RAM 2500 vs Mitsubishi Triton

What's the difference?

There’s a hardcore bunch of people out there for whom the only answer to what powers a full-sized pick-up is V and 8.

But it’s hard to ignore the existence of the turbo-diesel-powered Ram 2500 that, arguably makes more sense in the context of the overall concept. Sure, the returning V8 engine is smooth, relaxed and works well with the transmission, but it’s thirsty and makes the least power and torque of any other version of the Ram 1500 or 2500 range.

If a V8 engine is what you need to make a vehicle like the Ram make sense, then go for it and be happy. But for our money, the twin-turbocharged inline six cylinder engine in the Ram 1500 is the still the engine of choice for us.

And if you really do need the extra hauling, towing and heft of the 2500 model, then the - albeit more expensive – turbo-diesel with its 1458Nm of torque makes a compelling argument. Quite literally.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with accommodation and meals provided.

Apart from its distracting driver attention monitor, we can't see any major flaws that would detract from this vehicle’s comfort, practicality and performance when serving as either a utilitarian 4x4 workhorse or back-to-basics 4x4 dual cab for adventures off the beaten track.

The original Dodge Warlock looked like a motor-show special with its (typically) jet-black body, timber side-steps and almost quaint gold coach-lines and pin-striping. The blacked-out theme has been continued for the new Warlock, too, and the 2500 gets a black front fascia and grille, wheel arch extensions, side-steps and even black front and rear bumpers.

Like the original, this Warlock is available in a range of colours, but bank on black being a pretty popular one.

Our test vehicle rides on a compact 3130mm wheelbase and is 1865mm wide and 1795mm tall, which combined with a 12.4-metre turning circle makes it agile and easy to manoeuvre both on and off-road.

Speaking of which, its all-terrain credentials include 228mm of ground clearance, a useful 30.4 degrees approach angle (without bull-bar) and 23.4 degrees ramp breakover angle, with the departure angle dependent on the type of tray fitted. These numbers would be more than adequate for accessing rugged worksites.

Its front suspension is double-wishbone with coil-springs, paired with a robust leaf-spring live rear axle. Brakes are front discs and rear drums and it has electric power-assistance for the rack and pinion steering.

Looks are subjective of course but we reckon it has a robust and purposeful appearance in cab-chassis form, particularly with the accessories fitted to our example.

Chrome is all but extinct in its predominantly grey interior. However, hard surfaces on the centre console and door-pulls have a synthetic carbon-fibre finish, which adds a touch of style to a low-maintenance cabin that won’t get trashed by spilled coffee or muddy boots.

You also won’t find fancy features like digital instruments (it has analogue speedo/tacho) or an electronic handbrake (this one’s the good old manual lever). Plus there’s physical dials for audio volume/tuning and ‘piano key’ buttons for the cabin’s climate control, which ensures no distracting touchscreen prompts when driving.

Towing is the name of the game here, and with a 50mm tow ball, the Warlock can lug 3500kg. But that’s just phase one. Fit a 70mm ball, and you’re suddenly looking at 4500kg and, if you stump up for the genuine 'goose-neck' towing package and fit your trailer with air-brakes, that limit rises to 6700kg.

That’s all set against a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of 10,001kg (nobody could tell me why it’s 10,001 and not a round 10,000), and a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 4495kg, keeping the Ram car-license-friendly. Total payload is 1275kg, which means if you max out the GVM, you still have 5506kg of towing capacity up your sleeve.

The flip side is that with a kerb mass of 3220kg, and, say, 500kg worth of people, fuel, tools, Big M and sausage rolls on board, the legal payload in the tray suddenly shrinks to 775kg.

Hitch up the full 6700kg of load, and you’re left with just 3301kg of vehicle and payload, so that huge towing limit is perhaps more theoretical than practical. This is by no means a Ram-specific issue, but one that owners need to be familiar with to stay on the right side of the law and their insurance. And none of which, either, means the Ram won’t haul 4500kg pretty smartly with payload to spare.

It’s a long way up into the cabin of the Warlock, but there are grab handles and side-steps to make it physically possible. And, once you’re in place, the view out is absolutely magnificent; as if you’re sitting in a tennis umpire’s chair, looking down on the world.

One of the first things you notice is the Warlock has ditched the up-spec interior trim of the 1500 Ram line-up. So the glossy, anodised trim elements are replaced by rather more dowdy grey plastics, and the passenger’s side info-screen of the 1500 Laramie is gone, replaced by a huge storage bin (which is probably of more use to most people anyway).

Even though the Ram is converted to right-hand drive in Australia, a cost analysis demanded the indicators and column-mounted gear-shifter remain on the left and right hand side of the column, respectively. You’ll get used to it. The column itself features tilt, but no reach adjustment.

The seat trim is cloth rather than leather (which also works for a lot of people) but the front seat area is huge with vast stretching room in every direction. Even the centre console (which becomes the sixth seat when you need it) is high and wide and incorporates cupholders, storage cubbies and a writing surface.

There’s a 12-volt outlet in the top of the dashboard, and USB ports aplenty. But more impressive is the way Ram has stuck with physical switches rather than touchscreen menus for the important functions.

So, the climate control stuff is all contained within the centre stack, the entertainment controls are below that and the four-wheel drive mode switch is placed down low, left of the steering column; just where you want it off-road. Even stuff like the tow and haul mode switches are physical buttons.

The rear seat is absolutely huge, too. There’s more than enough knee and headroom for pro basketballers and the seat is wide. But, for some reason, the centre-rear position’s cushion depth is compromised by the placement of a pair of cupholders on the floor. Odd.

There is, however, a huge storage bin under the rear bench, and there are air vents but no climate controls in the rear. You do get grab handles and steps for easier access, and the entire floor is covered in sturdy looking rubber mats with a decent lip to contain mud and spills.

Thanks to all that wheelbase, the tray is vast despite the enormous cabin. The tailgate is spring-assisted, but still opens with a fair clunk if you let it drop, and the load height is going to make heavy loads a chore. Getting into the tub is made a bit easier, though, with a flip-down step on the rear-left corner.

There’s no standard tonneau, but you get a spray-in liner and there are LED lights on either side of the tub as well as eight tie-down points; four down low and four higher up the tray-sides.

A full-sized spare tyre is included.

With a kerb weight of only 1993kg (without tray) and 3200kg GVM, our test vehicle has a 1207kg payload rating. However, after you add the combined weight of its steel tray and other accessories (417kg), the payload rating is reduced by the same amount to 790kg. Even so, that still leaves a sizeable weight capacity for up to five tradies and their tools.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer but with its 6250kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the payload would have to be reduced by 450kg (from 790kg to 340kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM.

In real-world use it’s unlikely that many (if any) Triton owners would need to tow 3500kg but it’s important to be across these numbers to avoid overloading, which is dangerous and illegal.

The genuine accessory galvanised steel tray is internally 1650mm long and 1780mm wide. It has a robust checker-plate floor and a tube-frame front bulkhead with sturdy wire-mesh rear window protection.

There’s also swing-up load retainers on top of the tube-frame on each side, which when paired with the matching rear tube-rack accessory provides secure carrying space for extension ladders or long lengths of timber and PVC pipe/conduit.

There’s also external rope/strap rails along each side but like all steel trays we’ve come across there’s no internal load-anchorage points.

The driver and front passenger have access to a bottle holder and storage bin in each front door plus an overhead glasses holder and a large open compartment above the glovebox. The centre console offers more open storage plus two bottle/cupholders in the centre and a usefully-sized box at the back with a lid that doubles as a driver’s elbow rest.

The rear bench seat is comfortable and surprisingly spacious for tall people, given I’m 186cm and when seated behind the driver’s seat when set in my position, I have about 40mm of kneeroom and 60mm of headroom.

There’s also adequate head clearance for those seated in the slightly higher centre position, but the floor’s prominent transmission tunnel requires one boot either side and knees together between the front seat backrests.

And like all dual-cab utes short of a full-size US pick-up, rear shoulder room is squeezy for three adults, which is tolerable for short trips but a maximum of two adults would be ideal for longer drives.

Rear seat storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to serve as an armrest with dual bottle/cup-holders.

The bench seat’s base cushion is fixed, so unlike numerous rivals it can’t swing up and be stored vertically if more internal carrying space is required.

The Triton’s cab-chassis list pricing (without tray) starts at $34,490 for the GLX single-cab 4x2 manual and finishes at $61,540 for the premium GSR dual-cab 4x4 auto.

Our GLX test vehicle comes standard with a 2.4-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine (shared by all Tritons) and optional six-speed automatic for $49,490. This pricing is competitive with base-model 4x4 dual-cab-chassis equivalents like the Toyota HiLux Workmate ($48,735), Ford Ranger XL ($49,230) and Isuzu D-Max SX ($51,200).

However, our example is loaded with numerous items from Mitsubishi’s genuine accessories range including a steel tray ($5775), rear ladder rack ($951.42), steel bull-bar ($4755), driving lights ($1295), side-steps ($1750) and 3500kg towing kit/electronic brake controller ($2370).

This desirable ensemble adds almost $17,000 to the price, which with on-road costs would be nudging $70K to drive away. So, buyers must keep their budgets in mind, as it’s easy to get carried away in genuine accessory lolly shops.

Our test vehicle comes standard with 17-inch steel wheels and 265/65R17 all-terrain tyres plus a full-size spare. It also has heavy-duty rear suspension and underbody armour, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera, tyre-pressure monitoring and more.

The work-focused cabin has wipe-clean fabric seat trim and vinyl floors, power-adjustable driver’s lumbar support, twin 12-volt accessory sockets and USB ports, 7.0-inch driver’s instrument cluster and a four-speaker audio system controlled by a 9.0-inch multimedia screen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity.

Here’s where the headline stuff lives. The Hemi V8 measures 6.4 litres and cranks out a solid 306kW of power and 582Nm of torque, albeit at a fairly high (for a pick-up) 4000rpm.

The paradox, of course, is the V8 makes less power and torque than the turbocharged inline six-cylinder Ram sells in the smaller 1500 model (and replaced the V8 in that vehicle). In fact, even the most conservative tune of the turbo-six makes seven kiloWatts and 53Nm more than the V8, while the HO version of the six absolutely stomps on the V8 with 403kW (up 97) and 707 Nm (125 more).

So what’s the buying proposition? It’s a great question, but it’s not as simple as it appears on the surface. While Ram Australia did, indeed, replace the Hemi V8 with the inline six-cylinder for the 1500 series of pick-ups, the V8 has not returned to that line-up. Instead, the V8 is only available in the 2500 Ram – as the Warlock, no less - which is a pretty effective line in the sand.

Beyond that, the existence of the non-turbocharged V8 is largely down to the refinement it offers and that warbling soundtrack that has inspired enthusiasts since the Cadillac Type 51 introduced the V8 concept to production cars in 1914.

Meanwhile, The Ram V8 runs on premium ULP and is paired with an eight-speed conventional automatic transmission. In turn, that feeds into a transfer-case with high and low ratios for a traditional mechanical four-wheel drive layout. The differential ratios have also been shortened compared with the diesel 2500, as a means of ensuring the V8 is in its power zone for more of the time.

The off-road proposition is boosted by decent clearance and approach and departure angles and the Warlock uses coil rear springs rather than the more typical leaf springs of many similarly sized utes. High-end Bilstein dampers are also standard on the Warlock.

The Triton’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine is equipped with two turbochargers that work in sequence to boost efficiency, with the smaller one providing fast response at low rpm and the larger one optimising performance at higher rpm. The result is 150kW of power at 3500rpm and torque peaking at 470Nm between 1500-2750rpm, using AdBlue to minimise emissions.

It’s paired with a six-speed torque converter automatic that offers the choice of sequential manual shifting, which can be preferable when hauling and/or towing heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain.

The 4x4 system is dual-range, part-time offering 2H (2WD High Range), 4H (4WD High Range) and 4L (4WD Low Range) controlled by a dial on the centre console. However, you need to step up to the GLX+ to get a rear diff-lock.

Vehicles in this market segment aren’t required to claim an official fuel consumption number, but it’s no secret the Ram V8 will drink its share. Oh, and it requires 95 RON fuel, too, so add another few bucks per tankful over the cost of standard ULP.

On our on-road test, we averaged a reasonable 13.7 litres per 100km, but on a gently highway cruise, that would improve a little, thanks to the cylinder deactivation system that sends the V8 on to four cylinders when the extra grunt of all eight is not needed.

But hitch up a caravan or select low-range four-wheel drive and the numbers will pretty soon descend into fairly frightening territory. In reality, the around-town average is likely to be 15 litres per 100km or maybe even a bit more. That’s physics for you.

With the 177-litre tank and our on-road average, you could expect to travel for about 800km before looking for a service station.

Mitsubishi claims official combined average consumption of 7.7L/100km but the dash display was showing 9.9 at the completion of our 316km test, which included the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third of that distance was hauling its maximum payload.

Our own consumption figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in higher again at 10.7L/100km which is on the borderline of the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between manufacturer claims and real-world consumption.

So, based on our own numbers, the test vehicle should have a real-world driving range of around 700km from its 75-litre tank.

It might seem a bit odd, but the Ram pick-ups of this era have usually offered up a pretty refined, un-truck-like experience. It’s all down to plenty of sound-proofing, coil-sprung suspension and classy drivelines that merge effortlessness with clever, smooth transmissions.

And that hasn’t changed here. Although the sheer size of the Ram 2500 takes a bit of getting used to, everything from the dual-view exterior mirrors to the huge cabin glass area is designed to make it all a little less intimidating.

The V8 engine is muscular rather than brutal in the way it delivers, and it feels as though 0-100km/h would take about eight seconds to achieve. But it’s the manner, not the speed at which the Ram gets there that’s most impressive.

The engine is mellow and feels free-revving, and it works particularly well with the eight-speed automatic transmission to take out any torque deficits and keep it all rolling along with zero fuss. If you watch the tachometer, you might notice the engine is revving a little harder in each gear than you expected, with 5000rpm cropping up regularly if you start to get a bit enterprising with your progress. But the engine is so willing and so smooth in the process, this remains an observation rather than a criticism.

The steering feels light and takes a while to haul on the lock, but that’s probably a function of the vehicle’s off-road orientation. Speaking of which, it’s pretty good on a rough track, too, with lots of wheel articulation. The caveats for off-roading, however, include the huge bonnet that blocks the way forward when cresting lumps (a forward-facing camera would be a great addition) and the fact that the Ram’s wheel tracks are a lot farther apart than the four-wheel drives that have created Australia’s many bush tracks.

Staying with that theme, the Ram’s obvious girth can be an issue in tight driveways and parking stations, but that’s nothing new. We’ll also mention the engine can feel a bit grumbly when it drops on to four cylinders at low-speed cruising, and that the all-terrain tyres contribute a bit of noise on some coarse bitumen surfaces.

Large assist-handles on the A (and B) pillars, combined with the accessory side-steps on our example, make it easy to climb aboard and find a comfortable driving position.

The unladen ride is firm, as you’d expect given its 6.0-tonne-plus GCM rating, but it’s still supple enough to soak up the bumps without the harsh kidney-belting ride suffered in some cab-chassis one-tonners we’ve tested.

This is no doubt helped by the accessories fitted, which provide more than 400kg of additional sprung weight to engage the heavy-duty rear springs and improve the ride quality. That’s something to keep in mind if you often drive unladen.

The steering is firmly weighted and the brakes have good response, with the rear drums offering a terrier-like bite when the manual handbrake is applied on steep hills with a heavy load on board.

The four-cylinder 2.4-litre diesel, with its sequential turbocharging and strong outputs, provides energetic all-round performance with efficient gearing that ensures its operating within its peak torque band most of the time.

However, at highway speeds it does tend to hold top gear for too long, when the engine has dropped below 1500rpm and is clearly wanting a downshift.

To test its payload rating, we strapped 650kg on the tray which when combined with accessories and crew was right on the weight limit. The stout rear springs compressed only 25mm under this load, leaving ample bump-stop clearance that assured there was no bottoming-out on our test route.

The Triton handled this task with competence, maintaining good performance and chassis stability. It easily hauled this load up our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h, with the six-speed auto self-shifting down to third gear and 2500rpm which was comfortably within its peak torque band. Engine braking on the way down was also commendable.

Our only gripe is the driver distraction monitoring system which is still too reactive in certain situations, like scratching an itch below my eye even though I was looking straight ahead while doing it. Even though Mitsubishi has tried to improve this system, it needs more refinement, as it detracts from an otherwise positive driving experience.

The Triton comes with a five-star ANCAP rating (tested 2024) and a suite of passive and active features highlighted by eight airbags (including side-curtains), auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian/cyclist detection and junction assist, rear AEB when reversing, front/rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera, trailer stability assist and lots more. Rear seat has ISOFIX child-seat anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions and three top-tethers.

Big trucks don’t carry the same generous warranties as passenger car buyers are accustomed to. So the Warlock’s three-year/100,000km warranty might seem a bit rude. But trust us, it’s par for the course in the trucking world.

Service intervals for the Ram are every 12 months or 12,000km, which, again, seems a bit short but reflects the likely conditions under which a Ram 2500 will operate and the need for more regular oil changes and other servicing.

Ram includes 24-hour roadside assistance for the first three years of ownership, too, but there’s no capped price servicing plan on offer.

There are 77 Ram dealers in Australia covering all states and territories, including key rural and regional areas.

It comes with a five-year/100,000km standard warranty, or 10 years/200,000km if serviced at Mitsubishi dealers.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. Pricing is capped at $6860 for 10 scheduled services up to 10 years/150,000km, or an average of $686 per service.

Mitsubishi currently has more than 200 dealers across its national network that spans metro, rural and regional areas. Mitsubishi dealerships are also service centres.