Torque-monster ute shock: no price rises!

Ram Trucks Australia (RTA) has released retail pricing for its Heavy Duty (HD) range of full-sized trucks, and for once, despite improvements across the board, they have remained the same as before.

That means from $172,950 (all prices are before on-road costs unless otherwise stated) for the DJ Series II 2500 HD with coil-sprung rear suspension, and $177,950 for the 3500 super HD that uses a more robust leaf-spring arrangement.

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It’s also worth noting that the pre-facelift Ram HD range is now cheaper still in runout mode, from $169,950 drive-away.

Only released in its native North America back in January, the Ram DJ II series is a facelift of the model launched at the beginning of this decade, and brings a fresh nose, a substantially overhauled diesel powertrain with higher power and torque outputs, improved safety and a slew of changes and upgrades inside.

The latter includes a switch to a five-seat layout rather than the previous six-person cabin, with the deletion of the front centre position. Ram says this is due to buyer feedback that prefers more luxury than utility in this ute.

New 12.3-inch electronic instrumentation, dual smartphone chargers, upgraded autonomous emergency braking (now with pedestrian and cyclist detection) and traffic sign recognition are some of the other changes that the facelift ushers in.

Fans will spot the differences thanks to new bi-LED headlight design, as well as black paint replacing all chrome trim outside of the 2500 and 3500, including in the (restyled) grille, alloy wheels and side steps.

Meanwhile, current drivers should easily ascertain the MY25 HD changes underneath, thanks to a significant boost in performance from the hugely-overhauled engine and ZF eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission (replacing the old six-speeder unit).

Still supplied by Cummins, the 6.7-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel now pumps out 313kW of power at 2800rpm and 1458Nm of torque from just 1800rpm – surely a record-high for any vehicle in Australia that can be driven on a car licence. This represents a jump of 13 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

Thanks in part to a new turbo, redesigned engine block and head, heavier-duty pistons, revised high-pressure fuel system, fresh performance intake manifold, larger intake and exhaust vales and modified top-feed injectors, it also means that it reduces the power gap with the Silverado’s 350kW/1322Nm 6.6L V8 turbo-diesel engine, while easily leap-frogging the General Motors truck for torque.

The result is an unofficial 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.2 seconds, shaving about a second off the previous model. Ram also says that noise/vibration and harshness properties have also been addressed, while a wider spread of gear ratios as well as second-gear take-off should improve fuel consumption.

On the workhorse front, the maximum braked towing capacities are: 3500kg (with a 50mm tow ball), 4500kg (with a 70mm tow ball) and 8000kg (with a fifth wheel or ‘gooseneck’ connection).

The 2500’s Gross Combination Mass is 12,750kg and the payload is 785kg, while the 3500’s corresponding GCM figures are 14,433kg and 1652kg.

Finally, a towing calculator is now available on the RTA website to help buyers choose which Ram is better for their intended use.

“We want people to make sure they have the right vehicle for their intended purpose,” according to RTA General Manager, Jeff Barber.

That’s also likely due to the desire to help the HD rise above the 12 per cent or so share of total Ram sales in Australia, with the remainder taken up by the 1500. In contrast, the Silverado 2500 makes up about 45 per cent of volume.

RTA hopes the Ram HD can also claw back the latter’s overall lead in sales, which to the end of September year-to-date is at 1636 registrations versus just 411.