Ram recently demonstrated the new 2025 Ram Heavy Duty trucks in Laughlin, Nevada, to showcase the heavy haulers' attributes, updates, and improvements for the new model year. 

Laughlin was selected as the site for a media drive because that is where Ram Trucks and others test towing capabilities along the Davis Dam Grade, a nearly 12-mile stretch of road just across the river in Arizona. 

Towing specs are established by driving the challenging route, much of which features a 6% grade, or more, for miles. At the top, near Union Pass, the tow vehicles face a 10% grade. Overall, the grade climbs from about 400 or 500 feet to over 3,600 feet – again in less than 12 miles. Automakers test their vehicles at that grade according to the guidelines outlined in SAE Recommended Practice J2807. 

“It’s really the biggest challenge for towing, because of the combination of grade and temperature,” explained Ram Trucks’ Doug Killian, chief vehicle synthesis manager - truck segment.

While it may have been cool in March during the presentation, Ram tests trucks on the grade in the heat of August. SAE mandates that certain conditions must exist while setting towing capabilities, such as the air temperature must be at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the vehicle’s air conditioning must operate on high and without recirculation. 

Because Ram owners want a truck that can work, whether hauling or towing, many choose a diesel powertrain.

More than 70% of those who buy Ram Heavy Duty trucks opt for the Cummins diesel engine over gasoline. In the past, there were multiple diesel output options. No longer will Ram buyers need to select between a standard diesel engine and Ram’s Cummins high-output diesel.

For 2025, Ram launched an improved Cummins engine coupled with a new eight-speed transmission. Now the only diesel choice is the high-output variant.

“For the new model year, we've made significant investments in changes in these trucks,” said Dave Sowers, director of Ram Professional Operations. “We have new powertrain upgrades, particularly on the diesel side, and we have upgrades on the transmission side as well, so, we're standard eight speeds across the board for gas and diesel.”

Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty Powertrain

“Our big upgrades for this year on heavy-duty pickups come in the Cummins diesel engine and our new TorqueFlite HD eight-speed transmission. So, on the Cummins engine, we had some requests on our 2500s to get the high-output engine. We've not only made it available for the 2500s; we made it standard,” Sowers explained. “So now 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque for the Cummins diesel engine for 2025. It’s an increase in power, but we've also made it more efficient. It's got better fuel efficiency, and we've also made it easier maintenance.”

Top-load oil and fuel filters also make the 2025 trucks easier to service, Sowers added.

The new Ram Heavy Duty trucks still offer customers a choice between gasoline-powered and diesel with the choice of:

• The 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel engine

• The standard 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 engine

The new Cummins Turbo Diesel engine and TorqueFlite HD eight-speed transmission upgrades enable 36,610 pounds of towing capability with a more fuel-efficient 3.42 rear axle ratio. Max towing was previously available only with a 4.10 axle ratio.

The 2025 Ram 2500 now has the Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel engine, which results in quicker 0 to 60 mph times. With that configuration, the 2025 model-year truck can reach 40 mph in 6.9 seconds, compared to 8.0 seconds for the previous year’s truck.

Ram Heavy Duty Transmission Advancements

Ram listened to its customers and learned that many preferred a column shifter over the rotary dial shifter of previous model years. So, in 2025, a new electronic column shifter complements the TorqueFlite HD eight-speed automatic transmission and is standard equipment on both gas and diesel engines.

“From a transmission perspective, this might seem like a small upgrade from six speeds to eight speeds, but let me tell you, it's a significant upgrade,” Sowers said.

“It’s capable of up to 57,000 pounds gross combined weight in other commercial vehicles where that transmission family is used. In our application, we rate it up to 43,000 pounds of gross combined weight rating,” Sowers said. “And it's a very sophisticated transmission with great refinement in terms of shifting and great efficiency.”

The Ram Heavy Duty engine control system recognizes if the truck is loaded or unloaded, and the new TorqueFlite transmission allows for smooth second-gear starts when unladen. However, when in tow-haul mode, the truck starts in first gear.

“It also is capable of skip shifting, which will go, let's say, from sixth gear straight to fourth gear in a passing maneuver. Then, when you complete the pass, it will go straight from fourth to sixth, and you will skip fifth gear. So, we're able to reduce the number of shifts and make it more efficient and more refined,” explained Sowers.

Delivering Horsepower – Gas & Diesel

The new 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel produces 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque. Meanwhile, the Ram’s gas engine, the 6.4-liter HEMI V-8, offers 405 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque.

That means the 2025 Ram Heavy Duty pickups are built to handle towing and hauling, including:

• A maximum towing capacity of 36,610 pounds for diesel-equipped trucks

• A maximum payload of 7,590 pounds with the gas-powered Rams

Enhanced Technology and Comfort Features

For 2025, the Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty trucks feature an updated and improved touchscreen, available in either 12-inch or 14.5-inch sizes.

Plus, Ram Trucks added new features to the Uconnect 5 system, which include:

• An improved 12-inch touchscreen with higher resolution and a new 14.5-inch reconfigurable touchscreen displays that features split-screen capability for dual application operation. 

• Both touchscreens use Full Array Local Dimming technology, enabling a higher contrast ratio than a conventional edge-lit screen.

• A new 10.25-inch passenger screen with three major functions: co-pilot (navigation, device management), entertainment (via HDMI), and the ability to view the exterior vehicle cameras. For safety reasons and to prevent driver distraction, the passenger screen is only visible to the front passenger, and not the driver. With dynamic touchscreen control, it offers an HDMI plug that lets occupants connect their phone or tablet, turning the touchscreen into a mirrored extension of their device. 

• The Advanced Atlantis electrical architecture enhances Uconnect 5 with operating speeds five times faster than the previous generation's architecture. That means a more responsive experience since the screen can react to input in as little as .05 seconds.

Other Key Innovative Features in the 2025 Ram

“One of the things that we've changed for this year is electrical architecture to be able to support more safety features and more high-end features where they're optioned. The standard condition now features forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including pedestrian detection,” Sowers said. “We also have brought in adaptive cruise control as standard. So, on this truck (a Tradesman), we have our normal cruise control on the steering wheel and our adaptive cruise control, again, that's standard for 2025.”

Although the 2025 Ram Heavy Duty trucks are built for work, they do not lack technology and convenience, based on the model variants and options. Some of those features are:

• Power inverter—An onboard power inverter offers up to 2.4 kilowatts and has two covered outlets inside the bed of the Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty. With the engine running and while the truck is parked, customers can turn the inverter on via the touchscreen and a switch located to the left of the outlets. The engine will then ramp up revolutions per minute to support the onboard power inverter.

• Lane Keep Assist — Enhanced Lane Keep Assist leverages blind spot sensors to provide additional steering corrections for lane centering.

• Power telescoping trailer tow – Not only can a driver adjust mirrors, including the spotter, by fingertip control, but now can also move the mirrors away from the truck to enhance sightlines while towing.

• Trailer reverse steering control—Located below the touchscreen, the trailer reverse steering control allows the driver to enter a few measurements before the camera tracks the trailer's position. The driver rotates the dial left or right in the direction they want the trailer to go while the system controls the steering wheel.

• Large gauge cluster - A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster shows nearly two dozen different menus, including driver-assist technologies such as adaptive cruise control, active driving assist, drowsy driver detection, and traffic sign information.

The new 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty trucks are scheduled to arrive in dealerships in the first quarter of 2025.