Ram 1500 vs Ram 2500

What's the difference?

In performance terms, the new Hurricane twin-turbo six is more than a match for the Hemi V8 it replaces. So, for a tradie that fancies a powerful US pick-up with 4.5-tonne towing, lots of load tub space and ample room to cart up to five crew in loungeroom comfort, the Ram 1500 Laramie Sport has plenty to offer.

The RAM 2500 Laramie 4x4 is designed primarily as an extreme duty tow vehicle, and in that role it excels. So if you've got something really big to tow like a multi-axle caravan, horse float, boat trailer or other type of trailer up to 7.0 tonnes, you'd be hard pressed to find a more effortless and luxurious way to move it than with one of these jiggers.

This is a BIG pick-p which may present challenges for tradies trying to access worksites with confined access. Measuring almost 6.0 metres long (5916mm) and just under 2.5 metres wide (2474mm with mirrors), it has a vast 3672mm wheelbase which results in an expansive 14.4-metre turning circle.

Its length and front/rear overhangs limit hardcore off-road ability with relatively shallow 20.2 degrees approach, 18.7 degrees ramp breakover and 21.7 degrees departure angles, along with 220mm of ground clearance. Not that owners are likely to tackle Gunshot Creek, but it would cope fine with rugged worksites.

Built on a massive ladder-type chassis frame, it rides on twin A-arm coil spring front suspension and multi-link coil-spring live rear axle, with four-wheel disc brakes and electric-assisted power steering.

The MY25's styling is enhanced with a redesigned front fascia, new LED headlights and LED tail-lights. The interior design and its quality of finish are outstanding, particularly the locally installed RHD dash module which looks superb and seamlessly transitions a vast number of LHD features and functions to RHD.

The full-length sunroof adds to the spacious feel and there’s a sumptuous mix of real leather seat trim, synthetic woodgrain infills, satin chrome, Laramie insignias embroidered on the seat facings and lots of exposed stitching along flawless seams.

With a granite-crushing 3577kg kerb weight (by comparison Ford's top-shelf Ranger Wildtrak dual cab ute is 'only' 2250kg) the RAM 2500's architecture is tailor-made for heavy towing with a massive ladder frame chassis and expansive 3797mm wheelbase (Ranger 3220mm) providing rock-solid towing stability.

Front and rear suspension is via multi-link coil-sprung live axles (LSD rear), with four wheel disc brakes inside 18 x 8.0-inch polished alloy wheels and Michelin LT265/70R18E all-purpose tyres. Plus there's a full size spare.

ASV prefers to use the word 're-manufacture' rather than 'conversion' when describing its extensive body-off-frame RHD engineering process. We can vouch for that, having inspected the company's ISO quality-certified Melbourne production line, which turns out about 40 vehicles a month and employs 28 full-time staff in a dedicated factory right next door to HSV in Clayton. The end result is OEM standards in parts supply, engineering quality, standard of finish and driving performance.

With its hefty 2642kg kerb weight and 3505kg GVM, our test vehicle has an 863kg payload rating, which is modest when compared to numerous smaller utes with higher ratings.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg on a 50mm tow-ball and up to 4500kg on a 70mm ball. And with its 7711kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can carry its maximum payload when towing 3500kg.

However, the payload must be reduced by almost 300kg to tow the maximum 4500kg, which would only leave about half a tonne of payload most of which could be used up by the weight of a full crew, so it’s important to be aware of these numbers if planning to tow that heavy.

The load tub is 1702mm long, 1270mm wide and 543mm deep, resulting in 1.5 cubic metres of total load volume and enough space between the sidewalls to carry either an Aussie or Euro pallet.

Lockable RamBox storage compartments on each side have a combined load volume of 420 litres and given both are equipped with rubber plug-sealed drain holes they are tailor-made for carting lots of ice and cold drinks.

A two-way powered tailgate saves a lot of physical effort and the load tub is protected by a spray-in liner. There are fixed load-anchorage points front and rear near floor level and slide-adjustable hooks near the top of the tub, so loads of all heights are catered for.

The tub also has internal lighting and its folding soft tonneau cover is easy to remove and refit. There’s also a spring-loaded step which swings down to ease rear load-tub access and when retracted is largely hidden behind the left rear wheel. Our test vehicle was also supplied with a sturdy and adjustable partition that can divide the load tub into two compartments.

Driver and front passenger enjoy spacious comfort, which is shared with rear passengers thanks to doors than swing wide open to access a plush bench seat that offers palatial head, knee and foot room even for tall people.

The cabin’s vast rear floor is also flat which ensures even a tall middle passenger can be comfortable on longer journeys without having to straddle a transmission tunnel.

There’s heaps of cabin storage available, starting with a big bin in the base of each front door plus a large glovebox on the passenger side.

The centre console, in addition to its twin wireless phone chargers, single HDMI and multiple USB ports, houses a huge storage box topped by a padded lid/elbow rest and an internal sliding tray equipped with two small-bottle/cup-holders.

Rear passengers also get storage bins in the doors plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The rear of the centre console, in addition to adjustable vents, seat heating controls and multiple USB ports has two small-bottle/cup holders for rear passenger use.

The 60/40-split bench seat’s base cushions can swing up and be stored vertically if you want more internal carrying space, or to access two storage compartments underneath. Plus there’s storage bins with removable liners underneath the floor on each side.

The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to reveal a large centre console for two, which offers yet another pair of small-bottle/cup-holders. Its padded lid is wide enough to provide elbow rests for both sides and when raised reveals a storage tray ideal for storing phones or tablets.

The RAM 2500's payload capacity of 913kg might seem conservative compared to smaller dual cab utes with one-tonne payloads, but drill down further into its huge tow ratings and that 913kg (say 5-6 occupants and all their gear) looks mighty impressive.

Why? Because on a 50mm ball it can tow up to 3500kg with a full payload (7990kg gross combined mass), on a 70mm ball it can tow up to 4500kg with a full payload (8990kg GCM) and with a gooseneck and ring connection (aka pintle) it can tow up to 6989kg – and still with a full payload. That's a whopping 11,479kg GCM or just under 11.5 tonnes. Try doing that with a one-tonne ute!

The heart of this power giant is a Cummins 6.7 litre inline six cylinder turbo-diesel with 276kW at 2800rpm and a towering 1084Nm of torque at only 1600rpm.

The big cargo box, which is protected by a spray-in bedliner, is 511mm deep with a load floor that's 1939mm long and 1687mm wide with 1295mm between the wheel arches. That means it can take a standard 1160mm x 1160mm pallet, or a couple of dirt bikes with the tailgate up and heaps of room left for your gear and tools.

The cabin offers numerous storage options with bottle holders and twin storage pockets in the front doors, a huge centre console (which pivots into an upright position to serve as the centre seat backrest when required) with internal storage and three more cup/bottle holders, twin glove box compartments, rear door storage pockets, a central floor-mounted twin bottle holder and deep in-floor storage bins hidden under the carpet mats on either side. The rear seat can also be quickly reconfigured into a convenient flat-floored cargo area when required.

ASV offers a choice of 2500 and 3500 (larger GVM) models, with the 2500 attracting the vast majority of local sales as it has a higher peak tow rating and can be driven with a standard driver's licence.

Our test vehicle was the RAM 2500 Laramie Dual Cab 4x4 which starts at $139,500. That's a lot of money but not unreasonable when compared to the $120,000-plus you'll pay for Toyota's local towing hero, the 200 Series Land Cruiser in premium Sahara spec, with 'only' a 3.5 tonne tow rating.

The ASV RAM is supplied in top-shelf Laramie grade which includes a sumptuous six-seater leather interior with more features than you could ask for. These include all the usuals like multimedia interface, dual-zone climate control, sunroof, sliding rear window and power everything, plus some not-so-usuals like remote starting using the key-fob (great on cold mornings before you leave the house), a high-mount cargo camera to keep an eye on your payload, a heated steering wheel and power adjustable pedals to name a few on a very long list.

Further proof of its intended role in life is a seven-pin wiring harness, heavy duty receiver hitch and electric trailer brake control. In simple terms, it's fully loaded.

The ‘Hurricane’ 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight six is a modern and robust design featuring aluminium alloy cylinder block and heads, dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods.

In the Laramie Sport’s 'SO' specification its 313kW of power at 5200rpm and 635Nm of torque at 3500rpm represents 7.6 per cent more power and 14.2 per cent more torque than the previous Hemi V8.

This is paired with a smooth-shifting Torqueflite eight-speed torque converter automatic which offers a new suite of switchable drive modes comprising Auto (default), Sport, Tow/Haul, Snow and Off-Road which optimises vehicle performance in each setting.

In addition to the Tow/Haul mode, there’s Electronic Range Select (ERS) controlled by steering wheel buttons which allows selection of a lower gear. This is particularly handy if a ‘downshift’ is required to employ engine-braking on steep descents when towing and/or hauling heavy loads.

The transfer case also offers several drive modes including 2WD, 4WD Auto (only sends drive to the front axle when loss of traction is detected), 4WD High and 4WD Low. For off-road use only, the centre differential can also be locked to distribute drive in an even 50:50 split between front and rear axles.

The heart of this power giant is a Cummins 6.7 litre inline six cylinder turbo-diesel with 276kW at 2800rpm and - most importantly in this context – a towering 1084Nm of torque at only 1600rpm. It's also equipped with a very effective exhaust brake with a choice of settings.

Chrysler's equally robust and well-proven (68RFE) six-speed automatic transmission with driver-adaptive shifting is purpose-built for extreme duty. The 4x4 drivetrain features a dual-range Borg Warner transfer case with electronic shift-on-the-fly control and a 2.64:1 low range reduction, which with the 3.42:1 final drive results in a 29.2:1 crawl ratio. Ideal for towing a heavy load out of a rugged worksite or a campground turned boggy by overnight rain.

Ram claims official combined consumption of 10.7L/100km but the dash display was showing a much higher 14.7 figure at the completion of our 290km test, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third of that distance was hauling a heavy payload.

Our own figure, crunched from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in slightly lower at 14.1 which is just outside the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world figures but typical of the mid-teens consumption we usually achieve in US pick-ups on local roads.

Therefore, based on our numbers, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 700km from its big 98-litre tank.

We conducted two tests based on fuel bowser and trip meter readings. The first, which mostly comprised heavy towing, resulted in 20.14L/100km compared to 16.6 on its instrument display. The second was a mix of city, suburban and highway driving with no towing which returned 15.08 litres/100km compared to 14.0 displayed.

The powered side-step extends automatically when you open the door, which combined with the large assist handles on the A (and B) pillars makes it easy to climb aboard.

The driving position is extremely comfortable, with the big door mirrors backed by blind-spot monitoring providing reassurance when driving. However, traffic sign recognition (the latter standard in Limited) should also be included here.

Ram’s switch from a Hemi V8 to a straight six will no doubt be regretted by those hooked on the unique soundtrack and character that only a deep-chested V8 can deliver.

However, the Hurricane engine brings a new character to Ram 1500 ownership, with the twin-outlet exhaust emitting a satisfying burble at idle and a snarling, raspy roar under hard acceleration that’s delivered with a smoothness that showcases its refinement.

There’s not a hint of turbo lag in its delivery either, with a big fat serving of torque starting from well below its 3500rpm peak. On several occasions, when accelerating out of corners in 2WD mode, the unloaded inside rear tyre momentarily beat the traction control with a loud chirp. Rest assured, the new Hurricane engine’s performance will not disappoint.

The ride quality, handling, steering and braking feel are commendable for a vehicle of this size and weight, which could easily feel ponderous without local engineering inputs that tailor these chassis dynamics to suit Australian roads and driver preferences. They’re a key reason why these full-size US pick-ups feel like they’re getting smaller each time we drive one.

To test its GVM rating, we loaded 650kg into the load tub, which with driver was a total payload of 750kg that was only about 100kg under its legal limit.

The rear coil-springs compressed about 60mm but that still left enough static bump-stop clearance to ensure no hard thuds from bottoming-out on a test route. The ride was slightly firmer as you’d expect, but still supple enough to soak up the bumps.

The twin-turbo six scoffed at our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb when hauling this payload, with its ample torque and ability to accelerate at any point making it feel like the load tub was empty. The ERS feature, which allows manual shifting to a lower gear, contributes to similarly strong engine-braking on descents.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h, with effective noise suppression ensuring a pleasantly quiet cabin environment. Having the choice of adaptive or non-adaptive cruise control at the push of a button is another plus for long hauls.

The strong whiff of leather is a nice way to start each journey. The full-length side steps and grab handles are required for every climb in and out of the elevated cabin which provides a commanding view of the world, even though the outer edges of its vast bonnet and front mudguards disappear from view.

The front seats are wide and comfortable with good lateral support and rear seat passengers have generous head, shoulder and legroom as you would expect. Although it feels huge when you first climb aboard, the RAM starts to shrink around you the more you drive it, aided by front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera for tight parking situations (which is most of the time).

Its height of 1974mm (Ranger 1848mm) will still clear most undercover car parks (usually 2100mm limit) and its 2009mm width is only 150mm wider than a Ranger, so it will also fit within most car parking spaces. The biggest parking handicap is its oil tanker-like 6030mm length which is 675mm longer than the Ranger, so you need plenty of room for reversing.

On the highway it has a remarkably quiet cabin environment thanks to substantial ASV-added sound insulation, low wind noise and minimal tyre roar.

Ride quality when empty is generally good, although you do notice the firmness of the heavy duty spring rates over larger bumps. Acceleration is spirited, too, with an unbridled 1084Nm shoving you in the back and the steering is nicely weighted and relatively direct for an old-school steering box set-up.

The quartet of disc brakes, though, do not have the bite relative to pedal effort one might expect. ASV engineers claim it's the result of pad compounds which have to withstand the heat of up to 7.0 tonne towing loads, so they tend to be relatively hard.

On the highway it has a remarkably quiet cabin environment thanks to substantial ASV-added sound insulation, low wind noise and minimal tyre roar. At 100km/h with no payload, the 6.7 litre Cummins barely ticked over at 1400rpm and that hardly changed when we hooked up a dual axle New Age Caravan with a 3270kg tare weight.

Given that was less than half of its peak towing capacity, the big RAM barely noticed it was there. The engine's massive 1084Nm of torque at only 1600rpm was most impressive on long gradual climbs, allowing the truck and caravan combo to squash each hill in top gear with minimal throttle.

Each time you ease off the accelerator, too, the exhaust brake provides more than enough retardation (and Kenworth sound effects) to ensure you rarely need to push the brake pedal. And when you do, the electric trailer brake control provides powerful and sure-footed stopping power. The door mirrors were also wide enough to see along each side of the van and approaching rear traffic.

Currently no ANCAP rating but ASV subjected one to a full frontal barrier crash under Australian Design Rule 69/00 which it passed, thereby becoming the first locally converted (oops, re-manufactured) vehicle to be crash tested.

It's loaded with passive and active safety features including driver and front passenger airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags, electronic stability control, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring display and reversing camera. The rear seat has three headrests and three lap-sash belts plus anchorage points to secure up to three child seats.

It comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty, which looks underdone compared to five-year/unlimited km deals for local rivals like the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra. However, it does include roadside assistance. Scheduled service intervals of 12 months/12,000km whichever occurs first. No capped-price servicing is offered.

RAM Trucks Australia provides a three year/100,000km warranty plus national Roadside Assistance for the duration of the warranty period.

Service intervals of six months/12,000km whichever comes first. ASV has a 30-strong Australian dealership network providing full sales and after-sales service.