2026 Ram Heavy Duty vs. the Competition
Built to handle the really tough jobs, the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 are the heavy-duty pickup offerings from Ram. In base trim, the two models are nearly identical, but as you explore the other trims, more differences emerge. More importantly, the Ram Heavy Duty is distinct from the other trucks in its segment, and that’s a very good thing. The Ram Heavy Duty has some very distinct advantages over other heavy-duty trucks, like the Ford Super Duty or Chevrolet Silverado HD, but they might not be obvious right away. That’s why our team at Sarchione CDJR put together this guide to the world of heavy-duty pickups.
Exceptional Versatility
Most heavy-duty pickups will have a pretty wide range of trim levels and body configuration options that are normal for vehicles that need to be able to do a lot of different kinds of really tough work. But Ram goes a bit further, offering things like two different off-road trims and serious luxury interiors to make long-haul towing trips a much more pleasant experience. The Rebel trim gives you a blend of off-road ability, towing strength, and payload hauling ability. When whatever you’re towing or carrying needs to go off-road, the Rebel is the truck for that. The Power Wagon is a full-on off-roader with class-exclusive features like a front locking differential and an electronically disconnecting front sway bar. The Ram Heavy Duty offers a level of off-road performance that is simply not available on any competing heavy-duty pickup.
Endless Capability
As you would expect from a heavy-duty pickup, the Ram Heavy Duty is available with both gasoline and diesel engine options. The standard engine for both the Ram 2500 and the Ram 3500 is a 6.4-liter gasoline HEMI® V8 that produces 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. This means the Ram Heavy Duty is highly capable even in base form, with a towing capacity of 20,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 4,230 pounds for the Ram 2500 while the Ram 3500 can carry 7,590 pounds of payload and tow 18,210 pounds with the base engine. The difference between the two comes from the fact that the Ram 3500 is available with a dual-wheel rear axle, and this is one of the primary distinctions between the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500. Because of this, the off-road trims are only available on the Ram 2500 while the Ram 3500 gets more of the towing-focused equipment. Aside from those differences, quite a lot about the two variants is otherwise the same.
For more serious hauling and towing, there is a diesel option for the Ram Heavy Duty. The 6.7-liter Cummins® I6 produces 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque. For the Ram 2500, that means a towing capacity of 20,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 3,150 pounds. The Ram 3500 can tow 22,660 pounds and haul a payload of up to 6,830 pounds with this engine. But one more piece of towing-focused equipment you can get on the Ram 3500 is the high-output version of the diesel engine, which bumps horsepower up to 430 and torque up to 1,075 lb-ft. With this engine, the Ram 3500 can tow 36,610 pounds and carry a payload of 4,320 pounds.
Critical Acclaim
Ram trucks are all much beloved by the automotive press. Excellent handling and best-in-class interiors are frequent subjects of their reviews and the Ram Heavy Duty gets this kind of praise similar to the volume-selling smaller Ram 1500. Car & Driver* put the Ram Heavy Duty on their 2026 Editors’ Choice list, but more importantly, named it as the #1 truck in its class. MotorTrend**, the other big established name in automotive journalism, also ranked it #1. As Car & Driver put it, “the Ram has the best interior in the segment with luxury-car-level detailing, extreme comfort, and a clean, modern design, while the highest trim levels offer premium materials.” Simply put, if you want to know how the Ram Heavy Duty measures up to the Ford Super Duty or Chevrolet Silverado HD, you don’t have to take our word for it. The experts agree that it’s the best.
*Source: 2026 Car and Driver Editors’ Choice List - https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a70013199/2026-editors-choice/