4 Pickup Trucks Powered By A Cummins Diesel Engine

Cummins is one of the automotive industry's most powerful and respected brand names. The Columbus-based behemoth has been in the diesel engine business since 1919 when it was founded as Cummins Engine Company by Clessie Cummins. In its 100-plus years of existence, the company has had many defining moments, and collaborated with several companies. But perhaps its relationship with Ram is the favorite partnership story in Cummins' rich history. 

In the 1980s, consumers' love affair with Chrysler's heavy-duty pickup truck line began to wane, due in part to a dated design that goes as far back as 1972. The decision to drop the 440 cubic-inch big-block V8 engine option and crew cab configurations also didn't help, as it prompted consumers to snub the brand in favor of more compelling options from Ford and General Motors. 

In order to fend off the competition and revive interest in its trucks, Ram parent firm teamed up with Cummins as part of a long-term partnership that will see the latter supply diesel engines for Ram trucks starting from 1989. Today, that collaboration is still going strong and has resulted in the production of millions Cummins-powered Ram trucks. But the Cummins has also powered other trucks apart from Ram's. Here's a look at the various Cummins-powered pickups and the engine you'll find on each.

The Ram 2500 is the first Cummins diesel-powered production pickup truck. The pickup has featured a Cummins diesel engine since the original 160-hp, 5.9L Cummins B-series turbo diesel powered it back in 1989 and continues to do so today in the form of the current 6.7L Cummins turbo diesel, which was introduced in January 2007. For 2025, the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline-six is available as an option for those who might want more towing muscles than the standard 405-hp, 429 lb-ft HEMI V8 provides. 

Performance wise, the oil burner has been heavily revised as part of a major overhaul for 2025, and now makes up to 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear or all four wheels via a column-shifted TorqueFlite HD eight-speed transmission. That's 60 more hp and 225 extra pounds of torque over the previous 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline-six, which generated 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque. The redesigned 2025 heavy-duty truck has got a decent turn of pace, too, with Stellantis citing a 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds for the redesigned 2025 Ram 2500 versus 8.0 seconds for the 2024 model. 

The updated, high-output turbodiesel is optional on nearly all 2025 Ram 2500 HD trims, including the Tradesman, Big Horn and Lone Star, Rebel, Laramie, Limited Longhorn, as well as the Limited. That leaves the off-road-oriented Ram 2500 Power Wagon as the only Ram 2500 HD trim without a Cummins diesel engine option. When appropriately equipped, a Cummins diesel-powered 2025 Ram 2500 HD pickup can tow up to 20,000 pounds.  

The Ram 3500 HD is another tough pickup truck that has now been powered by Cummins diesel engines for decades. Similar to the Ram 2500 above, current-generation 3500 HD models are also available with the same 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline-six, which translates to 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque, up from last year. In addition to the power bump, the updated engine brings a comprehensive list of changes designed to make for an even better oil burner. 

Chief among them is an all-new glow plug technology that's meant to improve cold-start management, along with revised engine block and head, a new turbo, new performance intake manifold, a higher-pressure fuel system, as well as larger intake and exhaust valves. As for its capability, Stellantis claims the Ram 3500 HD can tow a maximum of 23,000 pounds on a conventional hitch, or up to 36,610 pounds with a gooseneck hitch. 

The short-lived Nissan Titan XD is the Cummins diesel-powered pickup truck that never measured up. It came as a result of a Nissan-Cummins collaboration that began with a research partnership in 2010. Sadly, all those years of extensive research amounted to very little when it comes to the Titan XD, as despite immense media hype, it failed to deliver what was promised.  

The engine in question is a 5.0-liter turbo diesel V8 that generated 310 horses and 555 lb-ft of torque. That output was enough to enable it to tow up to 12,314 pounds when appropriately equipped. By comparison, the gas-powered Titan XD was rated to tow a maximum of 11,000 pounds. Now, those numbers mean that the Titan XD diesel was barely better than the 5.6-liter gasoline V8, which generated 390 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, which left many disappointed. 

Beyond its 'unexciting' performance and capability, the Nissan Titan XD Diesel was blighted by problems, with its list of faults including a malfunctioning fuel system, failing turbocharger, weak EGR valve and cooler, and transmission flaws. Because of these issues and shortcomings, the Nissan Titan XD Diesel failed to hit home with truck buyers, and its three-year run ended in 2019. 

For a brand so famous for its Power Stroke diesel engines, not many would expect Ford to use Cummins diesel engines in its trucks. However, the Ford F-650 and F-750 did actually use Cummins diesel engines between 1992 and 2015. The engines in question are the Cummins 5.9-liter B-series — yes, the very same engine found on the Ram heavy-duty trucks. 

At the time, Ford was collaborating with Cummins and Navistar to build the Ford F-650 and F-750 in Escobedo, Mexico. So there's a high chance the existing partnership, and the fact that Ford had a 10.8% stake in Cummins back in the '90s, made the process all smoother. After Cummins launched the 6.7-liter diesel inline-six in 2007, Ford again offered the venerable oil burner on the F-650 and F-750, where it made lots of power and torque. Beneath the hood of the F650, for example, the ISB 6.7L Cummins diesel engine produced up to 325 horsepower and 800 lb-ft of torque.