OVERVIEW

The RAM 2500 and 3500 are the heavy haulers of the American pick-up truck market.

In short, they’re the big rigs built to tow and carry what their hulking exteriors suggest.

There’s no change to pricing for the 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500, which start at $172,950 (2500) and $177,950 (3500) before on-road costs.

The only difference between the two is the rear suspension, the 2500 getting coils and the 3500 leaf springs, boosting payload from a modest 785kg to 1652kg.

That 3500’s 5352kg gross vehicle mass means it can’t be driven on a car licence, part of the reason the 2500 has a GVM of 4495kg, just sneaking in under the 4500kg limit (it’s rated to carry more in America but has lower limits here to make it driveable on a car licence).

For 2025 there’s more standard kit for the single Laramie model grade available Down Under.

That includes a sunroof, dual wireless phone chargers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eight USB charging ports and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster to complement the 12-inch central infotainment screen.

A black exterior styling pack replaces glistening chrome for a more modern and aggressive look.

Other standard equipment includes: leather, a spray-in bed liner, power-adjusted front seats with memory settings for the driver, heated and ventilated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, tyre pressure monitoring and a nine-speaker Alpine sound system with a subwoofer and roof-mounted speakers.

Plus there’s the addition of speed sign recognition as part of a suite of active safety systems that includes adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning and lane keep assistance.

However, the six-seat layout of its predecessor has gone with a more conventional five-seat layout that introduces a broad centre console between the front occupants.

Under the bonnet is a heavily revised 6.7-litre Cummins inline six-cylinder turbo diesel.

Power has jumped from 276kW to 313kW.

But it’s the boost in torque that is more telling. It’s swelled from a healthy 1152Nm to a stupendous 1458Nm.

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS

Let’s talk torque, because that’s the (seriously) big story with the updated Ram 2500 and Ram 3500.

In the regular ute game 500Nm is considered healthy when it comes to pulling power, but the 2500 makes almost triple that at 1458Nm.

That’s super handy when you’re towing.

With 3.5 tonnes of caravan out the back, it barely notices the burden.

Floor the throttle and the biggest issue is the traction control light flickering as the electronics chime in to contain what would be plenty of smoky wheelspin if the Cummins diesel was left to call the shots.

It’s an old school demonstration of just how much thrust this thing has.

But it also exposes another issue with having so much torque: the four-wheel drive system.

Unlike many high-end off-roaders and tow machines, the heavy duty Rams get a part-time four-wheel drive system, which can’t be driven on bitumen with all four wheels driving.

Imagine powering out of tight bends as the inside wheel gets light and there’s a fair chance it’ll be scrabbling for traction.

It also pays to engage 4H on gravel to stop the rear wheels from spitting out dirt as they scrabble for grip.

Some would argue it’s a good problem to have, but we’d also love to see a full-time 4x4 set-up that gives owners the choice, especially when towing; we suspect a wet road would require more finesse when trying to unleash the whole torque fury.

The engine is lovably lazy in that it never has to rev hard. Instead it’s all about low-rev muscle.

Ram claims it’ll get to 3200rpm, but we never saw it past 3000rpm.

Sure, it’s making a thoroughly respectable 313kW of power (produced at 2800rpm), but it’s the 1458Nm that arrives at 1800rpm that defines how this big banger Cummins donk goes about its business.

At 1300 or 1500rpm there’s a mighty surge that shrugs off the 3.7 tonnes of truck it’s lugging around.

It’s effortless and easy and impressively quiet and refined for something punching out so much.

The brakes have some sponginess but are effective and if you activate the air brakes there’s that truck-like thrumming as you decelerate.

We experienced both the 2500 and 3500 but never got a back-to-back comparison.

The 3500 was hitched up with a caravan, whereas the 2500 was unladen.

So it was the 2500’s coil spring rear suspension we spent most time piloting.

The long wheelbase helps insulate it from large imperfections, but smaller hits and ripples get the big body bobbling around.

It rides on 275mm wide 18-inch Nexen Rodian AT Pro tyres with a light truck construction for better puncture resistance. There’s a full-sized spare.

The steering is lazy in its responses, something we suspect is deliberate to ensure such a big beast doesn’t feel nervous.

It’s at least in keeping with its cruisy nature. We suspect the Ram would make light work of lengthy road trips, especially on wide open roads.

As with any American pick-ups it’s a fair old step into the cabin. While there are no overhead grab handles, there are handles on the A and B-pillars to help you launch into the cabin.

Once you’re there you’ll be eyeballing truckies with a view of the road few others enjoy.

The new five-seat layout makes for a terrific arm rest between the front seats. That broad console also incorporates cupholders and the dual wireless phone chargers, as well as acres of storage.

Double door pockets provide a larger cavity down with a sizeable bottle holder then a smaller one below the grab handles.

Headroom in the rear is a tad less than up front, but no one will whinge about the legroom.

Don’t get stuck in the centre, though, because it’s perched higher and has a shorter seatbase, while the small hump on the floor keeps your knees higher.

Despite the heft, the 2500 has a lower payload than most mainstream utes, at just 785kg.

The 3500 is more meaningful at 1652kg for those who’ve upgraded to a truck licence.

But it’s a huge load area accessed by a damped tailgate.

A fold-out step on the passenger side is a must for accessing the tray.

Oddly, there’s height adjustment to the pedals but no reach adjustment for the steering and a foot operated park brake has an old school lever to release it.

Each wing mirror contains two pieces of glass and you can electronically adjust the angle of each individually, something that helps with seeing what’s going on around the vehicle. The side mirrors also extend electronically for towing.

From the front seats the towering vista is partly obscured by the bulging bonnet that somehow makes the windscreen look like one of the smaller components of the car, relatively speaking.

It pays to keep an eye on the extremities because it’s a big beast, at more than six metres long and 2.2 metres wide (the extended mirrors adding almost half a metre to that). In short, it’s something that will require extra concentration in the cut and thrust of city traffic.

As ever, the Walkinshaw Group’s right-hand-drive conversion impresses with its factory-grade finishes and attention to detail. All major controls are relocated as part of an 85-hour “remanufacturing” process that strips the car back to metal and adds up to 500 components, though the volume knob and trailer brake controller remain on the left, as per the American design.

Perhaps the least impressive of those additions is the tiny indicator lenses on the lower rear bumper; whereas the 1500 models get a completely new tail-light assembly, the lower volumes of the 2500/3500 (with their unique bodies) meant finding a simpler solution.

We also noticed inconsistent bonnet gaps on the cars we eyeballed.

Still, for those chasing a true heavy-duty hauler with mountain-moving torque, the Ram 2500 and 3500 deliver exactly that.

In an era of bigger is better – with cars and trailers - it’s little wonder Ram is hoping to attract more Aussie buyers.