true that many heavy-duty pickup trucks spend their lives as so-called “pavement princesses,” a serious number of heavy-duty pickup buyers use their trucks just like I did. Ram says that 90 percent of its HD truck buyers are using their trucks for towing trailers and hauling loads in the bed. This is compared to just 10 percent of light-duty buyers, or at least that’s what Ram says. Thus, the new Ram HD trucks are optimized to make towing as easy as possible. However, comfort is a huge deal, too.
The buyers of today want to be able to pull massive trailers and do so with as little fatigue as possible. Today’s truck buyers don’t see their trucks as just mobile offices but also places to unwind after a hard day of work. So, as trucks have been getting more capable, they’re also getting more comfortable.
The engineers at Ram spend a lot of time working on noise, vibration, and harshness. Back in 2009, the Ram 1500 (née Dodge Ram) was the first full-size pickup truck to deploy a rear coil spring suspension since GM’s C-trucks of the early 1970s. The closest anyone else came was the Chevrolet Avalanche, which I guess counts, but does have that funky integrated bed thing. Back in ’09, Ram pitched the coil spring suspension as offering better articulation off-road than leaf springs, but the company also noted better road manners and ride comfort. Since then, Ram has been known for building trucks that are more comfortable than the competition. (Our in-house dynamics engineer Huibert Mees breaks down coils vs leaf springs here).
Thankfully, the story isn’t any different today. When I spoke with Ram engineers in Nevada, they told me that yes, while Ram is just as obsessed with cranking up capability, the company is also deeply concerned with comfort. Ram HD trucks aren’t just sold to people who want to tow giant campers, but also t fleets. The way Ram sees it, a smart fleet operator will be okay trading some capacity to have a more comfortable ride because drivers that have less fatigue will be more efficient and happy.
Ram mentioned comfort quite a lot in its press releases, so let’s just jump into it.
Hitting The Road
The organizers for Ram’s press event were clever. Normally, the press would arrive at the nearest major airport to a press event and then either Uber or take a shuttle to the event location. Ram arranged a super cool setup where journalists got off of their planes and right into a waiting truck. We got to drive the trucks to the press event where we would drive more trucks. Honestly, it was brilliant and I hope other automakers take note. Forget the Sprinter vans, just put us behind the wheel right away!
Anyway, Ram had chosen for me to ride out to Laughlin, Nevada in a 2025 Ram 2500 Rebel. The whole deal about the Rebel lineup is that you get a rugged truck that’s outfitted for off-roading from the factory (but not quite as hard-core as the Power Wagon, which I’ll talk about more later). So you get 33-inch off-road tires, a 19,890-pound towing capacity, Bilstein shocks, and skid plates.
This truck presented me with what I find to be the new Ram HD’s biggest problem. The looks can get really challenging, to put it nicely. I’m not sure there is a such thing as a beautiful HD pickup truck today. They all have sky-high hoods and beltlines that resemble your dad after he put on his pants to go drive his Chevy Corvette. Ram has had better-looking trucks for years now, but these new HDs challenge your senses.
The Ram HD now has a few basic grille designs, and I’d say the Power Wagon and the Rebel get the worst ones. The lines in the grille are going all over the place with seemingly little rhyme or reason. That’s weird enough, but what’s worse is that everything looks and feels cheap thanks to huge swaths of flat black finish. It’s all crazy busy and almost looks like a caricature of a pickup truck. These grilles are supposed to make these trucks look burly and powerful (and also provide lots of cooling), but it’s almost as if Ram is trying to copy aftermarket angry Jeep grilles but straight from the factory.
That being said, I like the chrome grilles a whole lot more. At some angles, the trucks with chrome grilles look properly handsome. I also dig the chrome-style grille design when its border is body color — then the RAM HD has a bit of a sinister look that I can get behind.
Anyway, let’s get back to my Rebel. This is a truck that starts at $68,940 before you toss on any option like the $12,595 Cummins. My tester had a nice sunroof, ventilated seats, and a 900-watt Harman Kardon surround sound system with 17 speakers. It’s a 4×4 rig with a 6’4″ box, the Stellantis Uconnect 5 Tesla-style 14.4-inch display, and leather bucket seats.
Getting into the Rebel was an adventure. A running board electrically folded out to ease my entry, then I plopped down on my leather throne. When I hit the start button, I was greeted by a Cummins waking up from its deep slumber with a rumble and a shake that rocked the whole truck. Oh yeah, it was signaling that I was in for a ride.
Once the Cummins was running and my windows were closed, the idle was so quiet you could only hear a distant smooth clack of a common rail diesel. Really, if you didn’t know any better, you might forget this was even a diesel. Granted, the moment you looked down at the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster you would forget know the red line in the rev counter begins not long after 3,000 RPM.
It’s in this cab that I noticed another new feature. For years, Ram has had a confusing switchgear setup due to the separate AISIN and Chrysler 68 RFE configurations. Some trucks had digital rotary dials for shifting while some products had mechanical column shifters. Ram says that its customers hated this. Fleet owners would buy a bunch of trucks and their drivers didn’t like having two different ways to shift in what were otherwise similar trucks. Ram also figured out that a lot of Ram fleet owners have plow trucks, and the rotary dials forced their drivers to look down and fiddle with the rotary dial while wearing thick gloves.
Basically, everyone said they wanted to have just one way to shift and it better be the familiar column. This is when Ram realized that hold on, the rotary dial is all digital, right? So why not just make a digital column shifter? It’s not like a digital shifter has to be any specific shape. So, that’s what Ram did. Trucks across the range have a digital column shifter for that old-school feel with new-school tech. I love it.
A Ride That Seemingly Flattened The Road Ahead
Leaving the airport, I quickly realized that the TorqueFlite HD and the Cummins are paired so well together that in normal driving, the performance is quite unlike a diesel. The truck gets up to speed shockingly quickly (Ram says the 2500s can hit 60 mph in 6.9 seconds) and the shifts are so buttery smooth you can barely tell they’re happening. Yet, even when you’re hard on the throttle, the engine note of that Cummins is more or less reduced to background noise. It’s so quiet that if you turned the radio on low volume you’d drown the engine out.
That was my first taste of the comfort Ram had been bragging about. But I’d then spend an hour and a half and 100 miles cruising through the desert.
This road-driving part of the test was really important. While lots of people use their Ram HD trucks for hauling and towing, they do spend a considerable amount of time just driving around empty. So, Ram spent a lot of time trying to make this part as comfortable as it could be.
As I drove down Nevada’s sunny highways, I was consumed by a thought. This Ram 2500 almost had the kind of comfort you would expect in a half-ton truck. Back when I drove the Ford Super Duty F-250, it never really let me forget that it was a work truck with a luxurious interior. As I recall, if I hit a pothole in the Ford, the steering wheel jiggled and I saw the bed jiggle in the mirror. It wasn’t quite “wobble,” but wobble’s distant cousin. The F-250 was comfortable, so much so that I decided to sleep in it one night as opposed to getting a hotel. But I always knew I was driving an HD truck.
The Ram 2500 was different. On similar sort of potholes that unsettled the Ford’s suspension, the Ram mostly took it with ease. In fact, the Ram never really seemed truly unsettled by anything America’s poor infrastructure had to throw at it. The truck just plowed forward, almost as if it pounded the road as I drove forward . Sure, it was bouncy, yes. You’ll get that on these big jobs when they’re unloaded, but it was better than the last Ford Super Duty I drove. And like all trucks it got better when you actually made it do truck stuff.
I believe a lot of this goes back to NVH and chassis tuning. The quietness of the cab, the suspension, and the supple seats added up together to a truck that was as easy to drive across the desert as any of my favorite German wagons. Yes, the Ram loses out on some capability to be so soft, but I think the trade is worth it if you like putting in tons of miles in one shot.
Of course, I think it goes without saying that the Ram isn’t a truck you’re going to want to take to the Tail Of The Dragon anytime soon. The steering has less feel than my hands do after wrenching in a Midwestern winter. If you try to take a corner too fast, the truck will quickly scrub speed and roll like a ship on high seas. If the 2500 HD could talk, I’m sure it would say “Do I look like a Porsche to you?” At the very least, the truck’s handling is very predictable and geared towards safe understeer.
So Quiet You Can’t Enjoy The Soundtrack
Amusingly, the truck was so quiet that I was disappointed just a little. The sound of a good diesel engine — and the Cummins 6.7 is a banger — is basically a symphony to my ears. I ended up having to crack open my window just so I could hear the beautiful sounds of a big diesel bulging out of the hood in front of me. Sorry Ford, Cummins has the better soundtrack here.
Once I got bored with hearing diesel clatter and wind, I cranked up the Harmon Kardon surround sound, where I found myself pleasantly surprised. Stellantis products have injected Harmon Kardon-branded products in its vehicles for years and in recent times, the sound has been a disappointment.
Tunes You Feel In Your Heart
It seems like Ram and Harmon Kardon took the criticism to heart because oh my gosh, the system in the Ram 2500 is a beast of a unit. The Harmon Kardon system in the Ram 2500 is not the clearest system I’ve used to date, but if you like bass like I do then you’re in for a fun ride. It delivers bass in explosive blows that you feel deep within your body. The system can then deliver your music at insanely loud volumes without much, if any, distortion depending on the track.
Ram is also selling these trucks with a 10-speaker Alpine sound system. It’s pretty decent, but if you really like to crank things up to 11 and jam out until you lose all hearing, get the Harmon Kardon. At least the system in my test truck was intensely awesome. It was as good, if not better than the Bang & Olufsen Unleashed 14-speaker surround sound that was in the F-250 I tested last year. Either way, the Ram 2500 is “Mercedes Jam Session” Approved.
Eventually, I stopped playing with the music and I stopped punching the throttle for fun and I settled into a cruise. I set the truck’s radar cruise control, cranked up my seat ventilation, and put down the miles. The Ram 2500 Rebel ate them up with ease, and I began to feel like the queen of the blacktop. I towered over Tesla Cybertrucks and Mazda Miatas looked like Hot Wheels cars. If I needed to pass someone, I just lit the fuse on that Cummins and roared past whatever slow car was in my way. The Cummins built speed so easily that I had to triple-check my speedometer to ensure I wasn’t trying to hit the truck’s electronically limited top speed of 103 mph.
That alone was so great. If you tried to go 100 mph in a second-generation Dodge Ram the truck made sure you felt it. Here? The 2500 Rebel cruised like it was a luxury car. I even got 16 mpg at 80 mph, which isn’t bad for such a behemoth. (Keep in mind, this was unscientific and just on that short drive I took).
I also adored the interior, mostly. Most surfaces felt great to the touch and the backseat room was great for someone of my size, but weirdly tighter than a Ram 1500. That’s not just by feel, either.
The 1500 has around 45 inches of rear legroom while the HDs have a smaller 40 inches to play with. In a way, it is a little funny that a heavier truck has a smaller cab.
Ram also filled this ride with features. The passenger gets an entire 10.25-inch infotainment display all to themselves, and the suite of available features includes multiple cameras, a digital rearview mirror, an easy trailer reversing mode, active lane management, blind spot monitoring, adaptive steering, and even motorized blind spot mirrors. That last one is crazy to note, but Ram says it now has the only electric blind spot mirror in its class. It’s wild to think that we’ve had electric mirrors for so long, but it took until now to put a motor in HD truck blind spot mirrors.
I also loved the interior of the Longhorn model.
To put it simply, this was basically a luxury car capable of towing multiple luxury cars. Sit in a Longhorn and you’ll understand why many people would rather buy a lux truck than a German car. But I will cover that phenomenon more fully in a separate piece.
Hauling Up Davis Dam
Eventually, I arrived at the site of Ram’s event, and it was best described as a gauntlet. At the event, there were various trucks towing various trailers from an empty dump trailer all the way up to a 13,500-pound camper and a 19,500-pound tractor and trailer. There was also a Dodge Ram SRT-10 sitting on a trailer behind a 2500.
None of these trailers maxed out their respective trucks’ capacities. Instead, Ram told us they selected the loads based on the most common configurations reported by owners. Ram found out that tons of people use their Ram HDs for towing cars, towing campers, and hauling farm equipment. So Ram set out to replicate those setups for the media to play with.
Ram took us out to Laughlin so we could test these towing and hauling setups on the infamous Davis Dam grade. Just outside of the weird casino we’d stayed in sits the long grade engineers use to make sure their trucks meet or exceed SAE J2807 trailer tow standards.
The Davis Dam test requires a truck to climb the grade on Route 68 between Bullhead City and Golden Valley. It’s an 11-mile grade at around 6 percent that sees the driver climbing their rig 3,500 ft. Proper test conditions call for 100-degree Fahrenheit outside temperatures with the truck’s air-conditioning on full blast. This isn’t the steepest grade in America, but the long, steep-ish grade and high temperatures make for a great torture test. Single rear wheel trucks have to go faster or equal to 40 mph while dual rear wheel trucks have go to faster or equal to 35 mph. If your truck cannot safely clear the pass under those conditions you need to go back to the drawing board.
Ram felt like it was a great idea to put journalists on the same grades the engineers got to play on. I will have a towing test report in a separate piece, so for now, I’ll keep it short. I took the trailered Ram SRT-10, the chunky 13,500-pound camper, and the 19,500-pound tractor up the grade.
The test was a perfect demonstration of what Ram’s engineers meant when they said they tuned the transmission to match the power of the Cummins. When I was climbing the Davis Dam grade, the truck put itself into whatever gear was necessary to maintain roughly 2,500 RPM — a great place for the engine to be, Ram engineers told me.
Sure, it was only 80 degrees outside when I tested the Ram trucks, but each time I tried the truck climbed the grade with an almost scary amount of confidence. Transmission temps got no hotter than 160 degrees and there wasn’t a single part that felt strained, even when hauling the tractor up. Perhaps most surprising to me was how little throttle pedal actuation was needed to climb the grade. In most instances, I barely needed much throttle pedal engagement to climb the grade. Only the tractor tow required putting the pedal down further and even then the Cummins still had a ton of power to give.
Speaking of power to give, I should note that even with the tractor on the back, the Cummins had no problem hauling at or above the speed limit. One journalist at the event was rumored to have driven above 80 mph while towing the camper up the grade and the vitals still showed green across the board, which is insane.
There were two towing tests I was very interested in. I was really interested in seeing how the 2500 handled hauling the Ram SRT-10. The crew estimated that between truck and trailer there were nearly 8,000 pounds behind the Ram 2500. That’s not much weight for an HD truck, but apparently a common use for the 2500s. When I hauled my ’48 Plymouth Special Deluxe home from North Carolina, I was hauling about 5,200 pounds. Neither of these loads break a sweat whatsoever, but what I wanted to see was how the Ram 2500 performed on imperfect pavement compared to the Ford F-250.
In some areas, the difference felt significant. Whereas the F-250 liked to jiggle its steering wheel on bigger bumps, the Ram 2500 continued its path completely unbothered. Otherwise, the feel was similar. The Ram 2500 drove almost as if it was empty. I will never say the tired cliche “didn’t feel it back there” because no matter what, that’s wrong. You do feel the change in weight, you do feel the change in acceleration, and you do feel the longer braking. But the Ram 2500 felt the closest to that claim of the trucks I’ve driven, and that’s despite towing more weight than I did with the F-250. I would be delighted to bring a Ram 2500 for the ride when I pick up my Honda Life from Baltimore this summer.
Towing the camper with the Ram 3500 DRW was surprisingly fun as well. This truck has the same High Output Cummins and the same high-class interior, but has those wider hips and dually wheels for better hauling capability. This felt even better than towing the Ram SRT-10. It was impossible to ignore the near 14,000-pound brick of a fifth wheel camper behind me, but the truck felt so planted and so unbothered by the giant RV that I could have driven the Ram 3500 like that all day and I’d still be happy. It took barely any pedal travel to maintain speed and the Cummins had a groundswell of power in store for passing even on a mountain grade.
Things were just as awesome on the downhill side. The Ram HD comes with an exhaust brake. This device closes off the exhaust path from the engine and instead, the exhaust pressure is used to slow the engine (and thus truck) down. The exhaust brake is so strong that there were multiple instances when I descended Davis Dam pass without needing to touch the brake pedal at all.
Ram’s engineers said that the Ram HD is designed to make towing as easy as possible, and I agree. Towing stupidly heavy trailers with the Ram HD is so easy that anyone can feel like a towing pro. I bet some people might get too confident driving one of these trucks, though that’s not Ram’s fault. Towing 20,000 pounds is not something just anyone should do, but a Ram HD makes it so easy that your grandma can do it.
Wheeling Heavy Duty
Later, I took control of a Power Wagon. As of right now, the Power Wagon comes with only the 6.4-liter Hemi V8. The general explanation I’ve been given is that off-road packages already reduce capacities. The Power Wagon sacrifices some capability to have softer springs and better articulation. Adding a diesel engine on top of that off-road package won’t do the truck any favors, per Ram. Also, consider that an HD truck already isn’t an ideal off-road vehicle. These things are freaking huge and heavy.
Weirdly, I can see why the overwhelming majority Ram HD buyers get the diesel. The Power Wagon’s Hemi is fine, great even, but it just doesn’t have the charm or the ridiculous low-end pull of the Cummins. Dare I say? The Cummins even sounds better. Still, the Hemi gets galloping quickly and you won’t be disappointed if you enjoy a V8 soundtrack.
I didn’t get to tow anything with this truck, but I did get to take it off-road. Let’s take a look at the specs here. If you buy a regular crew cab Ram 2500 4×4, you’re looking at these specs:
Approach Angle (Degrees) 23.2
Ramp Breakover Angle (Degrees) 22.7
Departure Angle (Degrees) 24.7
Ground Clearance 13.1
Now, here’s how those numbers improve by getting a Power Wagon. I’ll also include the slight differences for opting for a Rebel:
Approach Angle (Degrees) 29.4 (26.6 — Rebel)
Ramp Breakover Angle (Degrees) 22 (21.8 — Rebel)
Departure Angle (Degrees) 26
Ground Clearance 14.2 (13.3 – Rebel)
A regular Ram HD 4×4 gets an American Axle 9.25-inch beam front axle with a center disconnect while the Power Wagon has this axle with a locking differential. If your truck has a diesel (not the Power Wagon, since, again, it’s gas-only) you have a Borg Warner 44-48 transfer case whereas a gasser will have a BW 44-46 or a BW 44-47 transfer case.
Look in the rear of the Power Wagon and you’ll find an American Axle 11.5-inch beam rear axle. Standard 2500 and 3500s get this axle with a limited slip while you get a rear locker in the Power Wagon. Finally, there’s also an American Axle 12.0-inch beam rear axle for the 3500. Here are your 4×4 suspension specs:
Front
Three-link with track bar, coil
springs, stabilizer bar, solid
axle, disconnecting sway bar
(Power Wagon only)Rear
Five-link with track bar, coil
springs, stabilizer bar, solid axle
(optional air bags)
Rear-wheel-drive trucks get the same rear suspension but without the option for bags (only 3500 DRWs can option bags right now) and, of course, you cannot get the disconnecting sway bar with a 4×2 truck. Like the Rebel, you get the 33-inch off-road tires, a 19,890-pound towing capacity, Bilstein shocks, and skid plates. But, as noted above, the Power Wagon gets all of the lockers and the disconnecting sway bar that the Rebel doesn’t.
Off-road, at least out in the Arizona desert, you can get through some seriously rough terrain with nothing more than leaving these trucks in rear-wheel-drive mode. Locking the rear differential then gets you farther.
Our tour guide did get us into some rough situations. On one pass, the terrain was loose enough that simply having the rear axle locked wasn’t good enough. For that, I flipped the truck into 4×4 Low and climbed over anything in my way without much of an issue. The truck’s gearing is low enough that you can just crawl your way through obstacles without even really touching the pedal.
I even intentionally pointed my truck at a tall rock. With the truck locked in first gear in low, I crawled right over it without any real drama. Something I was happy about was the fact that off-roading the Ram 2500 Power Wagon didn’t throw me around. It was bouncy, yes, but I didn’t feel like the truck wanted to slam my head into the B-pillar.
The real performance in the Ram 2500 Power Wagon came when the terrain got deep and rough. The journalist ahead of me was in a Rebel while I followed in a Power Wagon. In one instance, he drove into a rut deep enough to lift a tire.
I then hit the same rut with the sway bar disconnected and behold, all four of my tires sat on the ground. The rears were obviously just barely touching, but the Rebel couldn’t say the same:
We then hit another one of these fun articulation sections later on. Once again, here’s the Rebel.
Now, here’s the Power Wagon.
The best reason to get the Power Wagon would be to get the Ram 2500 that’s the absolute most capable off-road HD truck. However, you can’t get the popular Cummins with this truck. I should also note that while Ram does not list any curb weights, these are trucks that are said to weigh over 7,000 pounds and span 7 feet in width. It doesn’t really matter how well this bad boy wheels when it can’t fit on a trail.
Remember how I tested the Mammoth Overland Extinction Level Event trailer last year? Yeah, the Ford Ranger I had barely fit on medium-rated fire roads in Washington. I wouldn’t have fit on the same trails in a Ram 2500. So, if you’re thinking about buying an HD truck for off-roading, consider the wheeling you do before you make this purchase.
HD Trucks Are Ridiculously Tall
I do have a few complaints about these trucks. The first is that they’re so comically tall. I mean pretty much every metric of every HD truck is jacked up high. The bedsides of a 2500 reach over my shoulders (I’m 5’6″) and the load height is most of the way up my stomach. If I open the hood, I have to step to the side of the truck and push down to get it to close. You can forget about doing any maintenance without a step stool.
I asked Ram’s engineers about this, noting that the trucks of a couple of decades ago were shorter. They told me that today’s trucks offer a sort of trade-off.
They had to figure out how to give trucks great ground clearance and ample articulation [Ed Note: And big cooling openings! -DT] and neither can be achieved if you have a low load height like the trucks of the past. So, how do short people get into the bed? Ram’s people say you should option your truck with one of those nifty split tailgates or bedside steps. That’s not a real solution, but it’s something.
The same sort of goes for how high the hood opens. However, this latter problem is something Toyota has solved with hoods that have variable opening heights.
I also have a problem squaring up some of the material choices in the truck. Some of the plastics, namely around the infotainment screen bezel and in various other common touchpoints on the dash as well as the A-pillars, feel way too cheap and “scratchy” for the $90,000 you’re going to spend on these trucks. The Ford F-250 also had this problem and in my eye, most trim levels of these trucks never let you forget that you’re driving a work vehicle with a luxury interior.
I asked Ram about that and a designer told me that, unfortunately, the cheaper materials are done that way for cost and prestige. It helps Ram hit these price points and they admit, it also gives you a reason to buy a super nice trim level like a Longhorn. I’m not sure what the right path here is. I think maybe cheaper plastics, sure, but give them a surface that at least doesn’t feel as cheap? I’m also not really sure about the passenger screen, but I have news about that for a separate article.
I would also say that rear room should be expanded. However, I get why the HD cabs have the size constraint. These trucks already don’t fit in standard parking spaces. I’m not sure where you would it more room without making the truck even bigger.
Comfort And Power Worth Respecting
But I wouldn’t let these downsides sway you. I left my Ram HD gauntlet with one conclusion that surprised me: These are better than the Ford competition.
Yes, the Fords tow more weight, haul greater payloads, and have a diesel with more torque. Ford’s current Super Duty lineup is full of trucks that check “best-in-class” boxes. But I think this is one of those situations where “best-in-class” is really just bragging rights. The 2025 Ram 2500 HD feels more comfortable doing the same work as a Ford Super Duty F-250. The Ram also has a better interior, a more laid-back drive, and at least from my butt dyno, the transmission and engine tuning are perfect. It’s as if the engine and transmission were meant for each other, like one of those perfect marriages from a childhood fairy tale.
Of course, diesel trucks are no joke when it comes to pricing. The 2025 Ram HD lineup starts with the basic Ram 2500 Tradesman 4×2 with a 6.4-liter Hemi for $45,565. The absolute cheapest way into a diesel would be to spec a 2025 Tradesman with Crew Cab and a 6’4″ box. That has a starting price of $49,185. Toss on that $12,595 Cummins and you’re looking at a floor of $62,775 for the cheapest 2025 Ram 2500 Cummins. If you’re scratching your head there, it’s because Ram found out that basically nobody buys a single-cab 4×2 diesel truck, so that’s why you have to get the Crew Cab to get a diesel.
The 2500 Laramie Cummins, the most popular Ram HD by a wide margin, starts at $75,385. The cheapest Rebel with a Cummins is $82,530 and the Power Wagon, which does not have the diesel, runs $73,135 to start. Don’t worry, you’ll get to hear more about the Laramie soon!
Yes, all of these prices are solidly luxury car territory. However, I think these trucks are luxury vehicles. They have luxury car features, luxury car quietness, and some luxury car comfort. A big pickup truck is just a luxury car that waves a huge American flag and shoots off fireworks in a backyard on July 4th. They’re a bit brash and vulgar, but a ton of fun. The new 2025 Ram HDs are such great trucks that you, like me, will start singing “I like big trucks and I cannot lie.”
(Images: Author, unless otherwise noted.)
As someone who uses trucks as trucks regularly, I would gladly sacrifice so much ground clearance for a lower bed height. Lifting equipment & materials above my waist is getting more wearing as I approach my 40’s, and at 6′ tall I should not have to struggle and stretch – or often jump! – to grab something from inside the bed over the bed sides.
I just want a 2.5 or 3.0L diesel engine (not that one, Stellantis) for a Ranger-sized truck. Call it protectionism, call it the chicken-tax, I just want actual choice when it comes to trucks that are available on the other side of the world.
Don’t forget, Cummins finally got rid of the grid heater and switched to glow plugs with the new engine! If this will pay off in reliability is yet to be seen, but it’s an interesting note for Cummins owners who have had their engine ruined by the bolt of death.
Got any interior pics of that Brookstone trailer? What a magnificent chonk!
I never thought about the idea of snow plowing with a rotary knob shifter, that would be an infuriating experience. The only proper way to plow is with a column shifter or possibly a really well setup floor shifter.
I loved the column shifter in my Oldsmobile, I could blindly find any gear without ever looking down to see what gear I had selected. That is basically impossible in a rotary knob setup.
I really hope other auto makers take note that shifters – digital or analog – belong on the column. It’s perfectly aesthetic since it hides behind the steering wheel, it’s extremely physically intuitive (this ridiculous arms race for the most obnoxious and counterintuitive shifting setup is way out of hand), and it allows for more storage and cupholders in the center console area – which is way more important in my adult life than I thought they’d ever be.
Thank you for the review, Mercedes. It was a joy to read. I look forward to your follow up article specifically on the towing.
I concur with No More Crossovers. The only truck I lust after is a Piaggio Ape I can’t have because they don’t sell to the US and I’m not in an import capable situation.
If I see one of these Rolling Rodeos, I just figure whoever’s behind the wheel is a ten gallon hat on a one gallon head, or compensating so hard that he must have an ‘innie’ instead of an ‘outie’. Heh.
That’s interesting because in Venice I see a lot of women driving these types of trucks to the Hot Yoga gym.
Very funny.
I’m pretty sure from what I recall of visiting Italy in 2005 that the uses for those are a fair bit more practical, though. That said, I remember one thing for absolutely certain — Venice is freakin beautiful. My mother still has a glass vase we bought in Murano sitting on the fireplace mantle in her living room. It’s gorgeous… just like Venice itself.
But the Ape? Very much a practical machine. They’re all over Europe, doing all sorts of things from delivery service to being food trucks to being farm trucks to… basically everything you can use a truck for, and would, they’re used for over there. I swear the bed can’t be much more than four feet across and four more deep, and underneath is almost always a tiny 49cc two-stroke Vespa engine farting out something like maybe 8-10hp? The bigger ones are 125cc, 150cc, but that’s nowhere near as common IIRC. Single-seat bare-bones cab. Yet, the utility they get out of em is just mind-blowing. It’s crazy.
But the hot yoga thing? That’s more a California craze, as far as I’m aware, and those are going to be suburban assault vehicles like the Lincoln Navigator or some species of Hummer… or a
Porsche CayenneVW Tuareg with the snob package.He’s talking about Venice Florida
Never been there, sorry. The summers here in NC are intolerable enough for me already. I hear some people there have pet alligators, though, which is kind of cool, I guess?
You’re right. The summers are brutal!
LOL! Yes. Venice, Florida. I just assumed that people realized that I wasn’t fancy enough for Venice Italy.
the Chassis Cab version get the lower output diesel, but that still means over 800 ft-lbs of torque. pretty good for even those work trucks.
Guess we’ve hit the point where people need to defend these things like they do the prius. If it wasn’t the size of a house I really wouldn’t care but as it stands there’s no fucking way to make things of that size anything but a hazard to other drivers
I don’t have an HD truck, nor am I in the market, but I do find the fixation with saying the drivers are overcompensating strange.
I’m just picturing two different reactions upon seeing the the truck above.
Truck owner/enjoyer: Nice Truck.
Truck hater: Bet that guy’s got a small dick.
Then expect us to think the person liking the truck has something wrong with them. It’s weird and off putting.
Notwithstanding the expected commentary: I’m mostly wondering if these things aren’t peacocking themselves into a corner from a price and capability standpoint.
They are machines that are coming close to the capability of commercial-duty vehicles. Either they’re going to end up in a weird state where licensing restrictions put an effective limit on what one can do with them, or sheer cost will. Especially for the diesel option.
I read this and mostly wonder if the swan song of the diesel engine is nigh. Twelve thousand dollar engine option with expensive-to-maintain emissions controls? Unless you need the diesel option (some commercial operators do), the gasoline option seems the much better value.
I’m not really worried about them flooding the roads because the downsides of that type of vehicle just become so prevalent over 1500-series models.
Mostly, I get 1970s vibes of excess coming to haunt us in the near future, hangover wise. One can get more horsepower and torque in more expensive vehicles than ever, but sheer excess has dulled the enthusiasm I used to have for that. The 1970s were kind of grotesque caricatures of cars that signaled the end of an era.
The 1500’s seem to be the sweet spot for truck size for most folks (who actually use trucks). They’re also more competitive against each other for innovation and interiors.
Agreed, I think there needs to be a slow-down, and possible roll-back on some of these figures. Reliability is being sacrificed in the pursuit of greater numbers. These things de-tuned would deliver outstanding staying power.
Possibly… I think the emissions equipment mixed with short trips does more harm than the high output numbers.
A lot of retirees have plenty of money to burn and have no problem buying these to haul their mini yacht or fancy travel trailer.
Anyone willing to pay $$1,384 a month for six years can buy and enjoy any vehicle they want.
This all pretty much tracks with Ram’s strategy for the past 15 years. They build a slightly softer, less capable truck that’s a nicer place to be for long drives. Even my brand new Chevy isn’t as comfortable as my 10 year old Ram was in some ways.
However, until they fix their cab design I’m probably not buying another one, even if I feel like rolling the dice on Stellantis “quality” again. As a tall person I find their cabs by far the most cramped of all the trucks I’ve sat in. Which is a shame because they’re arguably the best interiors on the market, but I just don’t fit well and that kind of ruins it for me. And it’s not just me, we once had to take my Ram on a family trip instead of my Dad’s F150 and my Mom commented that it felt much smaller inside even though they were basically identical size trucks. For all the complaints I have about Ford and GM too, at least they didn’t find a way to make a full-size truck feel small inside.
TRUCKS BAD. SMALL WIENER. BRODOZER. EVERYONE WHO DOESN’T DRIVE THE SAME THING AS ME IS A MORON.
Did I cover it all?
Now for my honest opinion. These aren’t for me. They are too tall. They are WAY more than what the average person needs, and I don’t like seeing HD pickups being used as dailies, as it’s just a waste of potential. My 30 year old 3/4 ton pickup does everything I’ve ever asked it to do, while still being dimensionally reasonable. I’d like to see the incredible advances they have engineered into these modern powertrains in a package that isn’t quite so enormous or offensive to the eyes.
You forgot about people whining about it killing the Earth…single handedly.
My guess for why trucks have gotten so large is cooling.
In the race to make the beefiest truck with the best towing capacity, these trucks need to not overheat on the Davis Dam tests. A good way to add cooling is to make the grille bigger. Just a guess though.
That’s probably part of it, but if you’ve popped the hood on these, a TON of it is just empty space. My old boss had a 21 Silverado HD, and the duramax looked teeny in that cavern. The cab also felt like a bunker, the door sills were nearly up to my shoulder.
Perhaps. Those diesels are still kind of crammed in there, as most major service calls for pulling the cab off.
I used to love the 6.0 and 6.4 Ford guys justifying this. ITS EASY BRO TRUST ME, ITS ONLY A FEW BOLTS TO TAKE THE CAB OFF.
They follow that with THE 6.0 AND 6.4 WERE RELIABLE…YOU JUST NEED TO BULLETPROOF IT BY REMOVING ALL OF THE THINGS.
It’ll last after the 4th or 5th bulletproofing.
99% of gamblers quit right before the big one!
That’s a good guess.
The last part. I love diesel engines! I find them fascinating, they usually have a lot of character, they’re almost always surprisingly efficient, they produce less carbon emissions than petrol, etc. I am not a “truck guy”. My use case doesn’t call for one and I’m one of those insufferable enthusiasts who doesn’t like wasted potential. When I bought my Kona N I felt like I was wasting it until I did a few track days.
I would love to experience and maybe even own a Cummins because they’re fucking rad. I think the engineering and heritage behind them is cool as hell. Same with the Baby Max that Mercedes also gave us a great article about. They’re all neat!
…but I don’t need a big ole truck. Can we get one in a more reasonably sized SUV? Maybe even a…dare to dream….sedan or wagon? Diesel goodness shouldn’t be reserved for pickups.
Preach. I want a Ranger or Tacoma with a smaller 2.5 or 3.0L diesel. Why does every diesel have to be over 6.0L?
PUT THE BABY MAX IN THE COLORADO PUT THE BABY MAX IN THE COLORADO PUT THE BABY MAX IN THE COLORADO GM PLSSSSSS
Hopefully the autopian reads the room. These trucks shouldn’t be glorified by an article almost as large as the truck itself. They prioritise the owner over everyone and everything else… Apart from maybe manufacturer profits.
Mercedes opines on anything in the industry and it’s damn amazing (especially the camper stuff). Are you suggesting a auto writer / enthusiast should not be enthusiastic about something?
“the room” is very large and they welcome all, even those stuck in the terrible US truck market where we can’t buy anything reasonable.
Yeah that’s exactly what I’m saying. I like reading Mercedes articles but I don’t agree with glorifying trucks like these. There’s no mention of pedestrian safety and no amount of emissions equipment is going to get around the sheer size of the thing and the power it produces.
https://media.thepit-nyc.com/app/uploads/20241230125644/PIT-Logo-HY-Promo-Image-Dec-2024-800-x-450-px.png
This is a good take.
While I agree that these trucks are dumb and hazardous to pretty much anything or anyone that isn’t in a tank, that still doesn’t mean that anyone should stop Mercedes or other writers writing and express their feelings about things. I find that recently the Morning Dump has been annoying to read as it seems to be all Tariffs, Tariffs, and Tariffs. Therefore, I simply skip reading the Morning Dump and move on. It’s probably best that, upon reading something you dislike, you move on- though you live your life in whichever way you wish.
Oh dear, if you hate these articles, you will REALLY HATE her articles about old trains and ***gasps**** large aircraft.
There is a genuine market for these trucks for people who actually use these things. Businesses, RV’ers, farmers/ranchers, etc. They have the same right to share the roads as you do. As long as they aren’t removing emissions equipment, the worst way it affects you is maybe taking up 2 spots in the back of a parking lot?
Let’s be honest… all of the cars we buy prioritizes the owner… that’s the selling point. Safe for…the owner. Efficient for…the owner. Stokes the owner’s ego (big trucks or EV’s, tbh). If you want to help the masses, maybe you should stay home to free up the freeways, public transit, and aircraft alike.
What? Why? I like Mercedes articles I’m just fundamentally against trucks like this and so too are the majority of these comments. Old trains are awesome to read about. Large aircraft too. And smart cars. But overwhelmingly glowing articles about trucks like these that ignore the main downsides just don’t sit well with me.
I agree that these have real uses beyond picking up milk at Kroger and ego carrying. However, these trucks (and less commonly, some SUVs and Crossovers) have a daily, big impact that isn’t just taking up two parking spots. It’s the damn LED headlights they come with. In my car, I am constantly getting blinded by bright, white LEDs from trucks. Even with my (previously) illegally dark tinted windows, I can’t escape getting blinded. Combined with how tall trucks are, it’s seriously dangerous. People have gotten into crashes because of how bright new LED lights are. Don’t you think everyone has the right to not being blinded?
I feel that (I have an NA Miata). All new headlights are too dang bright. Heck, even new Corollas blind me.
Blame regulations for LED lights, not the manufacturers who install them.
Why don’t you read the room? There are plenty of us that are not interested in being scolded.
Why read the article then? You know The Autopian doesn’t hate write.
I think they are reading the room just fine. Trucks are good.
What a horrible loutish truck this is. The dominant owners consist of sadistic morons, faces bearing the hideous lineaments of spiritual famine swollen with stupid hate. Hopeless rubbish.
What do you drive?
Why did you change your answer?
No wait… A Scooty-Puff Jr.
You must be fun at parties…
I’ve never been invited to one. It’s really depressing to think about.
I’m glad they moved away from the rotary shifter in these based on customer feedback. Now do the same with the Jeeps and Minivans, make them all column shift.
I mean, the Jeeps and minivans aren’t work vehicles. I think the idea that you don’t want to put buttons on the dash behind any position of the column shifter means it “occupies”/renders unusable a larger portion of the dashboard than a rotary one can.
I don’t know if I agree with this, I can’t imagine many buttons in that area being super useful. Also, and by far the most important bit about column shifters: chunkchunk clunk.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the tactile feeling of my old van’s column shifter, but I feel like making that electronic is good for safety reasons (for example, the car recognizing “I am going 75mph, it would not be good for me to follow this instruction to shift into reverse or park I was just given”), at which point the clunky satisfaction is also gone.
As for the dash–yeah, admittedly that depends on a lot of things with the design, design language, other buttons, etc. But if we want or need many buttons, which we should, then considering how much space is needed becomes important. So a compact gearshift becomes more desirable than something huge.
All my opinion, of course. And I get where the designers here were coming from. I wonder if they also considered adding more texture or increasing the diameter of the rotary gearshift. But whatever works.
Electronic column shifters have been around a long time. My 99 Oldsmobile 88 had an electronic column shifter, if I put it in 1st gear at 60 mph, it simply would not down shift to first until I had slowed below 35 mph. On top of it it had the perfect kerchunk into each gear that allowed me to blindly use it by feel and not actually have to look at the indicator to know what gear I was in. Column shifters really should make a resurgence.
This – stop eating my knee space and console space with shifters. It’s not like we can buy manuals new anymore. put it back on the damn column
Those rotary shifters are the worst!
How high is that hood? Like 5’10”? Jbweld a basketball hoop to the roof, and you’ll have a NBA regulation hoop anywhere you go. Going to need a full on stoop for the average adult to get into this thing. Ram dealership is going to look like Brooklyn. The grill at Mcdonalds is more ascetically pleasing. Vin Diesel and gang are going to drive a Honda Civic underneath it. Evil Knievel would back out of jumping three of these. You could one-up a locomotive engineer. Perfect for the weekday commute to the office job.
Hank Hill is going to show up for work at your truck because it has more grills than Strickland Propane. Rappers are getting gold teeth removed in humble concession to Dodge taking the grill game too far. After a hurricane, the Waffle House asks you if they can cook on your truck while they bring the kitchen online.