Might be time to change: Ram 2500

[smlobx]

I won’t judge. I own an old 5.9 Cummins and will never sell it. The gladiator is way more fun and actually more useful unless a need to tow a huge trailer. I find that I rarely need to tow big…so it makes more sense for me to have an old 2500 and a newer (very reliable) small pickup for 90% of my use. But that’s just me.

Im right there with you.

I have a 2016 F-350 SRW diesel and use it when I need to haul or carry something big which for me is at least monthly. Since it’s been paid off for years I’ll keep it around.

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[CKayaks]

Lucky enough to have the best of both worlds here. 2018 Ram 2500 w/6.4hemi here. And the 2025 Gladiator Willys.

The Ram gets used as it was intended: hauling gravel, lumber, equipment, trailers. Slide in camper or towing our teardrop trailer occasionally for camping trips. It gets 14-15mpg in around town, dropping down to 12 on the interstates (80-85mph here) and 10-12mpg if towing or using the camper.

The Glad is the offroad toy and mostly my daily driver, though I only drive to work once a week. I have been getting 14-16mpg around town and the 30 mile trip to work. It runs heavy with the add-ons: ARB bumper, Warn winch, SmartCap, roof racks, 34" KO3s, 50at frig, etc. Loaded with camping gear, it drops down to 10-11mpg on the interstate, 12-13mpg on highways, 9-10 offroading in 4-lo. Noticeable difference in mpg when it gets above 55mph. It is a flying brick.

But mpg is really not a question for either of these. That is not what you buy a Jeep or a 3/4ton truck for. If I want mpg, we take the wife's Mazda R3. "Zoom zoom".

 

[Ramboy]

Was into the local Dodge dealer today to pick up a couple of filters and my favourite salesman was bending my ear on the latest Ram 2500 with the gas engine. By the time the ink dries it's the same payment for 2 extra years and when I need a truck it's a truck. same mileage going down the highway.
I don't do any off-road work with the gladiator, have quads for that.

Hemi 6.4/5.7 or I-6 Hurricane turbo? I heard the Hurricane approaches 0-60 numbers (low 4 secs) to the 392. I’ve had my old Ram V10 Magnum 2500 for 30 years now and it still runs strong. I love my Jeeps but my Ram is my favorite. I’ve looked at the new Rams and am duly (dually?) impressed.

 

[Billy Bones]

Was into the local Dodge dealer today to pick up a couple of filters and my favourite salesman was bending my ear on the latest Ram 2500 with the gas engine. By the time the ink dries it's the same payment for 2 extra years and when I need a truck it's a truck. same mileage going down the highway.
I don't do any off-road work with the gladiator, have quads for that.

Hmmm….the question for me would be, two extra years from when? My point is, say if you financed the gladiator for 5 years and you’ve already paid down 2 years, then start with a new 7 year loan (based on the same payment 5+2 years for the Ram) that’s considerable outlay for the new vehicle. I’m just trying to fathom what a “same payment” scenario would look like on a $80k plus truck. Just wondering that’s all because I’ve seen the sticker prices on the Rams, especially the 2500 Ram, and “they ain’t cheap” compared to a late model Gladiator. You can just give me an eye roll if you want; just my wandering thoughts. But of course it would depend on the model (Big Horn vs Rebel for example).

 

[Redfour5]

Was into the local Dodge dealer today to pick up a couple of filters and my favourite salesman was bending my ear on the latest Ram 2500 with the gas engine. By the time the ink dries it's the same payment for 2 extra years and when I need a truck it's a truck. same mileage going down the highway.
I don't do any off-road work with the gladiator, have quads for that.

I have both thank you... I really enjoy your "same mileage going down the highway" statement. Boy you are in for a rude awakening to the tune of about five or six mpg... Oh, parking in most parking lots? Geat ready to do some walking from way out in the parking lot with that 2500. It is a beast and that is one reason I got a REAL "daily driver" in my Gladiator.

Let me assure you they are two entirely different animals. One is fantastic at towing 30 foot travel trailers across the country. One is a tow beast, but count on about 7 to 9 mpg doing it and 13 or 14 mpg just daily driving it...but the Hemi rumble is to die for. The other is a mountain goat that you can put stuff in and go anywhere you want when you want.

I have the 2500 set up for off road with the 4WD package and after market front winch bumper. It's got great ground clearance but once again like parking lots, it is a beast and MOST off roading is really designed for a Gladiator/Wrangler width. You will become familiar with the term "pinstriping" with a 2500.

The advantage to having both is IF I need to haul big appliances or an ATV etc, the 2500 has zero problems. The bed width on the Glad is sketchy there... But the Gladiator will go where the 2500 won't. The other advantage is that I only do about 8 to 10K miles a year on the 2500 and 10K to 12K on the Gladiator, so neither one is "aging" fast. I figure the 2500 will be the last I need. The Glad? we will see...

And the only reason I can afford them is because I did better on retirement than I figured, got killer deals along with a killer "Covid" trade in AND 3% loans for 72 and 84 months. That ended up with payments not all that different than ONE payment in today's market. I'm not intending to get rid or either soon, so the long payments work out fine. One will be paid off in two years...

So, enjoy and get a travel trailer to have fun with it or it is just a gas guzzling behemoth in the driveway that sounds really good.

 

[Redfour5]

Hemi 6.4/5.7 or I-6 Hurricane turbo? I heard the Hurricane approaches 0-60 numbers (low 4 secs) to the 392. I’ve had my old Ram V10 Magnum 2500 for 30 years now and it still runs strong. I love my Jeeps but my Ram is my favorite. I’ve looked at the new Rams and am duly (dually?) impressed.

Nope, only a 6.4 Hemi in the 2500. It's a great engine though. I will testify... and a tow beast. Mine has 3K payload and 15K max tow...

 

[Redfour5]

Somebody lied to you.

My father had a 2025 Ram 2500 6.4L. It averaged 10-13 MPG. It was so bad he ended up ditching it already and went back to a diesel truck.

Then recently TFL on YouTube has been testing a brand new Ram 2500 6.4L truck. They saw a hand calculated 14 MPG on a purely interstate trip(!).

The fuel economy on the Hemi is atrocious....which is sad when you consider they saddled it with cylinder deactivation.

But yes, if you need to haul 3,000 lbs. in the bed or tow 15,000 lbs. down the road, the Ram 2500 will certainly do the job better than the Gladiator.

Now now, I get 17 mpg on the highway living in the mountains of MT and with a tail wind I've actually seen 18/19. Now daily driving 13/14 mpg I'd say...AND why I drive the Gladiator as a daily driver but even they are NOT stellar on mpg's...to say the least. I see no resemblance to the numbers on the monroney I have.

 

[Redfour5]

I had a quad cab Ram 1500 for some years before the Gladiator. It's a good truck if that's what you need; I bought it because I needed to tow a large trailer. When not towing, it was a pleasure on the highway, boring around town, and a PITA to manage in a parking lot. Gas mileage a LOT worse than the Gladiator, and a lot slower to boot. After I got rid of the trailer I traded it for a Cherokee, even swap, before eventually getting the JT.

PITA in the parking lot with a 1500? NAH, that is bearable. Now a 2500? THAT is a parking lot nightmare. Just give up and head out to the nosebleed section, you need the steps anyway, or at least I do...

 

[Ramboy]

Nope, only a 6.4 Hemi in the 2500. It's a great engine though. I will testify... and a tow beast. Mine has 3K payload and 15K max tow...

Great engine. My V10 Ram that I’ve only used sparingly for years to tow and haul has a towing capacity of 13.8k pounds and I still only have 69k on the odometer. I’ve looked at newer Rams throughout the years but still couldn’t justify giving up my V10. But if I ever did or had to give ‘er up I’d get another 2500.

 

[629]

The 6.4 gasser is an excellent motor…It’s actually sad what’s happening to modern diesels. My 06 cummins gets 3-4mpg better than the 3.6 gladiator…in every scenario. Unfortunately diesel prices negate that. When I bought it new diesel was cheaper than gas. If I bought a new 2500 I wouldn’t even look a diesels….unless I absolutely needed the extra torque.

 

[biplaneguy]

PITA in the parking lot with a 1500? NAH, that is bearable. Now a 2500? THAT is a parking lot nightmare. Just give up and head out to the nosebleed section, you need the steps anyway, or at least I do...

They're the same external size, aren't they? In my case it was exacerbated by looking through 3 layers of tinted glass. But yeah, I usually park in an open area when possible.

 

[Ramboy]

Somebody lied to you.

My father had a 2025 Ram 2500 6.4L. It averaged 10-13 MPG. It was so bad he ended up ditching it already and went back to a diesel truck.

Then recently TFL on YouTube has been testing a brand new Ram 2500 6.4L truck. They saw a hand calculated 14 MPG on a purely interstate trip(!).

The fuel economy on the Hemi is atrocious....which is sad when you consider they saddled it with cylinder deactivation.

But yes, if you need to haul 3,000 lbs. in the bed or tow 15,000 lbs. down the road, the Ram 2500 will certainly do the job better than the Gladiator.

It’s funny how when there’s a conversation about big trucks one of the first topics is MPG. I can see how today that might matter although gas prices will go back down again, the up/down nature of fuel has always been there. But, when I use my truck (V10 488 CI displacement ) gas mileage is the last thing I’m concerned with; I get 10 MPG whether I’m hauling a load, towing or just hauling a**. I also have a 35 gallon tank which keeps me on the road as long as other big block, big engine displacement vehicles which probably get better mileage. It’s all about taking the pros with the cons and dealing with it.

 

[Bayrat]

My FIL has a 2500 with a Cummins from exactly one year model before they added all the DEF and whatever else modern emissions stuff they have. Half the time when he goes to home depot, tractor supply, or whatever other similar place, he gets someone asking if he wants to sell it.

Funny you should mention that! I have that same pre-emissions truck with low mileage. Every place I go people look at it, or make an attempt to purchase it. I use it sparingly in order to keep it pristine.

 

[NC_Overland]

Lucky enough to have the best of both worlds here. 2018 Ram 2500 w/6.4hemi here. And the 2025 Gladiator Willys.

The Ram gets used as it was intended: hauling gravel, lumber, equipment, trailers. Slide in camper or towing our teardrop trailer occasionally for camping trips. It gets 14-15mpg in around town, dropping down to 12 on the interstates (80-85mph here) and 10-12mpg if towing or using the camper.

The Glad is the offroad toy and mostly my daily driver, though I only drive to work once a week. I have been getting 14-16mpg around town and the 30 mile trip to work. It runs heavy with the add-ons: ARB bumper, Warn winch, SmartCap, roof racks, 34" KO3s, 50at frig, etc. Loaded with camping gear, it drops down to 10-11mpg on the interstate, 12-13mpg on highways, 9-10 offroading in 4-lo. Noticeable difference in mpg when it gets above 55mph. It is a flying brick.

But mpg is really not a question for either of these. That is not what you buy a Jeep or a 3/4ton truck for. If I want mpg, we take the wife's Mazda R3. "Zoom zoom".

Mazda R3? Whats that?

 

[NC_Overland]

I’d never get a RAM 2500 unless I really needed it for daily heavy towing and hauling. They are massive, get horrible mpg (low teens), and they aren’t very comfortable to drive. They ride rough and don’t handle very well. Worse than the gladiator in both regards. I’ve driven a ton of them for work purposes.

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