Hotshot Dream Mobile? 2025 Ram 3500 HD Laramie Sport Long-Haul Towing Test
We put Ram’s new engine and transmission to the cross-country towing test.
Pros
- 6.7 liters of Cummins diesel power
- Adaptive cruise comes standard
- Automatic exhaust smooth as butter
Cons
- Not cheap
- Technically not the strongest hauler in the segment
- Needs one Ford feature in the cabin
Ram introduced the 2025 2500 and 3500 heavy duty-lineup with a striking grille, an expanded tech suite, and more standard features—and notably for people who put their pickup trucks to work, an upgraded Cummins inline-six diesel engine with an improved eight-speed ZF automatic transmission behind it.
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Let’s Talk Numbers
The high-output Cummins diesel engine now makes 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 30 horses and 75 lb-ft compared to its previous generation. There is also a reworked ZF TorqueFlite HD 8AP1075 eight-speed gearbox Ram says is stout enough to grind out all 1,075 lb-ft of torque in each gear. Because of improvements to power and torque management, a taller 3.42:1 gearset is offered behind the new I-6 for better fuel economy. With all this beef, you can option a Regular Cab Ram 3500 4x4 with an 8-foot bed and the brawn to haul 36,610 pounds. This puts the Ram HD ahead of rival General Motors’ 36,000-pound max trailer rating but a couple tons behind Ford’s massive 40,000-pound capacity.
Hotshot 101
I left the recent first drive event for the Ram HD lineup with visions of hotshot trucking filling my mind, and a story was born. I just needed a big truck, a bigger trailer, and some heavy cargo.
Ram tossed us the keys to a well-appointed crew cab 2025 3500 HD dually decked out in Laramie trim and with a gooseneck hitch already installed in the 8-foot box’s floor. In this configuration, the truck’s max trailer weight rating is 33,890 pounds. With some help from Liberty Trailers, I hitched the Ram to a shiny red 30-foot flatbed gooseneck; we just needed one more thing.
My bill of lading showed four pieces of cargo: three pallets with a combined 10,000 pounds of 4x6-foot rubber horse mats and one 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 at 5,000 pounds. I picked up this load in Gardena, California, at 11 a.m. on a Monday—with my arrival scheduled for no later than the end of the day just four days later at MotorTrend’s secondary office in Royal Oak, Michigan. No tarps, no refrigeration.
With help from the onboard cameras, I managed a 47-point turnaround to get the Ram 3500 and 30-foot gooseneck positioned at the shipping yard. Here was also the first time I truly appreciated this pickup truck’s return to a column-shifted transmission, as I relished the muscle memory of guiding the shift lever from drive to reverse and back again repeatedly. This is much preferable to the dainty detents of the old twist-dial gear selector. Strapping the 15,000-pound load to the trailer deck was the easy part.
Beginning the Haul
I did some mental math as the first miles rolled past. My initial drive with the new Ram 3500 HD occurred with roughly 19,000 pounds in tow. Between tackling the Davis Dam and putzing around city traffic, the truck self-reported a steady 10 mpg. So I rounded the Ram 3500’s 32-gallon diesel tank down to 30, giving me a rough and rather conservative 250 miles between fuel stops.
The first push was 235 miles. I dispensed 26.2 gallons from the green pump, flicked all the straps, kicked the tires, and checked the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank. Just less than 80 percent full. Back to chasing white lines. Arizona brought cheaper fuel and hills. Thinking back to a few days prior when the Ram engineers encouraged me to mash the pedal from a standstill on a decent uphill grade, I had no problem digging into the throttle to pass big rigs on the grades. The TorqueFlite eight-speed slid right down into the next appropriate gear, and the Ram growled past slower traffic. Smart haulers know to disregard the instantaneous reports of 2 mpg during these maneuvers because as soon as the grade levels out, fuel economy returns to a pleasant 10 mpg. I passed a sign reminding me Buc-ee’s Travel Stop was quickly approaching ... in 834 miles.
Fire Season
Crossing New Mexico, I found horrendously gusty winds, warm temps, and no humidity. Interstate 40 was a proverbial tinder box, and all it took was one small wreck to spark a blaze that quickly engulfed a 5-mile swath of the highway. Traffic stopped in both directions as a smoky haze covered the horizon of the Land of Enchantment. Hours later as the procession was allowed to wend its way through the smoke and remaining flames, I idled past the smoldering remnants of abandoned vehicles in the ditches and in the median. I was lucky to have passed through with only a two-hour delay.
Whoever is at the helm of the Buc-ee’s marketing department, cheers to you! These billboards (much like the “Mysterious Thing”of the desert advertised across I-10)had me anticipating a BBQ brisket sandwich from California to Missouri.
For much of the Midwest, I could use almost entire tanks of fuel without touching the throttle. With adaptive cruise control (now a standard feature), lane centering, and the smart exhaust brake, this truck almost drove itself. No bouncing within the lane, no unnecessary interruptions when another vehicle cuts in front. Managing your speed only requires a few thumb blips to the buttons on the wheel, and the automatic exhaust brake gracefully engages and manages your speed on bigger descents.
After multiple five-hour stints in the cabin, I appreciated the truck’s ergonomics. The eight-way adjustable seats can morph from an upright throne to a relaxed easy chair at a moment’s notice, and this kept my fatigue at bay. Controls for tow/haul, the exhaust brake, and even the transfer case and climate controls are all within easy reach with nothing crucial buried three menus deep inside the 12.0-inch Uconnect 5 system. Even the simple action of stowing a smartphone is streamlined. Instead of a tray, where an errant pothole could send your Android bouncing toward the floormats, I became well acquainted with the rubber wireless charging dock below the infotainment screen and its secure rubber clasp. Bravo, engineers; this one holds even the bulkiest phone and its oversized protective case.
Noise, vibration, and harshness seemed very well managed in this truck, even with heavy exhaust braking and aggressive accelerations. Cruising on the interstate was so plush and quiet, I found myself sometimes wishing for the visceral sensory inputs of an 18-wheeler.
Transitioning to office tasks at the truck stop is where I had some gripes. Although there are plenty of USB ports to power a laptop and storage space to keep it stowed, I wished for Ford’s fold-flat work surface instead of balancing the computer awkwardly on the console. No biggie, as swapping into the passenger seat worked in a pinch.
Way Out of Its Element
After unloading in Michigan from the 2,300-mile haul, we dropped the Liberty trailer and learned three things at the test track: First, the Cummins diesel engine will happily smoke all four rear tires with zero traction control intervention. Second, this is not the way to achieve the truck’s 7.0-second hustle to 60 mph. For that you must resist the urge to indulge in the full turbo boost from launch and instead remove your left foot from the brake at about 2,000 rpm, letting the big train surge forward. Finally, and this is more of a confirmation than a surprising discovery, the big truck will understeer its heart out when pushed hard through a turn.
How does this translate to heavy-duty truck buyers? Well, unladen, the 6.7-liter high-output Cummins will shove the big pickup truck down the dragstrip at a pace right on par with its competitors. Both the 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD and the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD High Country (both in DRW configuration) accomplished the same task in 6.6 seconds. The 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat needed 7.8 seconds. And from our testing and observations, traction and stability control remain at bay until you’re really close to getting into trouble.
Stopping the big Ram takes some thigh engagement to cycle the brake pedal, but its 135-foot 60–0-mph stopping distance is better than many of its close competitors. The 2024 Silverado 3500 HD needed 139 feet, the 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 3500 HD needed 141, and the non-dually 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty 162 feet. It’s no surprise these four-ton beasts require some of the longest stopping distances of any vehicle we test. When it matters, the service brakes (and the automatic exhaust brake) do a stellar job at scrubbing off speed.
How Much Gas and DEF?
The EPA doesn’t require anyone to report efficiency scores for heavy-duty trucks, but we will. During this 2,342-mile heavy-duty haul, we burned 251 gallons of diesel for about 9 miles per gallon. We also squeezed about 300 miles to the gallon of DEF—again, all while pulling 22,500 pounds.
Is Ram the Best Hauler?
If you need a heavy hauler, GM, Ram, and Ford all offer one-ton duallies trimmed in everything from work truck pleather to cowboy cosplay. Ram leads the charge on standard adaptive cruise control, which only comes as part of a $5,075 Lariat Ultimate package on the Ford F-350 and wc. Fiddle with options to your liking, but this is a world where these trucks can fetch close to $100,000, and each one boasts towing figures that are equally staggering. So where does your diesel loyalty lie? After a week of punishing the 2025 Ram 3500 HD, siding with Team Cummins seems like a solid choice.
*96.5 in at dual rear wheels
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