- Mild design tweaks don’t change the off-road Ram trucks’ capabilities
- Ram Power Wagon still has no direct competitor
- 2025 Ram Power Wagon costs $74,235 and Rebel HD costs $70,740
The competition woke up and realized there’s room to play in the heavy-duty off-road sandbox. But Ram doesn’t want to give an inch of a segment it has defined for years.
After the introduction of the Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 and a refresh of the Ford Super Tremor for 2023, the 2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon and 2500 Rebel HD arrive with their own refresh. Both feature design and technology updates, while the Rebel gets major enhancements to its available turbodiesel engine option.
After spending time with the Power Wagon, it’s clear that it still stands alone in terms of off-road hardware in the segment, but the Rebel HD now feels significantly more competitive with its updated turbodiesel engine. However, the Rebel HD’s suspension remains punishing.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
No Ram Power Wagon diesel, Rebel HD turbodiesel upgraded
Unlike the Silverado HD ZR2 and Ford Super Duty Tremor, the 2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon cannot be optioned with a turbodiesel engine. At least for now, that’s what the Rebel is for.
The 2500 Power Wagon continues to be available only with a tried, true, and at this point old 6.4-liter V-8 rated at 405 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. It’s fine, but Ford’s 7.3-liter Godzilla V-8 is more modern, more powerful, and more refined.
The Rebel HD soldiers on with the gas V-8 as the standard engine, but it’s the optional $12,595 6.7-liter Cummins inline-6 turbodiesel that makes Power Wagon buyers take pause. It’s not the 430-hp rating, but the 1,075 lb-ft of torque that appeals to those who buy their trucks to do work. That’s more than Chevy’s 975 lb-ft but less than Ford’s 1,200 lb-ft. The Cummins turbodiesel has been heavily revised for 2025 with a new turbocharger and intake manifold, glow plugs replacing the old grid heater, a top-loading cartridge-style oil filter, and two top-mounted fuel filters. Ram also ditched the old 6-speed automatic transmission paired with the turbodiesel and replaced it with an 8-speed automatic.
The result of these changes is noticeably quicker acceleration—Ram said 0-60 mph now takes 6.9 seconds versus the outgoing turbodiesel truck’s 8.0-second sprint—quicker cold-starts, and easier maintenance. Just like when paired with the gas V-8, the 8-speed automatic fires off quick, smooth shifts and never gets lost in the shuffle. It’s also slightly less busy than Ford’s 10-speed while towing.
2025 Ram 2500 Rebel HD
Is a turbodiesel Ram Power Wagon coming?
It might at some point. Ram Heavy Duty Chief Engineer Doug Killian told Motor Authority the team has heard loud and clear that Power Wagon buyers and owners would like a turbodiesel engine option.
Killian confirmed the substantial updates to the Cummins turbodiesel engine in no way resolved the issues that have, according to Ram, prevented the automaker from shoving the diesel engine into the Power Wagon. Those issues mainly involve the oil pan for the engine not fitting properly with the Power Wagon’s front suspension. The electronic disconnecting front sway bar gets in the way.
But the competition offers turbodiesel engines in their off-road trucks. Killian and his team are aware of the new competition and growing chorus of Power Wagon buyers asking for the engine upgrade. The executive noted there’s no engineering challenge the team couldn’t handle, it just costs money. He stopped short of confirming changes were in development for a turbodiesel in the Power Wagon. So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon and Rebel HD
Power Wagon remains soft and Rebel punishing
What hasn’t changed at all is how these trucks ride. On- and off-road the 2500 Power Wagon has a borderline plush ride thanks to soft Bilstein off-road shocks designed to crawl rather than haul rocks. The 2500 Rebel? Brutal. The Rebel also has Bilstein dampers, but they are tuned much firmer than the Power Wagon’s as a compromise in the name of capability. That capability comes in the form of towing and hauling capacity. The Rebel can tow up to 17,130 pounds and haul up to 3,320 pounds with the gas V-8. Those numbers increase to 19,890 pounds for towing and decrease 2,450 pounds for payload with the turbodiesel.
The Power Wagon still only tows up to 10,530 pounds and hauls up to 1,570 pounds because that’s not its mission in life. That allows it to ride so much better. Those softer Bilsteins pay dividends both on- and off-road for ride quality. Riding on 18-inch wheels doesn’t hurt either.
While off-roading in the Old Kingman Highway Recreational area in the desert of Nevada the two trucks set themselves apart twice. The first time was while climbing through some undulations. The Rebel lacks an electronic disconnecting front sway bar and front locker. This led to wheel spin and a wheel in the air. The Power Wagon kept its front tires on the ground and maintained traction. Both made it through the situation, but the Power Wagon did it more easily and with confidence.
2025 Ram 2500 Rebel HD
The second was on a few miles of broken gravel roads where I had no issue going much quicker than necessary (ahem) thanks to the Power Wagon’s softer suspension. I lost sight of the Rebel, who’s driver was just trying to keep their fillings securely in their teeth.
The Rebel exists because the Power Wagon couldn’t take on the towing and hauling capabilities of the Super Duty Tremor and Silverado HD ZR2. Ford equips the Super Duty Tremor to tow up to 18,200 pounds via a conventional hitch and 23,000 pounds with a gooseneck trailer. It can also haul up to 4,384 pounds of payload. The Silverado HD ZR2 can tow up to 18,500 pounds and carry up to 3,397 pounds of payload, and it does all that with advanced technology in the form of Multimatic DSSV dampers that are the most advanced shocks on a production HD pickup truck.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
But it’s the standard front and rear electronic locking differentials, the electronic disconnecting front sway bar, and the standard winch that set the 2500 Power Wagon apart from everything else on the market. No competitor has the front locker or disconnecting front sway bar.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon and Rebel HD
2025 2500 Power Wagon and Rebel look tougher
That’s a kind way of putting it.
The front of the Ram HD lineup has been revised with updated headlights and grilles. The headlights aren’t actually taller, but they look taller because they are stacked and bisected with trim now. It looks worse in photos than in person, but it still shouldn’t be filed as an upgrade. The grilles are indeed taller, which imposes a more intimidating stance. The Power Wagon and Rebel now have grilles with bars going both horizontally and vertically. It’s a lot to take in.
While the front became busier, the rear was streamlined. The updated taillights are simpler and lose their almost sideways cattle brand turn signal design. The entire lens is now red outside of the reverse lights, and it’s aligned with the updated 2025 Ram 1500’s rear end.
The Power Wagon still rides on 18-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain rubber, while the Rebel rides on 20-inch wheels and 33-inch all-terrain rubber. The promised 18-inch wheels that were to be available on the Rebel at its debut never arrived. Who buys 20s to go off-roading? Ram said 35- and 37-inch rubber still won’t clear the fenders of either of these trucks without rubbing. The Super Duty Tremor and Silverado HD ZR2 both come on 35s. Ford actually modified the front suspension for the 2023 update to ensure 37s would fit without rubbing on the Super Duty’s suspension.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
2025 Power Wagon and Rebel receive minor interior updates
Anyone who’s been inside a Ram HD will feel right at home in the updated 2025 trucks. Very little has changed. That’s not a bad thing because these trucks have the nicest interiors in their segment, by a mountain pass or two.
While the 12.0-inch touchscreen remains standard, Ram now offers a 14.5-inch touchscreen upgrade in both the 2500 Rebel and Power Wagon. The larger screen incorporates what would be some hard buttons and makes them digital buttons. It seems somewhat useless, but it also harms nothing. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster stands pat, and thankfully has a turboboost gauge when the turbodiesel is equipped in the Rebel 2500 unlike the Ram 1500 with a turbocharged inline-6 gas engine.
A rather large change for 2025 is the gear selector. Every Ram HD now has a column-mounted electronic gear selector. Previously, every truck equipped with the gas engine had a dash-mounted rotary shift knob while only turbodiesel trucks had a column-mounted shifter. Ram said customer feedback—sounds like loud complaining to us—drove the change. Rejoice column shifter fans. You won.
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon and Rebel HD
2025 Ram 2500 Power Wagon and Rebel struggle with value
The 2025 Ram Power Wagon costs $74,235 including an absurd $2,095 destination charge. That’s $4,105 more than a 2024 model for what amounts to mostly the same truck.
The story is the same with the 2025 Ram Rebel HD, which now costs $70,740 with the gas engine. That’s up $1,020 from 2024. Factor in another $12,595 for the turbodiesel, which is kind of the point of the Rebel, no?
The real issue is that a Ford Super Duty Tremor costs only $61,880 with a more modern gas engine. Slapping the $12,995 high-output turbodiesel in the Tremor brings the total to $74,305, which is about what a Rebel’s going to cost without a turbodiesel after an option or two.
Ford is severely undercutting Ram’s pricing, and really sticking it to the HD off-road pioneer once a turbodiesel’s factored into the equation. It also rides on 35s out of the box.
Despite the mildest of updates to keep pace with the fresh-face competition, Ram’s 2500 Power Wagon can still do things no competitor can, or can at least do them more easily. The Power Wagon stands alone with its hardware. The 2500 Rebel, on the other hand, has some opportunities ahead for a softer suspension, smaller wheels, and larger tires.
Ram paid for travel, lodging, and tacos in the desert for Motor Authority to bring you this first-hand review.