FCA and Ram are on a roll at the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) with the new 2019 Ram HD 2500 Power Wagon debuting on stage. This isn’t just a refreshed face and new trim. The 2019 Ram Power Wagon has a lot of new improvements.
The nose, the grill and the headlights are new. There is a new 12,000-lbs Warn Zeon-12 winch that has a new synthetic line and an easier to access controller plug-in. It’s also saving the truck 28-lbs of unwanted weight.
While the nose is higher (7 millimeters) the added lift helps improve the 2019 Ram 2500 power Wagon’s RTI (Ramp Travel Index) score. It still has solid axles front and rear (both still 4:10s) and it still has an electronically disconnecting front axle.
Big news: maximum payload increases to 1,660 lbs and max towing increases to 10,620 lbs. The crawl ratio goes up from an already impressive 35:1-ratio to an outstanding 51:1-ratio. According to Ram, that’s because of the gearing from the new 8-speed “ZF” automatic transmission. This replaces a six-speed from the previous model.
Under the hood is still the familiar 6.4L HEMI V8. It’s rated at the same 410 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. New frame and noise-cancelation technologies allowed Ram engineers to control vibrations and unwanted noise. In turn, the new HEMI can run in 4-cylinder (MDS) mode for longer periods of time without the drive noticing. It means the new Power Wagon should see a notable improvement in fuel economy.
| 2019 Power Wagon (New) | 2018 Power Wagon (Old) | |
| Engine | 6.4L V8: 410 hp / 429 lb-ft | 6.4L V8: 410 hp / 429 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 8-speed ZF Auto | 6-speed Auto |
| Crawl Ratio | 51:1 | 35:1 |
| RTI articulation | 538 | 510 |
| Tires | Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 33-inch | same |
| Axles | Solid (F & R Lockers) | same |
| Swaybar | Front Disconnect | same |
There’s more, the 2019 Ram 2500 Power Wagon has sum neat tech for off-road driving. The new Ram has a 360-degree camera setup (much like a “bird’s eye view”) for maneuvering assistance. In addition, the front camera can help with negotiating difficult obstacles that are too low to see from the driver’s seat. Better still: there are guide lines in the front camera view that mark where the front tires are pointing.
The 2019 Ram Power Wagon has an all-new interior that borrows heavily from the all-new Ram 1500’s interior. This includes a new, optional (massive) 12-inch infotainment screen. New seating surfaces and luxury upgrades such as heated and cooled seats are offered.
There are some who lament the passing of the six-speed automatic transmission in favor of the new eight-speed. Well, there’s more news: the gear leaver is gone and a rotary dial takes its place. Along with that, all of the controls for locking axles, four-wheel drive and the disconnecting sway-bar are now surrounding the gear selector dial.
The transfer case lever is still mechanical and it’s still located in the same spot as before.
It will be interesting to see if these changes make the Power Wagon even better. Or, do they marginalize some of its manliness? In this first look video, Andre gets to crawl around this new Power Wagon and give you all the details about this new rig.
