Ram 3500HD pictured.
Ram has updated its 2500HD pickups for 2014. Heavy-duty trucks are, compared to many other vehicles, quite simple creatures. Performance and capability are the most important things to these vehicles. For the most part, there’s only one direction to go when updating heavy-duty trucks, and that’s up. More power, more torque, and burlier looks usually constitute the majority of the upgrades for the latest big pickups. Ram’s 2500 and 3500 series heavy-duty trucks are plenty strong and tough, so for Ram is changing things up just a little bit.
Don’t worry; the tough factor is still there. But Ram has added just a shot of technology to the mix as well, to boost fuel economy and on-road performance. The latest 2500HD (which is what used to be called a three-quarter ton truck) features a new engine and borrows some technology tricks from the larger Ram pickups to make it the most capable 2500HD yet.
Most noticeable is the new 6.4 liter HEMI V-8 under the hood. Putting out 429 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, the new engine improves the 2500HD’s towing capacity to more than 17,000 pounds. The new HEMI has been designed as a truck engine, rather than adapted from an automotive design, so it’s durable and powerful. The torque curve starts low thanks to variable valve timing, and full capability is available a full 1000 rpm lower than the competition. Some parts are shared with the 5.7 liter HEMI, including the fuel-saving cylinder-deactivation system. Efficiency is further improved by stainless steel exhaust and sodium-filled valves that help to manage heat. Ram also offers a dual alternator setup. On the road, the new V-8 makes the 2500HD accelerate like a much smaller truck, putting the power down smoothly.
The 6.7 liter Cummins turbo diesel hasn’t been neglected either. Ram’s big diesel throws down with 385 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque. Ram has improved the engine’s cooling and added an active air intake. Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions are offered. Four-wheel drive customers get a choice of Borg-Warner transfer cases.
To back up the additional power, Ram has beefed up the suspension as well. The frame has been updated and now includes a built-in gooseneck hitch adapter. The 2500HD has adopted the Link-Coil rear suspension that first appeared on the smaller 1500 pickups last year. The link-coil rear suspension does away with leaf springs, and provides improved lateral stability and a more tunable ride. An air suspension also is available. Replacing the coils with air bags allows the suspension to compensate for a maxed-out payload, and the Ram can beef up the air springs to keep the rear end from sagging. A minimal rake angle improves handling, keeps the headlights properly aimed, and makes the truck look that much tougher.
The 2500HD’s three-link front suspension has also been borrowed, this time from the larger 3500HD pickup. The upgraded suspension adopts larger, medium-duty truck wheels, and increases the maximum gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCWR) to 37,600 pounds in the Ram 3500HD. The new Ram 2500HD will tow up to 17,970 pounds when properly equipped, and a towing test with a 12,000-pound fifth-wheel trailer showed that the big Cummins diesel is more than up to the challenge.
Ram 3500HD pictured
Braking’s just as important as putting the power down when towing a trailer, and Ram’s integrated trailer brake control helps to save the brakes on long downgrades. Brake cooling is good and massive 14-inch rotors stop the 2500HD with confidence.
The new HEMI is very powerful, and the 2500 is a Truck, with a capital T. This is a vehicle that you buy for what it can do, not for what it looks like. The new rear suspension reduces the bounce and jounce from the back when the truck is unloaded, while steering is direct and less ponderous than in the past. That said, the Ram 2500 still has the somewhat unyielding suspension and heavy controls of a serious work truck, and it’s no surprise that the barely domesticated Power Wagon will be based on it when it arrives in a year or so.
Speaking of the Power Wagon, the 2500HD adds faux hood vents like the Power Wagon used to. Styling upgrades for 2014 are minimal because the Ram’s familiar quad head lamp, featuring big-rig styling, didn’t need to be messed with. A range of new 18- and 20-inch wheels now is available, the better to surround the bigger brakes and suspension components that the 2500HD has inherited. Additionally, a new cargo-view camera mounted in the third brake light makes monitoring bed loads and gooseneck trailers easier.
With the 2015 heavy-duty trucks from Ford and GM on the way, Ram’s freshening couldn’t come at a better time. The infusion of technology and beefier suspension components keeps the Ram 2500HD competitive and makes it a good choice for those jobs that would crush the wheels out from under lesser trucks. The Ram 2500HD starts at $29,600.
Ram 3500HD pictured
