2015 Ram 3500 Sets New Heavy-duty Benchmarks

ram 3500HD at manufacture plant

The 2015 Ram 3500—representing the most robust of the Ram brand's heavy-duty pickups—is now in production, and we'll skip straight to the heart of the matter: When it gets to the marketplace in the near term future, the 2015 Ram 3500 will offer the segment's top grades for: 

• Towing capacity—30,000 lbs.
• Payload capacity—7,390 lbs.
• Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWRC)—37,900 lbs. 

And to be clear, those marks have been certified under the SAE's new J2807 guidelines, which were designed to bring a common standard to the way pickup capabilities are measured. At this stage in the game, Ram is the only automaker complying with the new standards for its heavy-duty truck claims, with Mike Cairns, director of Ram Truck Engineering, noting that: “Ram has driven innovation in the heavy duty segments and intelligently engineered a better truck than our competitors, including a 30,000-lb. towing monster. Our 2015 Ram Heavy Duty Trucks own all three relevant titles in the segment ... while delivering an impressive level of comfort and features unavailable elsewhere in the market.”

Also, beyond the performance of the 2015 Ram 3500, the 2500 model achieved an SAE-certified tow rating of 17,970 lbs. that tops the 3/4-ton truck segment.

A key factor in the new truck titles for both the 2015 Ram 3500 and its (slightly) smaller sibling: Ram engineers worked with their counterparts at Cummins, the brand's long-time partner for diesel powerplants, to squeeze an extra 15 lb.-ft. of torque from the 2014 model's 6.7-liter unit. As a result, that Cummins turbo diesel will provide a massive 865 lb.-ft. of twisting power to the 2015 Ram 3500 and friends—and that represents yet another best-in-class achievement, according to Ram.

Other engine choices for the 2015 Ram 3500/2500 include a standard 5.7-liter HEMI (rated at 383 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque), a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 (with 410 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque, best in class for gas engines) and two de-tuned versions of the Cummins diesel, at 350 hp/660 lb.-ft. of torque and 370 hp/800 lb.-ft. of torque.

Pricing for the 2015 Ram 3500 and 2500 is still to come.