Here is a Ram HD crew cab truck with a long bed that we saw high elevation testing in the Rocky Mountains. It appears to be a fairly normal two-wheel-drive 2019 model. These trucks have already been on sale for several months. Is this truck testing any new type of powertrain? What’s hiding within?
Ram Heavy Duty
This test truck’s front fenders have 6.4L HEMI badges. The exhaust system also looks to be a standard gas-engine system with a muffler. For 2019, Ram left the big 6.4L HEMI V8 mostly uncharged. It’s still rated at 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. The big change comes in the ford of the new 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. Is this truck simply putting some extra miles on the existing HEMI or could it be something else?
This is a highly competitive time for heavy duty trucks and trucks in general. The all-new 2020 Chevy Silverado HD trucks just made their first drive debut. The Chevy is now packing a new 6.6-liter gas V8 engine with 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque. This is 35 lb-ft more than in the Ram HD. The updated 2020 Ford Super Duty is coming this fall with a big 7.3-liter gas V8. We still don’t know the power specs for the 7.3L Ford engine, but it’s likely to be higher than GM’s 6.6L. What’s Ram’s answer to the escalating power and capability war in the heavy duty trucks?
Let us know in the comments below.
Could Ram be testing a larger displacement gas V8 engine, or a 6.4L HEMI V8 with an eTorque mild hybrid system, or both? There are rumors of a 7.0-liter gas V8 floating around. We will have to wait and see. New Ram HD truck information should be fully available by September of this year.
Here is how a new 2019 Ram Power Wagon compares to the 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel.
