2025 Ram Heavy Duty Trucks Debut with High-Output Diesel

We’ve seen the photos – what looks like the most modern of takes super duty truck, all insect eye-like headlight bulbs and a grille for days – but now we have the nitty gritty on the latest edition of the Heavy Duty line-up of Ram trucks.

The nitty is the styling; any designer – auto, light truck or otherwise – will tell you that pickups are the hardest vehicles to style. After all, when you only have about two-thirds of the panels of the typical SUV or hatch, your options are limited. You’ve got the front fascia, the wheels aaaand…that’s about it.

And the examples of these found on the many available versions of the HD pickup (2500, 3500) and chassis cab (3500, 4500, 5500) are certainly unique. “More bulbs!” seems to be the order of the day, here, with models such as the Laramie Longhorn having no fewer than four count’em four bulbs in a double-decker set-up on each side; all trucks, meanwhile, get standard LED lights. They flank the obligatory massive grille available in a number of designs depending on trim; we see a plastic blacked-out number on work truck and Rebel off-road trims and a variety of chrome-and-more-chrome-please options as we move up the range  The taillights look somewhat less “new” than the headlights do, but I guess as long as your grille is loud n’ proud, pickup truckists and Ramists will be happy.

Inside, not only can the central display measure up to a massive 14.5 inches, but now – as is the rage in everything from supercars to SUVs – there is an optional 10.25” display ahead of the front passenger that can show exterior cameras (as well as infotainment and navigation content), ostensibly so they can see just how big the truck they’re riding in is. A 12.3” digital gauge cluster is also standard, and can be set to display towing information, off-roading stats and everything in-between and there’s also an optional digital rear-view mirror. Oh, and because we heard you like wireless charging, we’ve given you a second wireless charge pad to go with your first one! All kidding aide; while we have seen this before in non-pickups, it makes sense here especially for owners using their truck as crew transport.

That’s the nitty; the gritty boils down to power. What used to be a choice of two Cummins diesel engines is now a choice of one and not to worry, big-power fans: the winner after what must have been (actually, portably not) a Joker-like battle to the death is the high-output version (now with a newly designed turbo, larger valves and more) meaning every diesel-equipped Ram HD will make 430 horsepower and a whopping 1,075 pound-feet of torque. If you opt for the still-available Hemi V8, you’re looking at 405 hp and 429 lb-ft.

In practical terms, what that means is that certain trucks will be able to tow up to 16,660 kg (36,610 lbs.) with a gooseneck hitch. Now, you likely won’t get many creature comforts such as a crew cab if you want those figures, but they remain properly generous nevertheless. A total of three cabs are on offer – regular, crew and mega – as well as two pickup bed lengths (plus chassis cab): a 6.4-foor item, and a long eight-footer. Speaking of pickup beds: they can be fitted with an optional 2.4 kilowatt power inverter so your jobsite will never been without power.

No pricing has been announced for the Mexico-built RAM (*cough Trump tariffs cough*), so we’ll have to wait and see closer to the trucks release date near the end of Q1 2025.