The Cummins Power Wagon Finally Exists. Testers Love the Engine and Miss the Winch

To fit a Cummins into the Ram Power Wagon, Ram had to take the winch out. That one trade is the whole story of the 2027 diesel Power Wagon, and it is why the first reviews read so differently depending on what the writer wanted the truck to do.

Power Wagon owners have asked for the 6.7-liter diesel for about as long as the truck has existed. The Drive's Byron Hurd explains why it never happened: the engine fit, but with the standard winch in the bumper there was no way to cool it. Ram finally chose the engine. The Drive and Motor1 published first drives on Aug. 25, and Pickup Truck + SUV Talk followed on Sept. 24 with a real towing test. TORQFOLIO has not driven it. Here is what they found.

What you get, and what you give up

The engine is Ram's high-output 6.7-liter Cummins inline-six, rated at 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft and paired with the TorqueFlite HD eight-speed automatic. Hurd lists a 3.42:1 axle ratio and a GVWR of more than 11,000 pounds. Max towing is 19,630 pounds, which Hurd notes is a touch below the top 2500 rating, and Motor1's Jeff Glucker lists 2,930 pounds of payload. The Power Wagon hardware stays: front and rear lockers, an electronically disconnecting front sway bar, Bilstein shocks, skid plates and roughly 34-inch tires.

Glucker laid out the cost in hardware. The diesel loses the factory winch and the Articulink front control arms that give the gas truck more front-axle freedom. It rides on 20-inch wheels instead of 17s. Ground clearance drops from 14.2 to 13.2 inches, approach angle gets 3.4 degrees worse, and breakover gets 0.6 degrees worse, though departure stays at 26 degrees. He also put a price on it: the gas Power Wagon starts just over $76,000, and the Cummins adds $12,995.

Where they agree: the engine is a gem

Hurd drove two prototypes, one in late June and a more complete one in July, and his conclusion was simple. "The engine is an absolute gem in this configuration," he wrote in The Drive. He found it perfectly happy idling from light to light and said a full-throttle request puts all 1,075 lb-ft in the small of your back. His only complaint was the lack of Hemi bark.

Glucker agreed on the drivetrain. He called the truck downright spry around town, guessed it would run 0 to 60 in the mid six-second range, and said the eight-speed shifts smoothly and at low rpm. Both also liked how the truck stops. Hurd called it confidently over-braked, and Glucker said the big brakes haul it down without drama.

Glucker also spent time on the cabin, which he still rates best in class for trucks. A 12-inch center screen is standard, and the Level 2 Equipment Group brings the larger portrait screen, dual wireless chargers, leather, heated and ventilated front seats, power-folding mirrors and a 17-speaker Harman Kardon system. He found the suspension and tires comfortable on the road and said the truck does not bounce around whether it is loaded or empty.

The real test: a 30-foot camper

Tim Esterdahl of Pickup Truck + SUV Talk did what owners will actually do. He hitched a 30-foot Coleman travel trailer that weighs 5,290 pounds dry and closer to 7,000 pounds with water and gear, and drove 239.8 miles through Nebraska and Wyoming. The truck never felt challenged, he wrote. It was stable at highway speed, did not hunt for gears on climbs, and on descents the exhaust brake with the transmission's gear limiter held speed without much brake pedal. He saw 9.9 mpg for the trip.

He also found the rough edges. The Uconnect system froze and needed a hard reset, the built-in navigation was slow, and the turbo and exhaust packaging intrude into the front passenger footwell. His truck stickered around $103,000.

Where they split: is it still a Power Wagon?

This is the disagreement that matters. Glucker asked whether the diesel is still a real Power Wagon or a Ram Rebel Plus, and his answer leaned toward the second. He disliked the steering, which he found extremely light and lazy for a one-ton truck, and he ended on a blunt line: "It's just a shame it feels 95 percent finished." He does think the aftermarket can probably solve the winch problem with a new front bumper.

Hurd and Esterdahl came at it from the towing side and were far happier. Hurd said the truck rides beautifully for something this capable and hides its size well. Esterdahl concluded that the Cummins makes the Power Wagon far more versatile, with the missing winch as the one meaningful distinction, and said the deciding question is whether that versatility is worth the six-figure sticker.

TORQFOLIO's read

The reviews line up neatly once you sort buyers into two groups. If your Power Wagon will pull a camper, a toy hauler or a race car trailer over mountain passes and then go down a fire road at the other end, the Cummins is the one, and every tester agreed the engine is excellent at that job. If your truck lives on trails where the winch and front articulation matter, the Hemi Power Wagon still has hardware the diesel does not, and Motor1's numbers show it.

Either way, plan for a bumper. Diesel buyers who wheel will want a winch back, and the testers expect the aftermarket to deliver it. That makes the diesel Power Wagon a good starting point for an overland or tow rig build, as long as you budget for the parts Ram had to leave off.