Ram may consolidate diesel engine options on 2025 HD

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• Ram is reportedly thinking about offering its HD Cummins diesel in one state of tune
• That’s because a new 8-speed automatic transmission could enable such a change
• Whether or not the rumours are true, expect any new offering to best the output of rivals

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Customers who have been shopping for a Ram Heavy Duty pickup truck in the last few years will have surely been alerted to the fact there are two diesel engine options on tap for some models. While both share a 6.7L displacement, the so-called “high-output” variant is the one that gets all the attention, thanks to four-figure levels of torque.

This has created something of a ground war amongst Ram owners in your author’s circle of friends. Without fail, anyone who chose the less powerful mill gets regularly pilloried for doing so — despite the fact that those hurling insults don’t need four figures’ worth of torque, either. At this level of things, it’s simply annoying braggadocio. Gearheads are a different breed.

The same amount of bragging extends to the truck-makers in Detroit, of course, with the three major companies regularly beating each other over the head with a proverbial steel chair in an endless game of one-upmanship. It didn’t take long for the Blue Oval to respond when Ram pushed past the 1,000-lb-ft mark, for example.

Now, it appears Ram could be clapping back at recent upgrades by its crosstown rivals by offering its HD trucks with a Cummins diesel packing one set of power specifications instead of two.

The news first surfaced earlier this year from the always-on group at Mopar Insiders, who suggested Ram was on the cusp of paring its pair of Cummins offerings back to a single spec — one which would outstrip the existing High Output and its 1,075 lb-ft of torque as offered in the Ram HD 3500. Talking heads speculate a new transmission, showing up in the form of a ZF eight-speed automatic, is the enabler of this potential change at Ram. A pair of six-speeds handle those duties, now.

In comparison, the “regular” Cummins in a Ram HD (the one for which some of my friends are mocked) makes 850 lb-ft of twist; the 6.6L in GM’s heavy-duty twins is good for 1,050 lb-ft; and the Ford Super Duty tops out at a stunning 1,200 lb-ft of torque. It, like the Ram, has a detuned variant, though it is available just about across the board, unlike at Ram where the max output is only offered on the 3500 one-ton pickups.

One thing is certain: any new configuration from Ram is sure to outstrip its crosstown rivals. We’re placing the over/under at 1,300 lb-ft of torque.

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