We like
Characterful 6.4-litre V8 HEMI engine; well-calibrated eight-speed auto; surprisingly compliant coil-sprung ride; strong towing, payload, and off-road specifications; supremely spacious cabin and load bed

Room for improvement
Size and turning circle a challenge on narrow roads; V8 lacks torque of Cummins turbo-diesel; light steering and body movement discourage enthusiastic cornering; clumsy foot-operated park brake

Overview

 

RAM Trucks Australia will reintroduce V8 petrol power to its local line-up next month (October) with the arrival of the new Ram 2500 Warlock, marking the first time in a decade the Heavy Duty pick-up has been offered here with a HEMI engine.

 

Priced from $157,950 plus on-road costs, the MY26 Ram 2500 Warlock Crew Cab is powered by a naturally aspirated 6.4-litre HEMI V8 producing 306kW and 582Nm, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and dual-range four-wheel drive.

 

The model will sit alongside the 6.7-litre inline six-cylinder Cummins diesel-powered Ram 2500 and 3500 Laramie variants, broadening the local Heavy Duty range while reviving a petrol V8 option last seen in Australian-delivered Ram products in late 2024.

 

The final locally remanufactured HEMI-powered Ram was a 5.7-litre 1500 Limited, which rolled off Ram Trucks Australia’s Melbourne production line almost two years ago.

 

Production of the new 6.4-litre Warlock commenced at the same Melbourne remanufacturing facility earlier this month.

 

The Warlock is positioned as a more rugged take on the Ram Heavy Duty formula, gaining Bilstein off-road dampers, 20-inch alloy wheels, 285/60 all-terrain tyres, black wheelarch flares, black side steps, and black front and rear bumpers.

 

Black headlight surrounds, a black front fascia, black mirror caps, and Warlock decals complete the exterior treatment.

 

Underneath, the Warlock retains coil-spring rear suspension and is equipped with a 3.73:1 final-drive ratio, compared with 3.42:1 for diesel variants.

 

Ram quotes a 3500kg towing capacity with a 50mm tow ball, rising to 4500kg with a 70mm ball and up to 6700kg when equipped with the brand’s genuine gooseneck accessory and (aftermarket) air brakes.

 

The Warlock has a 4495kg gross vehicle mass, 10,001kg gross combination mass and 1275kg payload. Kerb weight is listed at 3220kg.

 

A 117-litre fuel tank is standard.

 

The Ram 2500 Warlock measures 6066mm long, 2220mm wide and 2043mm high, with a 3785mm wheelbase and 14.6-metre turning circle.

 

Off-road dimensions include a 22.9-degree approach angle, 25.8-degree departure angle, and 22-degree ramp-over angle.

 

Standard equipment includes LED headlights, a spray-in bed liner and 12.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, while the front bench arrangement allows seating for six occupants when the centre front position is in use.

 

Safety and driver-assistance equipment includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and speed-sign recognition.

 

Lane-keeping assistance has been updated for MY26, while driver-fatigue monitoring is also newly fitted.

 

Towing equipment includes a tow-bar receiver, 12-pin wiring harness, trailer sway control and valve-type tyre pressure monitoring.

 

Five exterior colours will be available for the Warlock, with metallic paint adding $950.

 

Service intervals are set at 12 months or 12,000km, whichever comes first, while warranty coverage is three years or 100,000km.

 

Driving Impressions

 

On the road, the Ram 2500 Warlock feels rather different to what its imposing dimensions and Heavy Duty underpinnings might suggest, though there is no escaping its sheer size.

 

At 6066mm long, 2220mm wide, and weighing 3220kg, it requires some recalibration from the driver, particularly on narrower Australian roads.

 

The bonnet stretches a long way forward, the mirrors seem to occupy another postcode, and its 14.6-metre turning circle demands a little forward planning in tighter surrounds.

 

Even so, the Warlock quickly proves easier to place and operate than its dimensions imply.

 

Much of that impression comes from the 6.4-litre HEMI V8.

 

Producing 306kW at 5600rpm and 582Nm at 4000rpm, the naturally aspirated petrol engine lacks the enormous low-rpm torque of the diesel-powered 2500, but compensates with a lighter, freer, and altogether more responsive character.

 

There is a pleasing immediacy to the throttle response that suits the Warlock particularly well.

 

Without turbochargers to spool or a mountain of torque arriving almost from idle, the HEMI builds its performance progressively, encouraging the driver to use more of the accelerator and rev range.

 

And it sounds bloody good while doing so.

 

Simply put, the petrol model has more spring in its step from idle and is happier to rev than the diesel.

 

Its eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic nevertheless tends to exploit the HEMI’s mid-range rather than chase the 6000rpm redline, generally changing up before 5000rpm even under enthusiastic acceleration.

 

That feels entirely appropriate here.

 

The HEMI does not turn the 2500 Warlock into a rapid vehicle in the conventional sense – there is simply too much truck to move – but it gives it an easy, willing feel that belies its substantial kerb weight.

 

There is also more to the HEMI than outright performance. Much of its appeal is emotional, with a familiar deep-chested V8 beat adding a welcome sense of theatre to this so-called Sport Truck.

 

The eight-speed auto is generally a good match, shifting unobtrusively during relaxed driving and keeping the V8 in the meat of its torque curve.

 

More decisive throttle inputs prompt suitably quick downshifts, while the calibration clearly favours low- and mid-range muscle over repeated trips to the upper reaches of the rev range.

 

The result is a surprisingly relaxed combination at highway speeds. Once settled into top gear, the V8 retreats into the background, and the Warlock becomes an easy long-distance cruiser – assuming of course you can fund the exercise.

 

On test, fuel use hovered at around the 21-litre per 100km mark (for a theoretical range of 560km); though we hasten to add that our test loop did not allow much chance to employ the HEMI’s cylinder deactivation technology – and that the engine was barely run in, with just a handful of kilometres on the clock.

 

Ram Trucks Australia said figures in the 13-litre range are possible when cruising on the open road.

 

As a long-distance hauler, it is well worth noting that ride quality is better than the Heavy Duty badge might suggest.

 

The Ram 2500 differs from many segment rivals through its five-link, coil-sprung rear suspension rather than conventional leaf springs, and the arrangement brings an appreciable degree of compliance when the tray is empty.

 

It remains a big live-axle truck, and there is still some secondary movement over abrupt bumps, particularly unladen, but the Warlock does not skip or buck about as much as might be expected of something designed to carry more than a tonne.

 

We will be keen to sample the vehicle again with a load in the bed.

 

The locally delivered model combines Bilstein off-road dampers with 285/60 all-terrain tyres on 20-inch wheels, giving the Warlock a slightly softer edge over broken surfaces without allowing its substantial mass to become uncontrolled.

 

It is not, despite Ram’s marketing terminology, a Sport Truck in the dynamic sense.

 

There is too much mass, too much wheelbase, and too much tyre sidewall for the Warlock to disguise what it is. Direction changes are deliberate rather than eager, and quicker corners reinforce the need to work with the vehicle rather than against it.

 

Still, it feels more agile than expected.

 

The petrol V8 contributes to that impression because the Warlock is substantially lighter than the diesel-powered 2500 Laramie. At 3220kg, it is almost half a tonne lighter than its Cummins sibling, and that difference can be felt in the way the nose responds to steering input and the vehicle gathers speed.

 

The steering is light enough to make urban manoeuvring manageable, though there is little meaningful feedback through the wheel. Accuracy rather than communication is the priority and once acclimatised to the width of the truck it becomes relatively straightforward to position.

 

We found the braking performance exceptional and pedal progression appropriate to the vehicle’s usage case. The foot-operated park brake, on the other hand, is poorly positioned and clumsy to operate.

 

Off-road, the HEMI demands a slightly different technique to a torque-rich diesel but remains well suited to the task.

 

A dual-range transfer case provides 2H, 4H and 4L modes, while the Warlock’s Bilstein dampers, all-terrain rubber, and additional off-road specification give it considerably more ability than its street-biased appearance might initially imply.

 

Low range provides enough gearing to offset the petrol engine’s more modest torque output, while the HEMI’s smooth and predictable throttle response makes it easy to meter power across loose or uneven terrain.

 

More importantly, the V8 feels entirely appropriate to the Warlock’s personality.

 

On paper, 582Nm is not an especially startling figure for a Heavy Duty pick-up, and buyers intending to tow at the upper end of the vehicle’s capability will undoubtedly recognise the advantages of a large turbo-diesel.

 

But viewed as a recreational Heavy Duty truck – one intended to tow, tour, head off-road and provide a little entertainment along the way – the HEMI has considerable appeal.

 

It makes the Warlock feel less like commercial equipment and more like an enormous recreational vehicle, with immediate throttle response, an unmistakable soundtrack, and a comparatively compliant chassis giving it personality beyond the usual towing and payload figures.

 

It may not be the most rational powertrain ever fitted to a three-tonne pick-up.

 

But rationality probably is not why someone buys a HEMI-powered Ram 2500 Warlock in the first place.