When it comes to heavy duty trucks, stiff competition remains among what is still considered as the big three American automakers. While each of the heavy-duty offerings delivers on their staggering performance numbers, Americans seem to find a preference among the brands and tend to stick with what they think works for them. That’s to easily say that there are pluses and minuses among all the heavy-duty trucks, which I get to experience this week in the latest Ram 2500 Laramie equipped with the loved Cummins 6.7-liter inline 6-cylinder diesel.
To be transparent here, the choice of such a large and in-charge truck usually comes down to preference and, often enough, love for a particular brand. For the Ram 2500, there’s a lot to love, just as you would find in a comparable Ford F-250 Powerstroke Diesel and either a Chevy Silverado 2500 or GMC Sierra 2500, both with the Duramax Diesel powertrain. Here, though, Ram has managed to utilize the Cummins, which has a long-touted history of being a branded engine found in much larger applications – which plays on having a dedicated fanbase just like other heavy-duty diesel trucks.
What Ram does here in the 2500 Laramie offers a mid-level heavy-duty truck that doesn’t necessarily break the bank but still serves up some of the plushness that you find in modern-day Ram trucks – partly being more on the luxurious side for truck offerings. The 6.7-liter inline 6-cylinder Cummins diesel engine outputs 430 horsepower and an astonishing 1,075 lb-ft of torque. For those paying attention, that figure is up considerably from last year’s Cummins engine, along with some improvements to reduce harshness and unwanted vibrations from the clacking diesel. The diesel also now gets mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that’s now controlled by an electronic shifter – still a column-mounted shifter, thankfully, to appease purists.
Fuel economy for heavy duty trucks remain to omit ratings, but I saw as much as 17.6 MPG on the highway at a steady 65 mph and about 16.1 mpg around town, which isn’t bad for such a massive truck. I’d imagine you’d still get double digit figures when towing and hauling reasonable loads. Either way, with a large 31-gallon tank you have plenty of cruising range.
Overall, driving the new Ram 2500 Laramie Sport Cummins Diesel is a surprisingly easy experience. Yes, piloting the large and heavy diesel is simple if the size isn’t initially intimidating. The power steering rack is light and powerful, the throttle response seems to be improved, and the new 8-speed automatic transmission seems to shift through the gears smoother than the outgoing setup. Other than the massive size of the 2500, there’s an easy-does-it feeling that assures you of driving such a vehicle. However, having the optional 360-degree camera setup would have been a bit more helpful as I was left to the standard backup camera system for my mid-level Laramie Sport trim 2500.
Other upgrades for the new model year include Ram’s latest infotainment system fed through a larger 14.5-inch screen that’s portrait-oriented. The system, much like in other previous experiences of new Ram (Stellantis) infotainment setups, is mostly simple to use but is sometimes plagued by slow system responses where it seems like the system hangs up on processing inputs. Otherwise, there’s the welcomed wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration that fits nicely into the big screen, leaving core functions and displays, such as the climate info, all displayed at the same time.
The seating areas, as you would guess, are large and very accommodating for adults of virtually any size. After all, such a vehicle serves many times as a multipurpose truck that can comfortably haul a family or find a home on a worksite to take advantage of the new 2.4-kW power inverter. The comfy seats, as well as heated and ventilated seats, are necessary as the Ram 2500 tends to have a rather stiff ride quality when going over larger road imperfections and undulations. However, the initial feeling of the ride is overall smooth, but you get large jounces and sometimes rather upsetting bounces in the body when you encounter those larger road imperfections – something to keep in mind when shopping for such a truck. You can also opt for an auto-leveling rear suspension to help prevent that dreadful sag when towing or hauling heavy loads.
Ram’s updated Cummins Diesel, with its shift-on-the-fly electronic transfer case, gets the job done, and you can now tow up to 20,000 pounds on a specific 4×2 setup, which is best-in-class. However, my Ram 2500 Laramie Sport Cummins 4×4 has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds, a tow rating of 19,770 pounds with its 3.42 axle ratio and 6’4” bed, and a max payload rating of 2,260 pounds. Yeah, that’s some serious towing and hauling abilities! A neat party trick is having the fully power side rearview mirrors with a power-extending option to aid in towing – they are not only power-adjustable for the main mirror but also for the lower spotter mirror.
In the area of safety, the new Ram 1500 Laramie Sport includes most of the typical active safety features, including the highlights of blind spot monitor, lane departure and lane keep assist, forward collision warning/emergency braking/pedestrian detection, and rear cross-path detection. You also get adaptive cruise control with steering and a clever ParkSense front and rear park-assist system.
As prices continue to mount, Ram keeps such in mind in offering the sweet spot for a heavy-duty truck in the Laramie Spot Crew Cab 4×4 trim with the powerful Cummins diesel engine, testing out at $84,545. If you were to opt for the same trim with the less powerful 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine, you’re looking at a starting price of $64,430. Basically, the Cummins diesel will add about $12,595 to your bottom line, and it is well worth the price of admission, in my opinion, considering its efficiency and sheer power found in the improved 2025 model year.
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