Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Wait!
Did you miss parts I – IV ?
No worries, hit the link to the to the Part IV report. LINK TO PART IV
In that report we confirm that the original speculation by “Mister X” during the initial 12/5/24 interview at the Truck Show podcast was 100% correct.
So, what is the latest news? First, we still don’t know the identity of “Mr. X” and I’m beginning to wonder if he was not a part of an early product preview. Or second thought, the folks at Ram and Cummins were bothered by the speculation. So, no, it’s doubtful he was part of their plan.
Regardless of the “Mr. X” backstory, the auto show circuit always stops in Chicago in early February. Ram was at the show and TDR writer Andy Mikonis noted the 2025 Cummins 6.7 liter engine display and he forwarded these two photographs of the engine.
Check the photographs closely. Also, check the “Mister X” report in our Part IV correspondence.
You can clearly see the new cylinder head with the provisions for the glow plugs; the dual fuel filters, the easy-to-access oil filter canister; the revised turbocharger (the exhaust brake is still an integrated part of the turbo); external injectors are easier to service; and the block is, again, cast iron. Not so obvious: larger EGR cooler and the cylinder head continues to use roller-followers with hydraulic valve lash adjusters.
Oops, Andy reports “DPF heating for cold start emissions” that Mister X mentioned in the podcast is not accomplished with a heater element, rather diesel fuel is injected into the exhaust for the diesel oxidization catalyst to “light off” as needed.
I’m hopeful that I’ll have the opportunity to interview Ram and Cummins for further details. In the interim, below is a quick summary from Andy about the 2025 Chicago Auto Show.
Robert Patton
TDR Staff
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW – RAM HD TRUCKS
The 2025 Chicago Auto Show opened on Saturday February 8th with a much smaller footprint than usual. Stellantis and Ford have the largest displays, each just over 60,000 square feet, and both with simulated off-road obstacle courses where you can get rides in Jeeps and Broncos. Jeep has been doing this for many years now, and apparently it is very popular with attendees. It is difficult to say how much floor space General Motors has since they split up their brands these days. The Chevrolet exhibit is rather large, though the vehicles are widely spaced. Cadillac is small, and the Buick/GMC area looks to have been put together by local dealers. Some European luxury brands are not-so-conspicuously absent. That’s been going on for a while. Editor’s Note: Our last coverage of an auto show was in February 2023, Issue 119, pages 74-75, “Ding Dong the Show is Dead – 2022 NAIAS Report.”
The Ram display was prominently featuring the 1500s, but bringing up the rear (literally along the back corner of the display) were five Heavy Duties you can paw over, all Turbo Diesels. There was also a Cummins display engine on a stand with a graphic informational video on some of its new features. Three of the HDs are 2500s, a Sport, a Rebel and a Limited. A 3500 Longhorn, and a 5500 cab and chassis with a flatbed round out the selection. Next to the trucks is a larger-than-usual display of Mopar accessories and custom upholstery options. These are mostly skewed to the 1500 crowd, but there are some items for Heavy Duty. Tucked along the wall behind the Heavy Duty lineup is the thing they are most proud of this week, the bare display chassis of the upcoming Ramcharger hybrid/electric truck.
Ramcharger isn’t in showrooms until later this year, so the latest things to actually hit the streets – and obviously the focus of our enterprise here – are those 2025 Turbo Diesels tucked in the corner. Since I am the first of our crew to see the trucks, I gave them a thorough inspection to see what has changed for 2025. Then I had a chat with Ram PR guy Nick Cappa.
Simply put, we’re looking at the bones of the same truck. Cappa acknowledged this is an update/refresh and they are not pushing it as any more than that. Outside the truck, the biggest visual difference is the new LED lighting. This has been the subject of a lot debate since the first photos came out. I thought they looked pretty good in person.
There is not much to report inside, other than we’ve gone all column shifter, all the time. What you don’t really see is the change to Atlantis electrical architecture, a la, the 2025 Ram 1500, which means increased connectivity and the availability of advanced driving aids.
The most significant are changes to the engine, which are mainly targeting emissions and efficiency. Cappa also pointed out that with the new 8-speed transmission, they were able to drop the 4.10 axle and have max towing with the 3.42, which should save some fuel. So, that’s something.
The media preview was light on news. Stellantis with Jeep was one of the few (namely two) brands to do a formal press conference/product reveal. There were some vehicle walkarounds, panel discussions, and award presentations to round out the day. It’s sad to see the manufacturers pulling their support of these events. Clearly they are finding other (and probably cheaper) ways to make news and sell cars. We’ll get more into this in the next magazine.
- Andy Mikonis
Did you miss parts I – IV ?
No worries, hit the link to the to the Part IV report. LINK TO PART IV
In that report we confirm that the original speculation by “Mister X” during the initial 12/5/24 interview at the Truck Show podcast was 100% correct.
So, what is the latest news? First, we still don’t know the identity of “Mr. X” and I’m beginning to wonder if he was not a part of an early product preview. Or second thought, the folks at Ram and Cummins were bothered by the speculation. So, no, it’s doubtful he was part of their plan.
Regardless of the “Mr. X” backstory, the auto show circuit always stops in Chicago in early February. Ram was at the show and TDR writer Andy Mikonis noted the 2025 Cummins 6.7 liter engine display and he forwarded these two photographs of the engine.
Check the photographs closely. Also, check the “Mister X” report in our Part IV correspondence.
You can clearly see the new cylinder head with the provisions for the glow plugs; the dual fuel filters, the easy-to-access oil filter canister; the revised turbocharger (the exhaust brake is still an integrated part of the turbo); external injectors are easier to service; and the block is, again, cast iron. Not so obvious: larger EGR cooler and the cylinder head continues to use roller-followers with hydraulic valve lash adjusters.
Oops, Andy reports “DPF heating for cold start emissions” that Mister X mentioned in the podcast is not accomplished with a heater element, rather diesel fuel is injected into the exhaust for the diesel oxidization catalyst to “light off” as needed.
I’m hopeful that I’ll have the opportunity to interview Ram and Cummins for further details. In the interim, below is a quick summary from Andy about the 2025 Chicago Auto Show.
Robert Patton
TDR Staff
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW – RAM HD TRUCKS
The 2025 Chicago Auto Show opened on Saturday February 8th with a much smaller footprint than usual. Stellantis and Ford have the largest displays, each just over 60,000 square feet, and both with simulated off-road obstacle courses where you can get rides in Jeeps and Broncos. Jeep has been doing this for many years now, and apparently it is very popular with attendees. It is difficult to say how much floor space General Motors has since they split up their brands these days. The Chevrolet exhibit is rather large, though the vehicles are widely spaced. Cadillac is small, and the Buick/GMC area looks to have been put together by local dealers. Some European luxury brands are not-so-conspicuously absent. That’s been going on for a while. Editor’s Note: Our last coverage of an auto show was in February 2023, Issue 119, pages 74-75, “Ding Dong the Show is Dead – 2022 NAIAS Report.”
The Ram display was prominently featuring the 1500s, but bringing up the rear (literally along the back corner of the display) were five Heavy Duties you can paw over, all Turbo Diesels. There was also a Cummins display engine on a stand with a graphic informational video on some of its new features. Three of the HDs are 2500s, a Sport, a Rebel and a Limited. A 3500 Longhorn, and a 5500 cab and chassis with a flatbed round out the selection. Next to the trucks is a larger-than-usual display of Mopar accessories and custom upholstery options. These are mostly skewed to the 1500 crowd, but there are some items for Heavy Duty. Tucked along the wall behind the Heavy Duty lineup is the thing they are most proud of this week, the bare display chassis of the upcoming Ramcharger hybrid/electric truck.
Ramcharger isn’t in showrooms until later this year, so the latest things to actually hit the streets – and obviously the focus of our enterprise here – are those 2025 Turbo Diesels tucked in the corner. Since I am the first of our crew to see the trucks, I gave them a thorough inspection to see what has changed for 2025. Then I had a chat with Ram PR guy Nick Cappa.
Simply put, we’re looking at the bones of the same truck. Cappa acknowledged this is an update/refresh and they are not pushing it as any more than that. Outside the truck, the biggest visual difference is the new LED lighting. This has been the subject of a lot debate since the first photos came out. I thought they looked pretty good in person.
There is not much to report inside, other than we’ve gone all column shifter, all the time. What you don’t really see is the change to Atlantis electrical architecture, a la, the 2025 Ram 1500, which means increased connectivity and the availability of advanced driving aids.
The most significant are changes to the engine, which are mainly targeting emissions and efficiency. Cappa also pointed out that with the new 8-speed transmission, they were able to drop the 4.10 axle and have max towing with the 3.42, which should save some fuel. So, that’s something.
The media preview was light on news. Stellantis with Jeep was one of the few (namely two) brands to do a formal press conference/product reveal. There were some vehicle walkarounds, panel discussions, and award presentations to round out the day. It’s sad to see the manufacturers pulling their support of these events. Clearly they are finding other (and probably cheaper) ways to make news and sell cars. We’ll get more into this in the next magazine.
- Andy Mikonis
