Just because you need a heavy duty truck doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice comfort and amenities. Ram has taken that to heart with its 2500 Warlock, a brawny truck made for off-road driving on tough terrain. Starting at $57,165, the 2026 Ram 2500 Warlock includes 34-inch-tall all-terrain tires, Bilstein off-road-tuned dampers, and more. Plus, it can tow up to 20,000 pounds when equipped with the diesel engine option.
The Warlock name has been around since the 1970s, when the moniker graced Dodge D-series trucks. This is the first heavy duty version of the Warlock, and it’s based on the base Tradesman trim; that means the 2500 is standard with a crew cab, steering-wheel-mounted gear shifter, and cloth upholstery.
There’s a lot to like.
Ram Diesel And Hemi Engines Offer Plenty Of Power
A massive truck like this requires big power, and Ram offers two flavors. One, a 6.7-liter Cummins high-output turbo diesel good for 430 horsepower and best-in-class 1,075 pound-feet of torque. Or two, its popular 6.4-liter Hemi V8, which delivers 405 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque.
I tested the diesel version, which is the towing champion of the two options with the ability to tow 10 tons, or 20,000 pounds. In contrast, that number drops to 17,500 pounds when equipped with the standard Hemi engine. This level of towing is for serious off-roaders who want to bring along a camper or even haul a load of gravel to spruce up the trails during a service project.
This is one of those trucks you may own and want to keep it to yourself, otherwise all of your friends and neighbors will ask you to help haul or tow a trailer for them. Or, at worse, help them move. Then again, that’s a good way to rack up a steady supply of favors. And it’s kind of in the truck-owning code: thou shalt help others with lesser vehicles.
Coil Springs: The Key To A Great Ride In the Ram
This Ram truck is incredibly comfortable to drive, even on the street, and the powerful engine performs well.
One of the features that makes the Ram 2500 Warlock so comfortable is the five-link coil setup. If you’ve ever driven or taken a ride in a competitive heavy duty truck with leaf springs in the rear, you’ll understand. Leaf springs are outstanding for towing performance, but wow, the ride is not nearly as cushy as it is with coils. Ram says the coil system in the 2500 Warlock gives it the best ride quality in the business, and I’m inclined to agree.
Ram Infotainment System Is Excellent Except For One Thing
Inside the cabin, Stellantis’ UConnect modern infotainment system continues to impress long after its debut in the Ram 1500 in 2019. As a big music fan, it’s important to me to have great tunes and intuitive access to media controls while driving. On many of the Ram vehicles I’ve driven, toggle switches on the back of the steering wheel allow the driver to change the station and the volume without taking their hands off the steering wheel. The 2500 Warlock doesn’t have the same controls, which I found disappointing. That said, the volume and tuning knobs are both nicely textured and within reach.
I like that the fan and temperature controls are physical buttons along the left side of the screen. The interface is beautifully laid out, and while I’d prefer to have seat heaters as a real button and not touchscreen-based, but those seem to be fewer and further between as of late.
Overall, if you’re looking for a tough, capable off-road truck, the Ram 2500 Warlock has a lot to offer.