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Ram debuted its new 1500 earlier this year, largely binning the mini-Kenworth look in favor of a new styling direction. Now, we have spy photos of the upcoming 2500 truck, and it may very well retain some traditional Ram aggro styling.

Alert photographers caught up with what certainly appears to be a 2020 RAM 2500 HD Crew Cab, spied testing near FCA’s headquarters. The current heavy-duty Rams are capable trucks but are getting long in the tooth, having been on sale since 2010. A minor refresh in 2014 (lights, grille, and updated interior) brought it in line with its lighter-duty brother but the truck has been largely unchanged for nearly ten long years.

READ MORE: FCA Spends $300M Trying to Remedy Slow 2019 Ram 1500 Ramp Up

It is rumored the new HD trucks will kinda-sorta fall in line with the recently debuted 1500, permanently ditching the trademark crosshair grille, a hallmark of the truck since approximately the dawn of time. Exterior styling will likely run a parallel to the 1500, but in a more muscular fashion, as if a 1500 has been popping steroids and spending time at the gym.

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Close examination of the spy pictures indicates a grille that stands higher relative to the headlights than the 2019 Ram 1500, suggesting the brand’s big rig styling cues may be more pronounced on heavy-duty trucks than on their lighter brothers. Camouflage is tricky, but that sure looks like a Ram’s head logo atop the center of the grille, a styling touch not seen in ages. Eight-lug wheels are obvious, as are 18-inch Firestone 70-series light truck tires. No wimpy P-tires here.

Zooming in on the suspension reveals leaf springs. For an instant, your author thought he spied airbags but they turned out to simply be the corner of a fuel tank or some other underbody equipment. Towing mirrors and other trailering gear are all on board this test mule.

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Expect the HD’s interior to mimic the 1500 with great design and premium materials. Infotainment should start with the Uconnect 4, with or without navigation, on Tradesman models. Those moving up the ladder will undoubtedly find FCA’s 8.4-inch Uconnect on mid-level trucks. Given FCA’s investment don’t think for a minute the 1500 will keep the snazzy 12-inch Uconnect jumbotron all to itself.

Current power is derived from three different engines, starting with a 383 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with a compressed natural gas option in certain markets. A 410-horse 6.4L V8 is found in some models such as the tremendous Power Wagon. The inline-six 6.7L turbo diesel is available in three states of tune all the way up to 385 horsepower & 930 lb-ft of torque. A bet you can take to the bank? The diesel will get a power and torque increase when this new truck appears for 2020. Think it’ll be 1000lb.-ft?

The gasoline options are presently paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, while the three versions of 6.7L can be paired to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. There are fewer sights stranger than a decked out Laramie Longhorn with a baseball-bat gear lever sticking out of the floor. It is tremendous and I hope the option never goes away.

The next Ram HD is slated to move its production location from Saltillo, Mexico to Warren, Michigan. Expect an official debut sometime in 2019, perhaps at that year’s Detroit Auto Show with a teaser three months earlier at the State Fair of Texas.

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