2025 Ram 1500 Pickup Is a Hurricane-Powered Evolution

• The 2025 Ram 1500 ends its time with the third-generation Hemi powerplant and replaces it with two versions of a turbocharged 3.0-liter I6.
  

• The new truck adds another luxury trim dubbed Tungsten that elevates Ram’s luxury endeavors over the current top-tier Limited package.

• The 2025 full-size Ram starts at $42,270 for the Tradesman model and climbs to $89,150 for the top-flight Tungsten-badged truck.

The 2025 Ram is almost here, and for the first time in two decades, the Hemi is not. The upcoming ’25 Ram 1500 has dumped the Hemi V8 and slotted the 3.0-liter Hurricane I6 in its place.

This underhood shakeup joins the additional Tungsten trim as the two defining features of the upcoming Ram rig. Of course, there are plenty of other upgrades that make the quality of life better for Ram buyers from the bottom-rung Tradesman to a loaded Tungsten-badged truck.

Though, we should probably start with the engine lineup. The base powertrain in the Tradesman is still a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that sends 305 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission and carries the 48-volt mild-hybrid system on the front of the engine. This carries over from the current Ram, and if you’re a fan of the mild-hybrid Pentastar, you can now rest easy.

Moving away from the Pentastar, you’re going to find the separation from the current Ram trucks. The optional 5.7-liter and 6.2-liter Hemi V8s are gone. In their respective places are two forms of the turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline six-cylinder engine. Offered with two outputs, both Hurricane options share the same basic architecture.

Both engines feature a pair of turbochargers, aluminum closed-deck blocks, and sprayed-in cylinder liners. Standard output 3.0-liter Hurricane engines send 420 hp and 469 lb-ft through an eight-speed transmission. The high-output Hurricane cranks output to 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque.

Even though both engines share the same basic architecture, the standard Hurricane opts for a higher static compression ratio than the high-output version, but with lower boost pressure. The high-output Hurricane drops the static compression ratio to 9.4:1 and swaps in a set of forged aluminum pistons to better manage the bump in boost pressure that nets it more oomph.

This is all fine and good, but you’re probably wondering how it stacks up against the Hemi. Well, on paper it’s better. The 5.7-liter Hemi with the 48-volt mild hybrid system sent 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque through the same basic eight-speed transmission. The Hurricane hasn’t reached Hellcat heights, yet, but with time there will probably be some absurd numbers from this I6.

Spec sheets and bragging rights are nice, but this truck will exist on the road. The extra power from the standard Hurricane is welcome, and its peak torque hits nearly 500 rpm lower than the basic Hemi.

Despite the turbochargers, the Hurricane offers a quick throttle response, which becomes borderline aggressive when swapped into sport mode. If you accidentally throw too much throttle at the ’25 Ram when entering a corner with the standard Hurricane, you’ll have no problem chirping a tire.

The high-output Hurricane’s extra power is also welcome, but not necessary for just cruising around. Overall, the Hurricane is a smooth, quiet, and refined replacement for the raucous Hemi. Though, for some, that might not exactly be praise.

In fact, this quiet refinement is felt virtually across the Ram lineup. Outside of the Ram Rebel’s tire growl and the whisper of wind from towing mirrors, the entire swath of Ram 1500 trucks does a great job managing wind and road noise.

That might not be important if you’ve been running a jackhammer without any hearing protection, but after a long day of work, it can be nice to drive home in a quiet cabin. Even the entry-level Tradesman feels worthy of its hefty price tag.

Unsurprisingly, the uplevel Ram rigs are, well, more luxurious. The Ram Limited and Tungsten sit atop the hierarchy of expensive trucks, with plenty of quality-of-life features that probably weren’t even considered inside trucks 30 years ago.

Ram is offering its aptly named Hands-free Driving Assist, which helps move Ram into the conversation with Ford’s BlueCruise-equipped F-150s and General Motors’ Super Cruise Equipped Silverado and Sierra trucks.

There’s a set of seat massagers for the driver and front passenger, a massive 14.5-inch Uconnect screen, and an adjustable air suspension to give you as much modern comfort as possible from a pickup truck.

That air suspension works with effectively the same suspension design as the current Ram truck. Controlling the rear stick axle is a five-link suspension. Controlling the front wheels are two pairs of control arms.

The air suspension isn’t available on the Tradesmen trucks but is optional up until the Limited, Limited Longhorn, and Tungsten trims, where it becomes standard issue. The air suspension is quick to adjust the truck’s ride height, which is nice on Ram Rebel models to give you a little more ground clearance to help clear any obstacles that the 33-inch Goodyear Wrangles couldn’t handle.

That said, the air suspension is tuned to be on the firmer side unladen. While it’s still comfortable, it’s not the Rolls-Royce or Mercedes-Maybach level of ride control—you are still in a truck, after all.

Air and steel springs aside, the entire Ram lineup does a great job with effortless driving. The steering is light but has enough resistance to let you know that you’re still driving.

There’s expected body roll and brake dive when pushing a truck perhaps beyond the laws of physics. The brake pedal is easy to modulate and control. Though, the standard adaptive cruise control will save you some foot work.

For those curious, here’s how the pricing shakes out. The Ram 1500 starts out in Tradesman trim for $42,270, Big Horn starts at 46,930, and Rebel starts at $66,190. From there, the Limited kicks off at $77,150, and the Tungsten starts at $89,150.

Now it’s worth noting that those are starting prices. Yours truly spent time behind the wheel of a Tradesman that carried a $57,530 sticker price. Albeit, that Tradesman truck packed the optional standard output Hurricane, a towing package, and the Tradesman level 1 package.

All in all, this Ram is an interesting experiment for the brand. The content for each truck is up across the board, but so is the price. The elephant in the room will be the lack of the Hemi under the hood. How will Ram shoppers respond? We will find out soon, as Ram projects these trucks to start hitting dealer lots before the end of March.

Do you think the Hurricane I6 will be well received among Ram shoppers? Tell us your thoughts below.