The Ram Power Wagon Finally Gets The Cummins Turbodiesel It Always Deserved, But There Are Compromises
Since 2005, the Power Wagon has existed as an extreme off-road version of the heavy duty Ram 2500. With locking differentials, skid plates, disconnecting sway bars, all-terrain tires, softer springs and a front winch, the Ram Power Wagon has been the biggest, toughest off-roader in Chrysler’s lineup for two decades now. Still, one thing has always seemed a bit off: Why doesn’t the Power Wagon offer the Ram 2500’s optional Cummins turbodiesel? After all, it’s a ridiculously torquey motor that you’d think would be perfect for low-speed rock crawling. Well, for 2027, after all these years, the Power Wagon finally gets the Cummins, but to pull this off Ram had to make some changes to what the Power Wagon is.
First things first: What took Ram so long? You’d think there’s no better engine for rock-crawling than a diesel, which offers tons of low-end torque for slowly navigating technical obstacles without having to spin up tires. The answer, and the reason why Stellantis executive Tim Kuniskis had to tell his team to just “to make it happen,” has to do with the sheer size of the motor.
David Just Bought A Brand New WWII Jeep Engine From France. It’s GloriousDavid Just Bought A Brand New WWII Jeep Engine From France. It’s Glorious
A Cummins 6.7 (juggles hands) is massive, and not just the long inline-six block and exhaust aftertreatment systems, but especially the cooling module, which interferes with the space at the front of the vehicle that would normally be “package-protected” for a factory winch that has been a big part of the Power Wagon’s identity since the beginning.
“There’s been a shift in the way people are thinking at Stellantis,” Ram product development chief Doug Killian told me in our interview. “‘Let’s just go do this’ [Kuniskis said]. We got the encouragement to go make a Power Wagon with a diesel…Of course we’ve been hearing it for decades. We were holding the winch maybe more sacred than it should have been. Can the power wagon evolve? Of course.”
And so the Power Wagon now has the coveted big C on its fenders, but in order to fit the legendary mill, the Power Wagon has had to evolve from what folks are used to. Let’s get into that.
The Diesel Power Wagon Is A Different Power Wagon Than The Gas Truck
After I chatted with Killian, it became clear to me that, actually, the Cummins turbodiesel is probably not the ideal off-road engine. Sure, the thing produces a crazy 1,075 lb-ft of torque, and torque is generally good for rock crawling, but let’s all be honest: The much lighter and smaller 6.4-liter HEMI gas motor makes plenty of grunt at 429 lb-ft. Combined with short transmission (4.71:1 first gear) and axle gearing (4.10:1), plus a low-range transfer case (2.64:1), the gas truck’s 51:1 crawl ratio means it offers plenty of low-speed precision to help it traverse most technical obstacles.
So why bother putting a Cummins diesel into the Power Wagon if it’s going to just weigh the truck down, take up a bunch of packaging space, and cause potential stability concerns that need to be fixed by reducing ground clearance (more on that later)? I think part of it is just the fact that people love the Cummins diesel engine to the point where many refer to their Ram HD truck as, simply “The Cummins.” Those C badges on the truck offer a cool-factor that, in many folks’ eyes, is unmatched in the industry.
So Ram found itself with a tough question. Should it try to maximize absolute off-road capability knowing that, if we’re being honest, the truck would cost far more than the gas alternative without being a whole lot better off-road? Or should the pricier diesel truck offer something the gas truck does not: specifically, much, much more towing and payload?
Ram chose the latter option.
Image: Ram”A Cummins isn’t a Cummins without over 1000 ft-lbs of torque in this application,” Doug Killian told me during our Microsoft Teams interview. “We’re not going to take [the Cummins engine’s] DNA out of it in order to make it a Power Wagon…so what really is sacred is, the intercooler and the radiator are absolutely critical to making the Cummins make that amount of power and torque…to put the power down for long periods of time and [handle] the heat [while] towing.”
To maximize towing, the truck needs a humongous cooling module, which is heavy and takes up space at the front of the vehicle. This means the factory winch option had to go. “The winch isn’t really what makes the Power Wagon the Power Wagon because, frankly, it’s optional,” said Killian. “And a winch is something you can easily do in the aftermarket.”
Though packaging the front sway bar disconnect system wasn’t trivial, Ram managed to keep that feature. “What really makes Power Wagon Power Wagon…it’s about getting that torque to the ground,” the Ram development engineer continued.
“We didn’t have a locking front axle with a Cummins…that was engineering challenge #1… to get that 3.42 ratio 9.25 axle with a locker…We had to engineer that essentially from the ground up, and that’s what took a fair amount of time,” Killian told me.
Ram already had a locking rear axle and a transfer case that it could use, but that front axle had to be beefed up with a larger axle housing with more tube section, plus upgraded axle shafts. This is required not just because of the added torque but because of the added weight; the Cummins weighs 1,000 pounds more than the 6.4-liter gas motor.
1000 pounds!
“Getting that amount of mass over the front axle really changed the character of how the truck behaved off-road,” Killian told me, saying his team had expected more on-road understeer as a result of the heavy motor up front, but the change in off-road demeanor was a surprise. “Now you get that much more torque to work with, and now you’ve got that much normal force on each tire, and then you take the [front] stabilizer bar disconnect…you can imagine that we can spread that normal force between the two tires, and we can lock each axle,” Killian said.
He went on: “We got out to Moab [and found] the gas Power Wagon is like a billy-goat…it’s got enough torque. It’s got enough articulation. When the diesel started to hit some of these same [obstacles], it was almost like it was clawing its way up. It just had a different behavior climbing up these obstacles than the gas power wagon…the extra thousand pounds grabbing the ground made a difference.”
As impressive as its traction capability may be, with its three-link locked solid front axle, five-link locked solid rear axle, and front sway bar disconnect, the reality is that the diesel Power Wagon isn’t meant to be as much of a rock-climbing billygoat as the gas truck, and that has a lot to do with Ram’s desire to offer good payload and towing.
Take a look at the gas Power Wagon’s figures above, and you’ll see: They’re far from impressive. The payload figure of 1,570 is half that of any other Ram 2500, and the 10,530 pound towing figure is about 2/3 that of non-Power Wagon 2500s. “Kind of a dealbreaker for some people,” Killian admitted. He’s not wrong; check out a few threads I found on this topic:
The Cummins Power Wagon went a different route. Instead of compromising payload and towing, it chose to make some off-road compromises, including to that front winch, to articulation and to ground clearance.
“The ride height of the diesel is about an inch and a half lower than the gas Power Wagon,” Killian told me (per official specs from Ram, the diesel offers 13.2-inches of clearance to the gas truck’s 14.2 — so about an inch, but the diesel has 1″ taller tires, so suspension height is indeed about 1.5″ lower). That lower ride height helps the truck maintain impressive towing and payload specs. “It’s the dynamic stability that was really the limiting factor on the gas Power Wagon,” Killian said.
“Keeping that center of gravity low [is important] with the diesel powertrain,” he told me. “We looked at [raising the ride height],” he continued, though the team had some driveshaft angle issues and they’d need a different tire. Those were solvable problems, but Killian’s team wasn’t sure they were worth tackling. “We kinda got to this philosophical discussion of, if we’re doing a new Power Wagon, why not have it do something different than the gas Power Wagon is doing…almost creating a Power Wagon portfolio.”
“We took it in a different direction [than the gas Power Wagon] intentionally. Because if we raised the ride height, we put load D-rating tires on it, and we made it more top heavy, less stable, it was almost like ‘what’s the point?’ So we’re opening it up to a different type of potential by having that [higher] payload.”
Killian told me that the lower ride height allowed Ram to maintain dynamic stability for SAE J2807, the towing and payload standard that all Ram trucks are designed to meet. The Cummins Power Wagon is rated to tow “nearly 20,000 pounds [with] a payload capacity of almost 3,000 pounds.”
In addition to giving up an inch of ground clearance (and 3 degrees of approach angle — 26, down from 29) over the gas truck, the Cummins also loses some articulation despite also having the same suspension geometry and a disconnecting front sway bar.
“Spring rates are higher on a diesel than a gas because of the weight of the engine. Due to the spring rates, the gas Power Wagon will have better articulation…the gas Power Wagon is going to have a better RTI, but it won’t have the payload and towing.”
Are The Off-Road Compromises Worth It?
Less ground clearance, less articulation, worse approach angle, more weight — it’s clear that the Cummins Power Wagon is actually going to be less capable off-road than the gas truck, which costs about $13,000 less than the $88,570 Cummins Power Wagon. But that gas truck comes with huge payload and towing compromises, so maybe the Cummins Power Wagon offers a happy medium.
Of course, there’s already the Cummins Ram Rebel. “The Rebel does good things, but we were still truck with the ability to get that torque down over the front axle…the difference between the Rebel and the Power Wagon diesel [off-road] was the ability to just claw its way up over obstacles and hills and ditches and that sort of things,” Killian told me in our discussion. I myself am skeptical that a disconnecting sway bar and a front locker are going to yield significantly more off-road capability in a truck that is likely limited by its geometry, but I’ll have to drive them both to find out.
When the original Ram 2500 Power Wagon came out in 2005, I was 13 years old. I distinctly remember being disappointed that there was no Cummins. “What the heck; that would be perfect!” I remember thinking. “It would be the ultimate truck!”
The diehard off-roader in me doesn’t feel that way anymore, as the compromises are glaring. The heavy engine requiring stiff springs that reduce articulation and requiring a lower ride height to maintain dynamic stability to get the most out of the engine’s towing/payload capabilities…it’s a hard pill to swallow. And part of me thinks it would have been cool to make the towing/payload compromises to keep the Power Wagon a pure rock-crawler so it can stand out more from, say, the F-250 Tremor. The Ram 2500 Rebel could then be the truck for those wanting a bit more off-road capability from their Cummins, without giving up so much towing/hauling capability.
But overall, I’m still pumped that we finally have a Cummins Power Wagon, even if it’s now less of a rock crawler and more of an overlander.
‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3 Completely Changed My Mind About This Fan Favorite Character
Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.
Ginny & Georgia Season 3 has a lot going on, with Georgia’s (Brianne Howey) trial, Ginny (Antonia Gentry) experiencing family and relationship drama, Marcus (Felix Mallard) still struggling despite his family’s best efforts to help him, and so much more. But, for the first time, Season 3 dives into the emotional struggles of another important character, Maxine (Sara Waisglass). Season 3, Episode 9, “It’s Time for My Solo,” actually includes Max’s narration, showing a new side of her. I have to say, it changed the way I see Maxine Baker.
The energetic theater kid tends to be focused on herself, but Season 3 makes Max sympathetic by showing how deeply she cares about others and why she feels ignored. Between the trouble her brother finds himself in, the sorry state of her love life, and the drama constantly surrounding her friend group, Max has a lot to deal with in Season 3, and everyone trivializes her problems. She may be over the top at times, but Max deserves someone who respects all the emotions she feels.
‘Ginny & Georgia’s Max Is Flawed
Max’s introduction to the series is innocent enough, as the enthusiastic neighbor who is quick to befriend Ginny. But she quickly shows a different side by becoming controlling and self-centered. Max is seemingly the leader among her friends, largely because she makes choices without consulting others. In Season 1, she announces to Abby (Katie Douglas) and Norah (Chelsea Clark) that Ginny is part of their group without giving anyone else a say, and Abby and Norah are unsure how they feel about opening up their close circle to someone they just met. Max also tends to force every conversation back to her own relationship drama rather than listening to those around her. Honestly, I was annoyed by this behavior, even from behind a screen. Her brother Marcus calls out this trait during a fight between the siblings, saying it is a habit Max has long had.
However, Max hits a low point during the end of Season 1, when she cuts Ginny off for sleeping with Marcus and not telling her. To be fair, this is not Ginny’s best decision, as she was in a relationship with Hunter (Mason Temple) at the time, but Max takes it as a personal betrayal. At the same time, she lashes out at Abby for discovering Ginny and Marcus’ relationship and not telling her, when it wasn’t Abby’s secret to tell. I’d argue that this reaction is bad enough, but the incident carries on well into Season 2 as she refuses to speak to either Ginny or Abby, and is angry with Nora when she does. I couldn’t help but notice how she was only interested in resolution after the two of them became friends without her. Like most of Max’s choices, it was selfish, all-about-me behavior, and it made me question if Ginny was better off finding another group of friends. However, Season 3 changed my mind about Max completely.
In ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3, Max Experiences the Toxicity of MANG
In Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia, Max is actively trying to change and be a better friend. She does her best to ensure Ginny has support at school, goes for a run with Ginny, and chases off other students trying to get a video of her, but Ginny simply doesn’t want to talk about the subject with Max, which Max accepts. However, when she learns that Ginny has instead sought help from Bracia (Tameka Griffiths), Max feels hurt. I’ll admit that Ginny has no obligation to trust her, especially given her history, but Max is trying so hard to be there for her friend in an impossible situation. I feel bad for her, especially when she’s trying to stop making things about herself.
Worse than that is the fact that the rest of MANG bonds without Max, sharing secrets and egging Abby’s dad’s house. They don’t intend to leave her out, but when they do, they agree not to tell her and end up lying to her. This friend group has been toxic since day one, so it’s not entirely surprising, but as they dig their heels in and refuse to apologize for making Max feel isolated, it only gets worse. When Max tries to have an honest conversation, Abby cuts her off and refuses to listen, writing Max off as dramatic. When Max brings up a similar conversation with Ginny in the finale, Ginny also dismisses her, saying they’ve grown apart when that’s the very thing Max is trying to fix. The fact that they all fail to recognize Max’s pain proves that she is not the only one who is a little bit self-centered.
But I think the thing that is the most heartbreaking is that when Max goes to her mother, Ellen (Jennifer Robertson), for advice, Ellen tells her not to talk about it, because that will make it worse. She essentially accuses Max of being the problem, rather than her exclusionary friends. Of course, everyone has their own struggles going on, but in Season 3, I noticed that none of her supposed friends are willing to listen to Max’s issues. This is what finally sold me on supporting Max regardless of her past, because how is Max supposed to grow if no one acknowledges her pain?
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“There’s more story here.”
By Jake Hodges
Max Faces Real Problems at Home in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3
Max can often come across as frivolous, but in Season 3, she is put in a terrible situation as she watches Marcus struggle. Of course, Marcus’ journey with his mental health is not about Max, but she is caught between her brother and her parents. Max sees his drinking habits and, concerned for her brother, she wants to tell her parents how bad it truly is, but Marcus begs her not to. When Max finally does, Marcus accuses her of making it about herself again.
However, Max doesn’t get the attention she needs at home because Ellen and Clint (Chris Kenopic) are focused on helping Marcus. Like everyone else, they see Max’s bubbly confidence and assume she’s fine, but her narration reveals she is a nervous wreck and, like her brother, has no one she can talk to. Her personality is a facade, and beneath it, she is as self-conscious and vulnerable as everyone else.
‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3 Doesn’t Give Max a Girlfriend She Can Rely On
In previous seasons, Max has been very focused on her love life, but even that is a disaster in Season 3. Her ex, Sophie (Humberly González), tries to edge her way back into Max’s life just when she finally moves on, and her new relationship with Marcus’ friend, Silver (Katelyn Wells), falls apart. Silver is not easily reachable, which is incompatible with Max, and worse, Silver is so chill that she dismisses Max’s emotional concerns. When Max expresses her fear that Marcus is drinking too much, which is a completely valid thing for her to worry about, Silver repeatedly blows it off, all the while providing Marcus with alcohol.
I was impressed by Max’s personal growth this season, not only in her attempts to have honest and direct conversations with both her friends and Marcus, but in how she handles the relationship drama, cutting off both Sophie and Silver when they can’t give her what she needs. However, this also leaves her totally alone. Max has shown the most positive growth in the series, but no one is willing to forgive her mistakes or even pay attention to her, and I think she deserves better. As the series goes forward, I need Max to find someone to respect her and her feelings, however dramatic they may seem. Despite her flaws, Max is genuinely trying to be a good friend and sister, and honestly, she’s doing a better job than most of Ginny & Georgia‘s characters.
