In the American muscle car world, horsepower is king (see the new Shelby GT500 rumors), but in the heavy-duty truck world, bragging rights are all about torque. And in that area, Ram does not like to lose, which is why the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty makes a ridiculous 1,000lb-ft of torque.
That’s the figure on the 400 horsepower 6.7-liter high-output Cummins engine, which offers the full grand worth of torque at 1,800 RPM, and 15 ponies more than last year’s model. It helps the Ram 3500 increase its towing capacity to 35,100 pounds, and gives it a payload rating as high as 7,680 pounds.
Another available 6.7-liter Cummins is also offered, though it’s a bit less potent at 370 horses and 850 lb-ft. There’s still the base 6.4-liter gasoline engine that makes 410 HP and 429 lb-ft.
Transmissions are six-speeds for the diesels, and an eight-speed for the gas. As for the manual transmission option that can be had with the current Cummins heavy duty Ram, TFL Truck says it’s gone. “The 2018 Ram HD was the last one to offer a manual option with a diesel,” the website writes. This is sad news.
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If you don’t believe me when I say that Ram doesn’t like losing the heavy duty “torque wars,” just look at the Ram 2500 and 3500’s torque output over the last few years.
In 2010, Ford debuted a 735 lb-ft diesel Power Stroke diesel engine for its Super Duty line. Then, right around that same time, Chevrolet showed of a 765 lb-ft Duramax truck, leaving the Ram—then making just 650 lb-ft—in the dust. In the summer of 2010, Ford showed off an 800 lb-ft Super Duty diesel reflash, and Ram responded not long after with its own 800 lb-ft Cummins. Then in 2013, Ram went all in with an 850 lb-ft 3500 truck.
In 2015, Ford climbed to the top of the torque mountain with an 860 lb-ft Power Stroke diesel, and Ram quickly responded with a truck whose Cummins diesel made 865 lb-ft. Then Chevy went to 910 lb-ft and Ford went to 925 lb-ft in 2017, and Ram responded the next year with 930 lb-ft. That same year, Ford put out a 935 lb-ft Super Duty.
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The whole thing is really silly, but that’s how it all stands today, with Ford on top by five lb-ft. So of course, Ram’s dialing up its torque-o-tron, and giving the 2020 Ram Heavy Duty 1,000 lb-ft.
Yes, quadruple digits.
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We’d seen a bunch of spy shots (like these from Truck Trend), so between those and the teasers, we had a good idea of what the new heavy duty truck would look like. So what we have here is a vehicle whose styling has been brought more in line with that of its half-ton counterpart, the 2019 Ram 1500, and based on what I’m seeing, it looks good. Especially the Power Wagon, which gets a suspension lift, front and rear lockers, a sway bar disconnect, and, according to Autoblog, a Warn Zeon-12 winch with a synthetic line:
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There are a number of different grille and light-surround designs, and while most of them look decent, this one with the chrome above and below the lights is one I haven’t quite made up my mind on:
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This story is being updated.
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