Can one still purchase a brand new 4×4 diesel-powered truck with a manual transmission? Yes, it’s the current 2018 Ram HD 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel and a 6-speed manual transmission.
Sean T. sends us a note about his new 2018 Ram heavy duty with a manual transmission.
I just took delivery of a 2018 Ram 4×4 Crew Cab with a manual transmission and a manual transfer case (a near unicorn in today’s world). I custom ordered this truck back in April. it took eight months to finally get it.
I just had to have a standard, and I just had to have a diesel, and as it turns out there is only one place in the world (well… North America anyway) to get that. What I have now is a truly one-of-a-kind truck. We’re going to grow old together!
Could this 2018 Ram HD be the last of its kind? We don’t know this for sure. Ram is doing a major update for the 2019 Ram HD trucks. These debut next month in Detroit. We don’t know yet whether the manual transmission will continue.
Sean sent in a window sticker for his Tradesman truck that shows a number of cool options for a total final M.S.R.P of $56,865. What are the “cool” options other than the diesel and manual transmission? The truck has a towing package, Off-Road package, dual alternators, and more.
The Ram HD with a manual transmission has a unique power rating of 350 hp and 660 lb-ft of torque. The transmission is a G56 6-speed. If you want to row your own in a diesel 4×4 truck, this is it.
Other pickup trucks offer manual transmissions: Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma, but these are paired with gas-powered engines.
The upcoming 2020 Jeep Gladiator will also offer a manual transmission as standard with the 3.6L gas V6, but Jeep says the 3.0L diesel V6 will come with a standard 8-speed automatic transmission. This upcoming turbo-diesel is said to produce 260 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque.
Here is a Ram HD 2500 Tradesman with a 6.4L gas V8 towing a maximum load on the Ike Gauntlet™ – world’s toughest towing test.