As the death knell sounds for the eight-cylinder engine, another casualty has fallen in the astonishingly popular segment of full-size pickups.
It’s the end of the road for Hemi power in this half-ton truck, with a turbocharged straight six-cylinder taking its place beneath the bevelled hood of the 2025 Ram 1500. Call it a victim of its own success, with parent company Stellantis’s fleet emissions average in need of reduction in part because it sells so many pickups.
Some will surely mourn the loss, and rightly so; V8 power has long been synonymous with this truck and others like it. However, its replacement packs a serious punch to go with some memorable traits of its own.
Hurricane Force
While this straight-six is new to the Ram 1500, the so-called Hurricane engine already has a home under the hood of its corporate cousin and platform-mate, the Jeep Wagoneer. Displacement measures 3.0L, while the inversely mounted motor employs a pair of turbos to maximize output.
On that note, the standard version offers 420 hp and 468 lb-ft of torque, the latter of which kicks in at 3,500 rpm. Better still, the torque curve features a broader plateau than the naturally aspirated eight-cylinder of old. For the sake of comparison, that 5.7L spun up 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque – respectable, sure, but short of this new engine’s numbers.
If that’s not enough, there’s a high-output version with its boost dial cranked from 22 to 28 psi, with a monstrous 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque available as a result. While an explicit need for that much mechanical force is hard to justify, it certainly makes the Hemi a distant memory with the throttle pedal pressed to the floor. Sure, it might sound more BMW than brutish, but that certainly isn’t an insult.
Foregoing the fancy version is rewarding in its own right, with ample output to go with a sort of harmony the Hemi – as well as the Pentastar V6 that carries over this year as the base engine – has never been capable of. OK, some of the charm is missing, like the way the old engine rocked on its mounts with body-moving force with a poke of the gas pedal. Plus, that thing sounded special as the revs climbed.
But there’s a lot to like about this new motor, including how well-balanced and smooth it is. Of course, inline six-cylinders are notorious for exactly that, with the pistons rising and falling in perfect unison. But then there’s the way this one in particular plays nicely with the eight-speed automatic transmission it’s paired with, offering seamless shifts no matter how this truck is being driven. The new drivetrain is simply outstanding, with an impressive pairing of components that’s to be applauded.
Better Bottom to Top
This being a modern half-ton, there are about a billion ways the Ram 1500 can be ordered. (Fine, that’s a stretch, but the actual number is somewhere close to Porsche 911 territory.) While the rough and rugged Rebel trim remains a favourite of this humble author for its enhanced off-road abilities and cool styling, the sleeper pick for the lineup’s best is the entry-level Tradesman.
That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect pickup by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s simply so much here to like. For starters, there are more features – actual desirable ones – this time around, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. There’s also forward collision warning, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and the option to upgrade to the 3.0L engine, while four-wheel drive is standard in Canada.
Simply put, it’s no longer the contractor special it was before – not that contractors don’t deserve the good stuff, but the base truck isn’t nearly as compromised as it once was. Even without the air suspension that’s offered elsewhere in the lineup, ride quality is impressively composed and comfortable, while an SUV-like drivability makes the Ram 1500 easy to live with every day.
At the other end of the lineup is the new Tungsten trim that packs everything imaginable into this pickup, including massaging front seats and hands-free highway driving capability – two features previously missing from the Ram 1500 that its rivals already offered. There’s also a massive new 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, a dedicated passenger display, and a 23-speaker stereo, among other niceties. It’s also expensive, ringing in at nearly $109,000 before tax.
Landing somewhere in between is the Ram 1500 Rebel, a truck that looks pretty damn cool and can hold its own on the trail. Sure, the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 and its fancy magnetorheological dampers is a little more hardcore, but it’s not quite as mild-mannered during daily driving. And then there’s the adjustable air suspension here that can raise the truck a total of 50 mm (1.7 in) over the standard ride height for improved obstacle clearance. Oh, and it can be fitted with the bigger touchscreen (a 12-inch unit is standard), passenger-side screen, and a 19-speaker stereo, for those who want more tech in their trucks.
Final Thoughts
In short, it seems like there’s a version of this half-ton for everyone. That the V8’s dead – or dying – is a sign of the times, with the antiquated engine configuration incompatible with modern emissions standards. Switching to straight-six power in the 2025 Ram 1500 simply makes sense, not to mention makes this a better truck. The rest of the changes that make up this model-year update – the revised styling, extra screen real estate, and massaging seats, not to mention the hands-free driving assistance – help this half-ton keep up with the competition, but the new engine puts the Ram 1500 firmly in front of it.
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