With up to 8000kg towing capacity and a mega 1458Nm of torque from a heavily-revised Cummins turbo-diesel inline-six, the 2025 RAM 2500 HD and 3500 HD could be the hunk of all pickup trucks in Australia right now.
This is the biggest overhaul yet to the brand’s heavy-duty lineup, bringing not just an overhauled engine, but newfound levels of polish and features to help it become an even more comfortable and capable workhorse.
2025 RAM 2500 HD: Specifications
Output: 313kW@2800rpm / 1458Nm@1800rpm
Gearbox: Eight-speed auto
Drive type: RWD/4WD with 4L
Wheels: F & R: 18×8.0, 275/70
Kerb weight: 3710kg
Official consumption: N/A
Fuel tank/Fuel type: 117L/Diesel
Power efficiency: N/A
0-100km/h: 7.01 seconds*
Starting price: $172,950 (3500: $177,950)
*Figures as tested by Driving Enthusiast on the day. Manufacturers’ claims may be different
2025 RAM 2500 HD: How much does it cost?
A single Laramie variant of each the 2500 and 3500 make up the local range, with prices starting from $172,950 for the 2500 and $177,950 for the 3500.
Its nearest rival, the Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ, is priced from $168,000, featuring a 6.6L turbo-diesel V8. (All prices exclude on-road costs.)
2025 RAM 2500 HD: Interior & packaging
Step inside and you’ll notice the scale of the RAM 2500’s cabin is impressive. It’s vast yet well thought-out. The switch to a five-seat configuration opens space for a massive multi-tiered centre console, ideal for stowing laptops, tools, or even a medium-size dog.
Storage solutions are plentiful overall, with deep bins under the rear seat and a fold-out flat load platform, additional compartments in the rear floor, and dual glove boxes, six cup holders in the back and two more in the front, and big door pockets.
Material quality is top-notch, with soft leather trim, a new crystal-clear 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12-inch portrait-style touch-screen housing the latest Uconnect system. The interface is fast and intuitive, supporting both wired and wireless smartphone connectivity, with lots of physical buttons surrounding the screen to support quick access and reduced distraction. You also get eight USB ports. Yep, eight.
New-for-2500 dual wireless chargers (that clamp your phone in place) add genuine day-to-day convenience, while various normally-optional features come standard such as an electric sunroof, power slide-out side mirrors for towing, a spray-in bedliner, rear portal window, and both adaptive and non-adaptive cruise control.
Both front seats are heated and ventilated, and the rear bench offers limousine-like legroom. Even after several hours behind the wheel, fatigue is minimal – this is a truck designed for eating up the highways. More on that below.
In terms of the on-paper towing specs and load capacities, both the 2500 and 3500 offer a towing capacity of 4500kg (with a 70mm ball), or up to 8000kg with a gooseneck hitch. The GCM is 12,750kg in the 2500 and 14,433kg in the 3500. However, you will need a heavy vehicle licence to tow in the 3500 at high ratings.
These figures mean towing a big caravan or horse trailer or boat is not going to be a problem. In fact, you’ll likely have heaps of capacity leftover so you can add personal belongings, luggage and other passengers without much fear of running into the GVM/GCM.
It’s a big contrast compared with the common, smaller dual-cab diesel utes which all run very close to their maximums when towing near or at 3500kg.
2025 RAM 2500 HD: Powertrain & handling
Not that it needed more grunt, RAM is introducing a heavily revised 6.7-litre Cummins turbo-diesel inline-six, now developing 313kW and a towering 1458Nm – the highest torque output in its class (and probably outright for a new vehicle right now).
There’s a redesigned head and block, and a fresh turbocharger. It’s paired for the first time with an eight-speed ZF-based TorqueFlite automatic, replacing the six-speed. These changes provide improvements to refinement and usability over the previous model.
As before though this engine is an absolute powerhouse. There’s an immense wave of torque available just off idle (max torque is achieved at just 1800rpm), so the 2500 rarely feels like it’s working hard. Even with a trailer or load on the back, progress is smooth and near-effortless. Peak power is achieved at just 2800rpm, with a 3200rpm redline.
Push on the throttle harder and it responds with a deep, confident surge rather than a rush of noise and revs. You can hardly notice it is a diesel, with no clatter or rattle to be heard. Especially at highway speeds, where it settles into a quiet hum which gives the truck a calm, long-legged touring character.
The new ZF transmission deserves as much praise as the engine as well. Shifts are smooth, and the extra ratios help keep the revs in the optimum bandwidth, in turn improving economy. It’s especially well tuned for towing, knowing when to hold gears on inclines or downshift predictively before a descent.
Speaking of which, there is an exhaust brake function to assist when towing. Tap the button on the dash and it’ll use the engine’s massive capacity to help slow the outfit down without cooking the conventional friction brakes. This should help to reduce running costs in the long run if you do a lot of heavy towing.
Despite its size, stretching just over six metres long, it is remarkably manageable on Australian roads. The steering is light and progressive once you move off-centre – because there is a bit of play on centre – and it’s easy to judge where the wheels are placed on the road.
Yes, it is a big vehicle so don’t expect the zippy agility of a hatchback in the city. However, visibility is good so you have a commanding view. And with its array of surround-view cameras and sensors, getting into a parking spot or driveway can be done, surprisingly, without overwhelming nervousness. That length means it will not fit into a conventional parking space without hanging the rear over – so if there is no space to do that, try somewhere else.
We drove the 2500 around the ride and handling circuit at Lang Lang proving ground and on surrounding country roads, and, as expected, the rear coil-spring setup does provide decent compliance and comfort over the leaf springs in the 3500.
It also helps having such a long wheelbase, mitigating pivoting and fidgeting when hitting sharper bumps. Body control is good for something this size and weight, but it isn’t as flat as something like the Ford Ranger, but this is much taller and wears big all-terrain tyres as standard.
As for towing, the team had a 3500kg dual-axle caravan setup on the 3500 for us to test on the high-speed bowl, and, yeah, you can hardly feel the van on the back. Given the vehicle (3700kg) is heavier than the van in this scenario, it doesn’t take much throttle to get things moving or slow things down. It is a walk in the park. We did a 0-100km/h test with the van on the back too, without completely flattening the pedal, and it stopped the clock in around 14 seconds. Not something you could achieve in a common dual-cab ute.
We also did some proper performance tests with the Vbox in the 2500, with no weight on the back, and it managed 0-100km/h in just 7.01 seconds. That’s easily quicker than all of the regular dual-cab diesel utes on sale, including the V6 Ranger (we’ve timed 8.43 seconds).
2025 RAM 2500 HD: First impressions
Obviously a big rig like this is not for everyone. This is a giant workhorse made specifically for towing and carrying very heavy loads. Think of it as like a tilt-tray type of truck but with five seats, a luxurious and accommodating interior, and better handling and performance.
If you are towing 3000kg or more, regularly, this is a much safer option than any of the typical diesel dual-cab utes and heavy-duty SUVs in our opinion, because there is so much GVM and GCM to play with. You won’t have to worry about cutting it fine and running right near the limit.
It is expensive, mostly due to the comprehensive right-hand drive conversion done here in Australia, which includes all local calibration for the steering and safety technologies, the fitment of certain unique parts and components as part of ADR certification, and the conversion itself.
There’s also the fact Aussie models are shipping over from America in high-spec form to begin with – it doesn’t start with a base-spec package. Even so, this is a big investment that requires considerable though.
2025 RAM 2500 HD: Video
