Ram’s Heavy-Duty Pickup Has Big Power, a Big Grille, and a Few Big Misses

Ram is about as close to MotorTrend Truck of the Year royalty as a brand's going to get. Ram pickups have picked up the Golden Calipers nine times since the Ram 1500 (then still wearing the Dodge moniker) won in 1994, with its most recent victory coming just last year. We wouldn’t say the updated 2025 Ram 2500 was a heavy favorite, but we sure had our eye on it.

The 2025 model year marks the first update to the HD trucks since 2019 (which led to a 2020 TOTY win). Upgrades are significant, including new driver aids, new infotainment upgrades, and more standard power for the diesels—all tucked behind a massive new grille. In an effort, no doubt, to show off the improved flexibility of its latest big rigs, Ram sent two very different 2500s to the TOTY competition, a long-wheelbase diesel-powered towing rig and a gasoline-fed, off-road-ready Power Wagon.

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The Rams impressed us in exactly the ways we were expecting. The Cummins diesel purrs while hauling heavy loads with ease, and it proved reasonably comfortable as a regular driver, hard ride and imprecise steering notwithstanding. The Power Wagon powered its way through every off-road obstacle we pointed its giant new grille at, and were it not for our past experiences with the 1500 TRX and RHO, we’d likely label it one of the best off-road trucks you can get.

But we also experienced our share of annoyances, chief among them Ram’s reverse trailer steering, which seems cobbled together compared to Ford’s well-thought-out setup. It refused to turn our trailer sharply, though we have no idea how to gauge broad turns from shallow ones, as the dial that controls steering can be spun infinitely in either direction. (A button at the center of the dial allegedly straightens the trailer.) The system’s unique selling point is that it measures the trailer automatically. But we found that it repeatedly underestimated the length of our travel trailer at 20 feet, which may be why the turns were so broad. Even the most inept trailer-backers among us found their own fumbling efforts more effective than letting the Ram steer the trailer for them.

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The power from the Power Wagon’s 6.4-liter gas V-8 was unremarkable, though we can't say the same about the rate at which it swilled gasoline. The new column shifter is a nice nod to traditionalism, but why didn’t Ram create a better system of detents? We found it all too easy to fly right past reverse. And what’s with that massive power bulge on the Power Wagon’s hood? All it does is block the view ahead, a problem that gets worse when the rear suspension squats due to a heavy load in the bed.

All in all, we found that while the Ram 2500 largely excelled at traditional truck chores, it didn’t stand above the competition in any significant way. OK, we’ll concede that the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel is arguably the best oil burner in the biz, though it still loses the torque war to Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8. The Ford Super Duty trucks also offer more work-friendly features, and if you’re buying an HD truck as an accessory rather than an implement of labor, both the Chevrolet and GMC 2500s offer a more comfortable ride with much more accurate steering. By comparison, the Ram 2500 (and the Ford F-250) feels like it's all over the road.

Unlike its smaller 1500 sibling, the Ram HD trucks don’t significantly outperform or outclass their rivals. While there’s no question they're an improvement over the outgoing models, Ram will need to improve its focus on the competing trucks that threaten to pass it by.

This review was conducted as part of our 2026 Truck of the Year (TOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.