2025 Ram 2500 HD First Drive: The Most Luxurious way to Tow?

Luxurious towing. These are two words rarely paired together, but are the ethos behind Ram’s 2500 and 3500 heavy duty offerings for the 2025 model year. With more power and torque from the Cummins turbo diesel engine, and a spacious, leather-covered cabin laden with technology, Ram has seemingly spared little expense in making sure this ethos has been met. 

Priced at $189,990 for the 2500 and $194,990 for the 3500, these new heavy duty trucks are only slightly more expensive than the models that they are replacing, but feature an impressive amount of updated and new equipment.

What’s new? 

Representing the biggest change to Ram’s heavy duty range since 2021, these new 2500 and 3500 models have undergone some serious changes beneath their refreshed fascias. 

Easily the most significant change is beneath the bonnet, where the 6.7-litre turbo diesel inline-six engine is pumping out more power and torque than ever before. 313kW and 1458Nm are the new numbers from the Cummins mill, with the latter likely representing the largest torque output of anything able to be driven on a class one licence. They also have received a new eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, replacing the six-speed unit in the outgoing model. 

As you’d expect, these massive outputs translate to impressive towing figures, with the heavy duty trucks able to haul 3.5-tonnes on a 50mm tow ball, 4.5-tonnes on a 70mm tow ball, and up to 6.9-tonnes with a pintle connection. Ram Trucks New Zealand offers a ‘Heavy Duty Tow Pack’ for $5,000. This includes the two convertible balls and the pintle. 

It’s also worth noting that the only difference (besides the bonnet badging) between the 2500 and 3500 models is the rear suspension system. Where the 2500 gets coil springs, the 3500 makes use of a leaf spring system. Both have solid axles front and rear. 

On the inside, the changes are just as significant, with both models now offered with five seats instead of six. According to Ram, this decision was made as customers would rather have a full-sized centre console over seating for six occupants. 

The 12.3-inch digital cluster is complemented by a 12-inch infotainment screen that gets both wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity. Dual wireless phone chargers, and a nine-speaker Alpine audio system round out the tech offerings inside. 

As for creature comforts, the front seats are both heated and cooled, and a sunroof comes standard. 

This is all in addition to the massive internal storage space offered in this Ram. The centre console is basically chilly bin-sized, and the rear seats fold back to reveal a storage bin, as well as a folding platform that provides a large flat space. 

How does it drive? 

To experience these new Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy duty models, we were taken to the Victorian Lang Lang Proving Grounds, a facility that’s all too familiar with testing ute capabilities. 

Before we were let loose on the tracks, we started with a road loop on the farm roads that surround the former Holden-owned facility. While the Ram felt right at home on the short highway stint, the sheer size of the truck became evident on the narrower lanes of the b-roads. It wasn’t to the point of worrying when another vehicle approached, but keeping your wits about you, and being aware of the vehicle’s size is a must in this situation. 

The road course inside the Lang Lang facility provided a far better gauge of the Ram’s ride, given the varied nature of its tarmac. There’s no denying that it’s a truck designed for heavy loads, as the suspension can be busy at times when unladen. In saying this, it isn’t to the degree of traditional utes, which can ride terribly without anything on the back. The Ram feels like other large American vehicles where it feels like it has been tuned to be quite soft over the big bumps, but can be fussy over small undulations.

To get a feel for the ride with a load, a Ram 3500 was hooked up to a large overlanding caravan that weighed 3.5-tonnes. Surprisingly, the performance changes with this weight at the rear weren’t significant, and if anything, the ride was only improved. Despite a lack of self-levelling equipment, the Ram kept its composure remarkably well on the road, and at speed around the road course. 

We also were able to sample the Ram’s engine braking system whilst towing the van. Whilst I can imagine it would be a lot more effective when descending hills, the assistance it provides in deceleration with a load is significant. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the engine after hearing its somewhat agricultural note upon startup. Where other diesel haulers have the tendency to drive the same way that they sound, the smooth power delivery of the Cummins is fantastic. With a 3,200rpm redline, the engine strongly pulls through the rev range, and gets to highway speeds without hesitation. I can imagine the new eight-speed automatic transmission does a lot of the heavy lifting here as well, with each shift seemingly unfazed by the immense amount of torque being thrown at it. While Ram hasn’t provided an official 0-100km/h time, the unofficial figure sits at 7.2-seconds for this new model, around one second quicker than the outgoing model. 

It’s also worth noting that the transmission will always start off in second gear, unless the system can detect a heavy load. With almost 1500Nm of torque on tap, this wasn’t noticeable at all, and only really came into play when launching the Ram with the caravan on the back. 

Verdict

It’s no secret that these big American heavy duty trucks fill a small niche of the ute market that most of the population won’t need. But in saying that, those looking to haul heavy loads across the country shouldn’t be looking past these new Ram models as they’re as competent as they are large. 

Considering the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD is the only competition faced by these Ram heavy duty models in New Zealand, there isn’t much to compare it with — especially considering the 3500 is in a league of its own. But considering the relatively small price difference, and how much technology is crammed into the Ram’s cabin, I’d say the Ram is the better choice right now.