The Ram 2500 Heavy Duty is a full-size heavy-duty pickup truck with a lineup that ranges from basic work truck to full-on luxury barge. The Ram Heavy Duty truck squares off with the Ford Super Duty, Chevy Silverado 2500 HD, and GMC Sierra 2500 HD.
The Ram HD is a fantastic truck as long as you need this level of capability. This truck is large, can be punishing to ride in unloaded, gets expensive quickly, and is not efficient. But it’s ready to work when the job calls for it, comes loaded with technology, and can be had with a luxurious interior. The Ram 2500 earns a TCC Rating of 5.3 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Ram gives its heavy duty truck a revised front end, new taillights, a larger 14.5-inch touchscreen for higher trims, and a heavily updated Cummins turbodiesel engine option. Every version also now has an 8-speed transmission.
The softer sheetmetal of the Ram HD still stands out from the competition, but the truckmaker butched up the front end with taller grilles, a new split headlight design, new wheel designs, and unfortunately wider availability of a sport hood that puffs up the front end further and reduces forward visibility.
The Ram HD truck is available in a bevy of bed and cab configurations, including regular cab, crew cab, and massive Mega Cab with 6-foot-4 or 8-foot beds.
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Inside, every Ram Heavy Duty features a touchscreen, and more expensive trucks super size their screens. Base trucks look and feel ready to work while mid- to upper-trim trucks seem like they are ready for a night out on the town. Ram delivers hands-down the nicest interiors money can buy in a heavy-duty truck.
The standard engine continues to be the tried-and-true 6.4-liter V-8 with 405 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. Buyers looking to own for the long haul, and actually haul, will want to pony up for the 6.7-liter inline-6 Cummins turbodiesel engine, which now has 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft. Every truck has an 8-speed automatic transmission, as the 6-speed that teamed with the turbodiesel has been discontinued. Rear-wheel drive comes standard and four-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case is available. A locking rear differential is on the options list depending on trim.
Fuel economy isn’t good, though it should be better for the diesel. We don’t officially know, however, as the EPA doesn’t rate heavy-duty trucks.
Built to work, the Ram 2500 HD is rated to tow up to 20,000 pounds and haul up to 4,420 pounds of payload. The even more robust Ram 3500 HD can tow up to 36,610 pounds and carry up to 7,590 pounds of payload.
Various versions of the Ram HD can carry anywhere from three to six people, and all come with plenty of storage cubbies. The base truck is comfortable enough but the upper trims are straight luxury liners with heated and cooled thrones up front.
Safety equipment still comes at a cost in lower-level trucks, but spending up will net everything from automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control to blind-spot monitors and active lane control.
How much does the 2025 Ram 2500 cost?
It’ll cost at least $47,660 including an obnoxious $2,095 destination charge to put a base Ram 2500 Tradesman to work. Option it with a crew cab, four-wheel drive, cloth instead of vinyl seats, on option package or two, and slap a turbodiesel under the hood and suddenly you’re looking at a $69,395 tool. With enough options a top-spec Limited can cross the six-figure mark. With seven trims including Tradesman, Big Horn, Laramie, Power Wagon, Rebel, Limited Longhorn, and Limited, it’s a Choose Your Own Adventure situation in terms of configurations, equipment, and price.
The sweet spot in the lineup falls somewhere between the mid-trim Big Horn and Laramie models. With a handful of choice options, including but not limited to the turbodiesel engine, it’ll cost between $70,000 and $85,000, which is thousands more than a comparable Ford Super Duty.
Where is the 2025 Ram 2500 made?
In Mexico.
