Why Ram Never Built A Diesel Power Wagon...Until Now

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For as long as I can remember covering Ram Trucks, one question kept popping up from enthusiasts: when are we getting a diesel Power Wagon? It’s one of those ideas that just makes sense—pair the legendary off-road capability of the Power Wagon with the brute torque of the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel I6 High-Output (H/O) engine.

But like most things in the automotive world, it wasn’t that simple.

Back in December 2025, I had the chance to hear directly from Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis about why this combination took so long—and why it finally made sense to bring it to market now.

Kuniskis didn’t sugarcoat it.

Ram Power Wagon Diesel

RM027_024TF.jpg
 
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Docwagon1776

Docwagon1776

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Ram thinks we're stupid. Ford figured out the winch and intercooler years ago, it's not a technological marvel. It just requires a few bucks to redesign some parts. They cheaped out again and went with off the shelf only.

The diesel is too heavy for the PW suspension, but now they have the Rebel pretending to be a PW so that problem is solved. It costs them nothing to offer it, but it's marketing only.
 
Docwagon1776

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04fxdwgi said:
Hmm. Interesting.

Never built a diesel power wagon??

I had a "Dodge" W200 Power Wagon w/ a cummins.
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Diesel swaps were reasonably common, but I don't think that was ever a factory option, at least in a civilian truck. If it was, it was rare AF.
 
04fxdwgi

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Docwagon1776 said:
Diesel swaps were reasonably common, but I don't think that was ever a factory option, at least in a civilian truck. If it was, it was rare AF.
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Perhaps it was a swap. I basically grabbed it to plow snow with and I got it cheap, knowing they had a rep for blowing up the trans and they had an early death from early onset terminal cancer....

I wasn't really versed on Dodge trucks back then, as I usually had Fords.
 
mikeru

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Maybe it's just me but if I'm buying a Power Wagon and intend to use it off road, I would definitely want it to have a winch. I also hate the new grille :anitoof:
 
tron67j

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I wanted a PW back when I bought my 2500 but couldn't stomach the massive loss of payload and resultant reduced towing capacity. Now see the PW has up to 3k of PC, why couldn't they do this with the 6.4 back when!
 
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tron67j said:
I wanted a PW back when I bought my 2500 but couldn't stomach the massive loss of payload and resultant reduced towing capacity. Now see the PW has up to 3k of PC, why couldn't they do this with the 6.4 back when!
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Because the Rebel disguised as a PW doesn't have the same flexy suspension that makes a PW a PW.
 
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Fatbob Frank

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Bad Tiki said:
Frank, what model bush guard is that, did you move to mod anything to fit it?
Can’t seem to find one for the PW (2020) Thanks
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It's a Westin HDX
The dealer installed it at purchase.
I believe they had to remove the tow hooks and re-fab the mounting brackets to allow for the winch on the Powerwagon.
 
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