Meaty, Beaty, Big... and Sporty? Driving the 2026 Ram 2500 Black Express and Warlock

Three-quarter-ton heavy-duty 2500 trucks work for a living. Nobody buys these for “gardening and projects around the house,” because they’re simply not comfortable enough for unladen commuting. That, and they’re also huge. The 2026 Ram 2500 HD and 3500 HD are available in plenty of fancy trim levels that let the bosses show off how well their company is doing, but two new models joining the lineup—the 2026 Ram 2500 Black Express and the 2026 Ram 2500 Warlock—are more about making the rank-and-file folks doing the work feel special. They feature sporty-looking trim and functional gear (for the Warlock) that seriously upgrade the entry Tradesman trim on the cheap.

All Aboard the Black Express

Available on Crew Cab rear- or four-wheel-drive models with long or short bed, the Black Express gets the mean-looking sport performance hood, body-color bumpers and grille surround, black tubular side steps, the de rigueur black 20-inch wheels, power convex trailer mirrors, a cloth front bench, a carpeted floor with carpeted mats, and a choice of eight paint colors, all for a more than reasonable $2,495. That brings the entry out-the-door price for a 6.4-liter gas-powered Black Express to a Ram 1500-ish sounding $53,735, without the poverty-signaling steelies, molding delete, and matte black grille.

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The lighter 6.4-liter gasser we sampled in a Black Express 2500 puts a slight spring in its step off the line, and it certainly revs out more than the Cummins turbodiesel. But it’s quite obviously tuned to deliver maximum low-end torque, so the eight-speed automatic knows better than to bother winding out anywhere near its official (unpainted) 6,000-rpm redline. It usually short-shifted well before 5,000 on our drive.

Our test truck came equipped with the optional 4.10:1 axle, which endows it with an overall low-range crawl ratio similar to the off-road king Power Wagon. We gave it one wide-open-throttle run, which we were advised to do in Tow-Haul mode to force the truck to start in first gear. (It shifted up and out of first about as quick as the diesel would have.)

We remain favorably impressed with the ride comfort of these coil-sprung, live-axle front and rear trucks, and these models don’t get air springs in the back. We still wouldn’t want to commute with an empty bed on a regular basis, but the five-link coil setup is smoother-riding than you might expect and better on balance than the rear-leaf-spring setups used on competing offerings.

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Driving Warlock—Rebel Light

The Warlock package of off-road goodies available for the Tradesman grade has proven popular with Ram 1500 buyers, so the brand decided to offer it for 2500 crew-cab short-box 4x4 trucks, as well. For $2,995, you get an electronic limited-slip rear differential, Bilstein on-/off-road-tuned shocks, skidplates for the transfer case, a 31-gallon fuel tank, hill-descent control, and 34-inch Goodyear Duratrac tires on 20-inch wheels (those taller tires make it ride even a little cushier than the Black Express). Many of the Black Express dress-up parts are also included, like the black grille surround, wheel flares, and bumpers, plus the cloth bench and carpeted floor (but with off-road-friendlier all-weather mats). It’s a lot of truck for $57,165.

We sampled this one with the $12,995 Cummins turbodiesel engine, which really is the ideal off-road companion. Slip it into low range, and it’s torquey enough to idle up and over all manner of rocks and obstacles. Hill-descent control maintains any speed between 0.6 and 5 mph, adjustable via the gear-limiter buttons. Lock the diff, and it will happily idle over extreme frame-twisting camel humps. (Even unlocked, when forward momentum stops, a dab of throttle instigates braking on an airborne wheel to get the truck moving again.)

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Forestry service or search and rescue teams facing budgetary restraints could do a whole lot worse than this Warlock package. It represents nearly $14,000 in savings relative to the Rebel, and $17K compared to the Power Wagon. (Even the Tradesman Power Wagon package, if it returns for 2026, is likely to cost at least $4,600 more.) One option we sorely missed during our off-road adventure in the Warlock: a forward-looking trail camera. That’s a gigantic hood few if any drivers will ever be able to see over, but sadly one must step up to a fancier trim to get it.

Are These Heavies Convincingly Sporty?

Sure, they look sporty. Want to make them look sportier? Hitch them up to the box trailer you use to tow your race car and enjoy effortlessly and smoothly covering the distance between tracks. But no, they don’t drive sporty—well, unless you’re a sportsman hauling your deer harvest back out of the woods. That qualifies as sporty, right?