Ram Trucks Australia has revealed the Hemi V8 engine is set to return to its line-up in a new 2500 Warlock model, with deliveries beginning from next month. Pricing starts at $157,950 plus on-road costs for the new model, which features off-road equipment such as Bilstein shocks, 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres and black-themed off-road styling.

The last Hemi V8 Ram – a 5.7-litre 1500 – was locally remanufactured in December 2024 before the ‘Hurricane’ twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six engine was made standard in 1500 variants, with the Cummins 6.7-litre diesel continuing for 2500 and 3500 variants.

Gray Ram heavy-duty pickup on a dirt hill with distant mountains in the background.
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The Hemi V8 engine in the 2500 Warlock is a larger 6.4-litre unit, this time making 306kW of power and 582Nm of torque. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and a part-time four-wheel drive system with 2WD high, 4WD high and 4WD low modes.

With the Hemi V8, the Warlock offers buyers a 10,001kg gross combination mass (GCM), which is 2750kg less than the 2500 equipped with the Cummins diesel engine. Still, its braked towing capacity (with a genuine ‘goose neck’ accessory and air brakes) increases to 6700kg, or up to 4500kg with a 70mm tow ball. Its total payload is 1275kg, and for off-road capability, its approach, departure and rampover angles are 22.9, 25.8 and 22 degrees respectively.

In addition to the Hemi, the Warlock adds a number of off-road-themed features to the Ram 2500 range, including black styling for the front fascia, fender flares, side steps and mirror scalps, as well as Warlock decals, 20-inch alloy wheels (up from 18 inches in the Laramie) with all-terrain tyres and Bilstein off-road shock absorbers.

That’s on top of its other standard features, including automatic LED headlights, a six-seat layout, cloth seat upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 12-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, speed sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assistance, driver fatigue monitoring, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Interior of a RAM pickup showing a tall vertical touchscreen infotainment system, steering wheel, and digital instrument cluster with a desert landscape outside the windshield.
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“Australian customers told us loud and clear they wanted the Hemi V8 to come back, and the Warlock was our first opportunity to do so,” said Ram Trucks Australia general manager Jeff Barber.

“We had also been exploring the option of an off-road inspired Ram 2500 Heavy Duty model for some time, so the Warlock was the perfect opportunity to bring the Hemi V8 back and deliver customers a broader choice.

The first units of the Ram 2500 Warlock rolled off the production line in Melbourne earlier this month and will make their way to dealers from October.