2025 Ram 1500 Warlock Review and Test Drive

Loads of capability without all of the extras

James Riswick | 

Feb 10, 2025 | 7 min read

James Riswick

Not so long ago, full-size truck lineups would offer one off-road-focused model. Today, as off-road capability and the accompanying rugged looks are popular with consumers, truckmakers are offering multiple off-road models and packages at different price points to make them accessible to more customers.

The 2025 Ram 1500 Warlock is the company's new entry-level off-roader, slotting below the Rebel and RHO in the 1500 lineup. It’s technically a base Tradesman featuring off-road-oriented kit from the Rebel.

Including the new Warlock, the 2025 Ram 1500 is available in 10 trim levels, and prices range from the low $40,000s to the high $80,000s. Those values include the destination charge to ship the truck to your dealer from the Sterling Heights, Michigan, factory.

For this Ram 1500 Warlock review, I tested a truck equipped with the Bed Utility Group and a trifold tonneau cover that increased its versatility. It also had the optional 3.92 axle ratio, which is standard on the Rebel. The manufacturer's suggested retail price was $57,945, including the $1,995 destination charge. Ram provided the vehicle for this review.

James Riswick

Is the 2025 Ram 1500 Warlock a Good Truck?

I think the Warlock is a terrific truck, and proves that you don't need to get one of the high-priced versions to find satisfaction. Ram's new turbocharged six-cylinder engine is smooth, quiet, and powerful. Though the Warlock's all-terrain tires are noisy, I found the ride and handling excellent. But its relatively limited off-roading equipment still easily handled the trail I threw at it, and despite its cloth seats and smaller touchscreen, its cabin impressed me .

James Riswick

What's Different About the 2025 Ram 1500 Warlock?

The range-topping 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten and performance-oriented Ram RHO have a high-output turbo-six engine and are, philosophically, almost the opposite of the Warlock. My tester was equipped similarly to the base Ram Tradesman but comes exclusively with a six-passenger crew cab and the standard-output turbo six.

Warlocks have four-way manually adjustable seats, cloth upholstery, an unwrapped steering wheel, and lots of hard plastic. The only infotainment system is the base 8.4-inch touchscreen unit. In comparison, the Ram Rebel off-roader is more luxurious and comes standard with five seats.

Although the Warlock's creature comforts might not match those of the Rebel, it includes many of the same off-roading enhancements, including Bilstein shocks, all-terrain tires, skid plates, and an electronic locking differential. However, it features part-time four-wheel-drive (4WD) as opposed to the Rebel's on-demand system.

James Riswick

Testing a Less-Fancy Ram 1500

This test truck allowed me to try out the new Warlock and evaluate the standard-output version of Ram's new Hurricane turbocharged six-cylinder.

The new inline-six produces 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque, substantially more than the old Hemi, which managed only 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. Rams equipped with the Hurricane High-Output engine produce 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft. Though the Warlock lacks the high-output engine, it feels remarkably quick without the extra horsepower and torque, and its acceleration surprised me as I gunned the truck onto the highway for the first time.

Moreover, the Hurricane feels incredibly smooth and quiet. While it doesn't have the old Hemi roar, wouldn't you rather have more thrust than noise? I know I would. Ford introduced turbocharged sixes in the F-150 long ago, and I think its trucks are better for it. So is the Ram 1500.

The Warlock's EPA-estimated fuel economy is 17/24/19 mpg in city/highway/combined driving, but that's a baseline figure that doesn't account for options. Remember, the Warlock is technically an option package for the Tradesman, and therefore, so are its all-terrain tires. With that in mind, it's not surprising I didn't match the EPA numbers, especially as I was also testing during Southern California's recent historic windstorms. Over 271 miles of driving, much of it on the highway, I got 16.7 mpg.

James Riswick

The interior is the other area that dramatically differs from many versions of the Ram. For starters, six people can ride, thanks to the split-front bench seat. The middle section is mounted high, so you'll have to be short to have enough headroom and deal with your feet being on the transmission hump. Luckily, my wife is 5 feet tall. She was OK sitting there, though when I slid the driver seat forward from my usual way-back position, our shoulders touched with every steering input.

As for the driver seat, it lacks height adjustment, and Ram doesn't offer a power-adjustment upgrade for the Warlock. Therefore, my wife would've struggled to drive this truck. Another downside to the six-passenger setup is that the rear air vents are much lower to the floor, limiting their effectiveness.

On the upside, the gray cloth upholstery looks and feels like a premium material. I also appreciated the comfy armrest with the front middle seatback section folded down, the hidden storage bin below the seat bottom, and the pull-out dashboard drawer. In the Warlock, you certainly don't get the same Swiss Army knife versatility of the five-passenger Ram's center console, but it's still plenty useful.

James Riswick

Ram introduced two new infotainment systems for 2025: an upgraded 12.0-inch unit and a new 14.5-inch vertically oriented setup that can pair with a 10.3-inch front passenger screen. The Warlock doesn't have either of those.

Instead, it has an 8.4-inch touchscreen. It may be smaller than those jumbo displays, but its graphics and UConnect 5 interface are totally modern. I feel the native elements — such as the radio and vehicle controls — are well organized and easy to use, while wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work as they should. I can't say I missed the fancier infotainment systems, although I did have to keep reminding myself of the manual climate controls.

James Riswick

Testing the Warlock's Off-Road Wizardry

Although new to the current-generation Ram 1500 lineup, the Warlock was available as an off-road package on the Ram 1500 Classic through 2024. The Classic was the previous-generation Ram truck that the truckmaker sold concurrently with the current-generation model until this year. Though the Classic is dead and gone, the modestly equipped, off-road-oriented Warlock lives on, now applied to the updated-for-2025 Ram 1500.

With that out of the way, what exactly do you get? Like the Ram 1500 Rebel slotted above it, this Ram gives you an extra inch of ground clearance, Bilstein front and rear shocks, an electronic locking differential, skid plates, and LT275/70R18 white-lettered all-terrain tires. Most exterior trim pieces, including the grille, are painted black, as are the aluminum wheels. Warlocks also have part-time 4WD instead of the Rebel's automatic 4WD.

It's worth noting that the Warlock doesn't get the Rebel's new Rough Road Cruise Control, which lets the truck handle all the accelerator and braking work for you. The Rebel's optional air suspension is also missing in action, and unlike many off-roaders, the Warlock lacks hill-descent control and terrain-specific driving modes.

James Riswick

In short, the 2025 Ram Warlock is refreshingly simple. If you're a veteran off-roader, it's a good bet this is really all you'll need. After turning onto an off-road trail, I simply pressed the 4WD button. I steered the Warlock up a steep dirt grade, and it clawed its way up without breaking a sweat. I came down the same grade with good old-fashioned hill-descent control using the easily modulated brake pedal.

On a stretch of gnarly gullies you wouldn't want to tackle in a crossover, I popped the Warlock into 4Lo and inched my way forward to test the truck's wheel articulation and grip. Again, no problems. I guarantee it looked far more dramatic outside than it felt inside. Honestly, I wouldn't dare tackle tougher terrain than this without a spotter or winch-equipped second vehicle.

On the pavement, the all-terrain tires add extra road noise, but I found the steering precise and its effort levels consistent. The Warlock wasn't a chore to drive in parking lots or on the winding mountain road to the off-road trail. Extra noise aside, this is still a comfortable, composed, and pleasant truck to drive.

As it turns out, the 2025 Ram 1500 is still a great truck without quilted leather, three giant dashboard screens, and a $90,000 price tag. The Warlock's basic cabin is perfectly comfortable and versatile, with in-cab tech that gives up little but screen size to its fancier Ram siblings. Plus, I think the Warlock's off-road capability should be sufficient for most people while looking pretty cool on the trail.

James Riswick

James Riswick has been testing cars and writing about them for more than 20 years. He was the senior reviews editor for Autoblog and previously served multiple editor roles at Edmunds. He has also contributed to Autotrader, Car and Driver, Hagerty, J.D. Power, and Autoguide Magazine. He has been interested in cars forever; his mom took him to the Toronto Auto Show when he was 18 months old and he has attended at least one every year since (OK, except in 2020). When he's not testing the latest cars, he has a babied 1998 BMW Z3 in James Bond blue, a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon, and a 2023 Kia Niro EV.