2027 Ram 2500 Tested: Cummins Diesel Engine Finally Puts the Power in Power Wagon

• What's new: The 2027 Ram Power Wagon is now available with a 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine.
• Why it matters: 1,075 lb-ft of torque means this off-road legend can tow nearly 20,000 pounds and cruise for longer distances than the V8-powered version.
• Edmunds says: The addition of a diesel engine completes the already impressive Power Wagon package. But yikes, this one costs more than $100,000 as tested.

How about a little power bump?

Until the 2027 truck debuted, the Power Wagon used a 6.4-liter V8 as its motivation. Its 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque are good enough for a smaller 1500-series Ram, but it's only just adequate in a truck as massive as the Power Wagon. The 6.7-liter Cummins high-output turbodiesel inline-six makes a modest 430 hp but cranks out a colossal 1,075 lb-ft of torque. That's a power bump if there ever was one, which should be good for, well, essentially everything.

Lining the Power Wagon up at our test track and making sure to put the Ram into 4WD to prevent wheelspin, I held the truck on its brakes and used the throttle to bring the engine revs up to around 1,750 rpm. This is known as powerbraking, and it's a huge benefit in getting the best getaway with turbocharged engines, as it helps the turbos spin up and start working, reducing any lag that can cost time and speed. Right when I could feel the Ram twist and strain under the load of all that torque, I stepped off the brake pedal and let it go. 

Because the Power Wagon manages all that torque so well (credit to the eight-speed automatic transmission), and because it probably weighs a lot (it maxed out our scales, which are rated for 8,000 pounds), the acceleration isn't exactly shocking. The engine revs very smoothly, but the transmission shifts well before its redline. As for those shifts, they're surprisingly seamless — I only really noticed them by the change in the engine note. Before I could recall the number of gears the Power Wagon had already used, I was well past 60 mph. Even though the powerband is fairly narrow by gasoline engine standards, there's just so much of it that the Power Wagon can't help but be quick.

Of course, outright speed is not the goal of all this diesel power. Towing and payload capacities are the main beneficiaries with massive increases over the V8-powered model to 19,630 pounds and 2,930 pounds, respectively. And when you combine that hauling ability with the knowledge that the Power Wagon is essentially the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon version of a heavy-duty truck, you can see why ranchers and workers in open country are so enamored with these things.

Take it easy

Turning and stopping the Power Wagon are less impressive but more in line with what I'd expect from such a massive off-road-oriented truck. Still, a 154-foot stopping distance from 60 mph is a little bit alarming. That's more than a full car length longer than I experienced when I tested a Ram 1500. The brake pedal, too, is a little disconcerting as it drops straight to the floor in a panic stop, but that's a function of the type of braking system a diesel truck runs as opposed to one with a gasoline engine. Across five panic stops from 60 mph, the braking distances were as consistent and tightly grouped as they would be in a Porsche 911, albeit about 60 feet longer.

The steering on the Power Wagon is about as old-school truck as you can get, and it's a byproduct of the truck's heavy-duty hardware and use case. That means it's pretty slow, doesn't have much feedback, and feels a little loose and off-center. If you're buying this truck to use it, not just pose, you'll actually be surprised at how well it tracks in a straight line. And I was surprised by just how little body roll the Power Wagon had while rounding our skidpad. I still felt like I was driving on top of an SUV, but I had confidence that the big Ram was going to stay in line so long as I treated it like the big truck that it is. The Wagon's stability control is conservative, as it should be on the road, but it stayed mostly out of the way and allowed me to maintain respectable speed through and around our test track's handling circuit. This thing is built for wide open spaces, but it can be maneuvered through a canyon road without falling over on itself.

Laws of attraction

You'd like to think that the bunch of car enthusiasts who work with me on Edmunds' testing team, guys who are really into lightweight, sporty stuff, would scoff at the massive Power Wagon and its eponymous graphics, but you'd be really, really wrong. Within minutes of my arrival, my co-workers were fawning over the Power Wagon's no-nonsense styling, massive eight lug wheels, and the quiet rattle of the Cummins turbodiesel. The hood went up, and people took turns squatting down to admire the jungle gym of suspension parts and its heavy-duty axles. I even overheard one starry-eyed editor pondering whether he could daily drive this in LA until he moved to Montana. It's more proof that enthusiasts can appreciate honest, straightforward vehicles no matter what they are.

The one major missing piece of the diesel-powered Power Wagon is its bumper-mounted winch. It was, and still is, at least on the V8 model, the calling card for the truck, but the diesel's cooling requirements forced the elimination of the iconic winch. I'm sure Power Wagon users will find a way to install an aftermarket one, but it is a small price to pay for the newfound capabilities brought by that Cummins engine. In addition to the massively improved towing and payload numbers, the diesel engine will most certainly deliver better fuel economy than the V8 model and offer a much longer cruising range. As for exact fuel economy numbers, we don't have any, as heavy-duty trucks are exempt from that requirement. 

What we do have is pricing information for the Power Wagon. The V8 model starts at $73,735, including $2,795 in destination, and the Cummins turbodiesel option brings the Power Wagon price up to $89,560. That alone should weed out the buyers who only want the diesel to flaunt the badge on social media. With a couple of options, our test truck came in at a whopping $103,395. It is expensive, but it's also a serious work truck capable of crossing vast sections of open, unpaved country without a second thought. It's also a refreshing reminder of what a serious truck should be. Now, can we get one in a single cab? Maybe with a manual transmission like the old days?