Ram 2500 Warlock review: A petrol pickup in the world of diesel

After almost two years without a V8 in its showrooms, Ram Trucks Australia has finally given the people what they've been asking for. This time it’s the bigger 6.4-litre Hemi, finding a home under the bonnet of the new Ram 2500 Warlock.

It's the first time the Warlock has been sold in Australia, and the first time since 2015 you've been able to get a V8 in the 2500.

Remanufactured to right-hand drive in Melbourne, the Warlock is an off-road inspired take on the Ram's heavy-duty 2500, and slots in as the new entry point to the range, priced from $157,950 before on-road costs.

Yes, "entry point" is doing a lot of heavy lifting at that price. But for context, it undercuts both the Cummins-powered Ram 2500 Laramie at $172,950 and the Chevrolet Silverado HD at $168,900, making it the most affordable way into the Heavy Duty pickup club right now.

So what’s new? The front fascia, headlight surrounds, bumpers, flares, side steps and mirror caps are all blacked out, it wears Warlock decals down the side, and it sits on 20-inch alloys wrapped in 285/60 all-terrain tyres. Underneath, Bilstein off-road shocks take care of the damping.

The 20s are an interesting call. It's the first Ram 2500 here to roll on them, and for a truck pitched at getting off the beaten track, most buyers would usually go the other way with a smaller rim and more tyre sidewall.

Though it still looks the part, but I'd be curious to see how many owners end up swapping to something smaller – such as the 18s from the Laramie – with a chunkier tyre if they planned on taking it off-roading often.

Under the bonnet, the 6.4-litre Hemi makes 306kW and 582Nm, sent through an eight-speed automatic to a part-time 4WD system with low range.

Next to the 6.7-litre Cummins straight-six in the Laramie, which makes 313kW and a whopping 1458Nm, those figures look a bit light on paper. And they are.

That said, it never felt short on grunt. Cruising along the country roads on the way to Calder Park, it was relaxed and easy, and when I put my foot down to get up to speed it still packed a punch and had all the power you need.

Once we got there, it handled the light off-road course with ease and stayed comfortable the whole way, which is no real surprise for a truck built with this in mind.

The Hemi also adopts cylinder shut down technology, so under light throttle it'll switch off four of its eight cylinders and run in an eco mode to save some fuel. For a truck of this size, it's a handy bit of tech.

Handy, but not a miracle worker. Over my 32km drive I averaged 16.7L/100km, which isn't a long enough stint to give a proper overall figure, but for something weighing 3220kg it's about what you'd expect. And really, is anyone buying a V8 pickup for its fuel economy!

Despite running on those relatively big 20-inch wheels, on the rougher sections of country road the ride was still comfortable, thanks in part to what's happening at the rear.

Where a lot of pickups use leaf springs out back, the 2500 runs coil springs all round, which – teamed with the Bilsteins – made the unladen ride much more comfortable than I expected from a truck this big.

On the practical side, the Warlock is almost 500kg lighter than the Laramie, which bumps payload up to 1275kg (from 785kg).

Towing sits at 3500kg on a 50mm ball and 4500kg on a 70mm ball, the same as the Laramie, but gooseneck towing drops from 8000kg to 6700kg and GCM falls from 12,750kg to 10,001kg. So if you're pulling seriously heavy loads week in, week out, the diesel Cummins six is still the engine of choice.

A unique feature in the Warlock is the six-seat setup. The middle section of the front row can fold down as a big centre console, or fold up to become a sixth seat.

It's a small seat, so I wouldn't be putting anyone in there for a 10-hour road trip, but for a quick run to the shops or the job site, it's a really handy option to have, and not something you see in this segment.

Not everything about the huge cabin is comfortable though. The foot-operated park brake sits extremely high when it's not engaged.

As someone who isn't exactly tall and has to have the seat pulled right forward, getting my foot up there to push it down required some contortionist moves. Taller drivers probably won't notice it much, but it's worth checking on a test drive if you're on the shorter side.

So, V8 or diesel? That's the debate the Warlock is going to spark. If you're hauling serious weight, the Cummins still makes the most sense.

But if you want the extra payload, the comfier setup and the off-road bits without having to go to the aftermarket – or you just love a V8 – the Warlock makes a pretty strong argument for itself.

It's still a lot of money, and trucks this big only make sense to a certain kind of buyer. But for those it does make sense to, the Warlock is a serious contender, and the cheapest ticket into Australia's heavy duty pickups. Just be prepared to add a bit of yoga to your parking routine.