The 2025 Ram 1500 Ditches V8s, Adds Turbos and New Tech

• The Ram 1500 ditches its 5.7-liter Hemi.
• In its place will be a new twin-turbo I6 dubbed the Hurricane.
• There's also some new trims, new tech and even more screens.

What's under the Ram 1500's hood?

Gone from the Ram 1500 lineup is the stalwart V8. As in, entirely. Not a single Ram 1500 will be powered by an eight-cylinder engine from the 2025 model year onward. But that's not neccesarily a bad thing. The 5.7-liter Hemi found under the hood of the current 1500 is ages old, with a gruff power delivery and clunky engagement. It also doesn't make sufficient power compared to its rivals. That's what Ram is aiming to fix with the V8's replacement, the automaker's new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine named the Hurricane.

The new I6 will come in two power outputs. The standard version produces 420 horsepower and 469 lb-ft of torque, while High Output versions will make 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque. For context, the 5.7-liter V8 in the current 1500 makes just 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, making even the entry-level I6 more potent. It's worth noting that the TRX — the most powerful production pickup ever made as of this writing — will be discontinued after 2024 and will be replaced with a new 1500 called RHO. Details are slim for now, but this new trim will effectively replace the TRX as the brand's most capable sport pickup and will use the 540-hp variant of the I6.

How's the Ram 1500's interior?

Because this is just a refresh, the inside of the 1500 hasn't changed too much; the general layout of the interior is very similar to the pre-refresh 1500. But, just to make sure the 1500 is keeping up with the Joneses, there is a new (optional) 10.25-inch passenger screen on higher trims, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a larger center touchscreen display — up to 14.5 inches from the old Ram's 12 inches. A new row of permanent buttons on the touchscreen replaces a few functions that had dedicated physical controls (such as the height selection for models with the air suspension). The HVAC controls, however, still have both digitial and redundant physical buttons.

How's the Ram 1500's tech?

All the tech you'd expect of a modern pickup are present and accounted for in the 1500. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a vast number of USB ports (both A and C) are all standard, and a head-up display is optional. A number of optional driver aids like forward collision mitigation, lane departure mitigation, blind-spot warning, and a digital rearview mirror are all available for extra coin. The current Ram 1500 offered adaptive cruise control, but the 2025 model takes it one step further. Now available is what Ram is calling Hands-free Driving Assist, a Level 2+ semi-autonomous driving system. The system offers the capability of hands-off driving at freeway speeds and lane centering on approved roadways, though we don't know the extent of Ram's premapped roadways.

What are the Ram 1500's trims?

While detailed information on the 2025 Ram's trims isn't yet available, we do know that it will offer these trim levels: Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Rebel, Limited, Longhorn Limited and Tungsten.

The Tungsten model joins the Ram lineup as the new top-spec truck for 2025. It's aimed suqarely at people who want a truck that's more luxurious in nature (i.e., you won't be seeing these on job sites). The Tungsten offers a vast amount of leather — including on the window pillars and the headliner — a 23-speaker Klipsch audio system, dual wireless chargers and metal pedals. It also gets a new molded front bumper instead of a more traditional steel one. The Tungsten will easily be the most expensive truck in the 1500 lineup, but we'll have to wait a little while longer for pricing information for the 2025 Ram 1500. Expect to see these dot your local Ram dealership in the spring of 2024.

Edmunds says

All these small changes add up to some pretty big gains for the 2025 1500. We're intrigued to see how that new I6 performs — watch this space for more!