Detroit automakers always seem to enjoy beating each other over the head when it comes to heavy duty pickup trucks. Torque figures, towing prowess, interior bling, and ever-growing grille sizes are generally top-of-mind for teams tasked with resetting the bar.
Ram is the latest to haul covers off its revised rigs, showing up as 2025 models. Anyone paying attention will already know what to expect, of course, since the brand released a carefully timed cache of photos in September of last year. But powertrain details and shots of the interior are fresh and it’s those two areas in which many buying decisions about HD trucks are made – barring blind loyalty, of course.
Customers choosing diesel power for their new 2025 Ram Heavy Duty will find themselves in command of more standard torque than before. Gone is the so-called ‘standard output’ tune of the 6.7-liter straight-six, meaning every model now makes 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque. Ram says this engine packs a redesigned block and head, larger valves, different turbo, and new intake when compared against other years. While there is apparently an approximate 75 percent take rate on the diesel, one in four Ram HD shoppers do choose the familiar 6.4-liter Hemi V8, an engine good for 405 ponies and 429 lb-ft of torque.
Ram says the 3500 Heavy Duty can haul 36,610 pounds on a gooseneck while the conventional hitch maxes out at 23,000 pounds – but anyone with a few clues knows those are just boastful numbers since those figures are for very specific cab/powertrain configurations which are not widely ordered. A typical 2500 or 3500 with four-wheel drive and a massive passenger cabin will top out at lower numbers but still more than enough for the vast majority of shoppers.
Screens galore dot the cab, even on base trims. Zooty models may now be equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen tablet in front of the passenger, permitting navigation and device management or a view of the exterior cameras. Necessary? Absolutely not, but this class is all about bragging rights. The center stack can be equipped with either a 12.0-inch or new 14.5-inch touchscreen display (an 8.4-inch screen is standard in poverty spec) and there’s yet one more 12.3-inch screen serving as a gauge cluster ahead of the driver. Dual wireless chargers appear in some trims and there’s an available 2.4 kW power inverter that everyone should spec.
Styling changes for 2025 include a new front fascia with standard LED headlamps across the board though work trucks get amber turn signals while snazzy trims adopt a quad lamp design. A variety of new grilles will be on offer, again dependent of trim level. It’s definitely enough of a change that the neighbors will notice if you brought home a ’25 or ’24 on clearance.
The Ram Heavy Duty lineup is built in Mexico, so there are surely anxious conversations being had about tariffs. Expect this truck to show itself on dealer lots during the first quarter of 2025.
[Images: Stellantis]
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Source: The Truth About Cars