Not to be outdone by Ford’s recently updated 2024 F-150, Stellantis has taken the wraps off the upcoming 2025 Ram 1500. At a private media preview last week, Ram brand CEO Tim Kuniskis and his design teams revealed a reshaped Ram 1500 lineup headlined by the electric Ram 1500 REV and series hybrid Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Both are major milestones for the brand, but the gas-powered Ram 1500s will also see big changes for 2025, including becoming the first domestic full-size pickup to ditch V8 engines.
After 21 years of service, the old 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and its larger derivatives will be replaced by new versions of Stellantis’ Hurricane-family inline-six. When the trucks go on sale in early 2024 they’ll be the first full-size haulers from Ram (née Dodge) with no V8 option since 1953. While some will miss the Hemi, the turbocharged Hurricane has more power and torque while being cleaner and considerably more fuel-efficient. China Wholesale Wall Door Stop
While the Hurricanes are the big news for the gas-powered Ram 1500s, it’s also mid-cycle refresh time for this very popular truck—America’s third-best-selling vehicle in 2022. That means updated styling inside and out, a variety of tech and driver-assistance upgrades, new trim levels and new models, including a top-tier luxury addition, the Ram 1500 Tungsten. A Hurricane-powered sequel to the wild TRX is also in the works.
The changes are significant enough to make the 2025 Ram 1500s worth waiting for, and they might also induce some discounts on outgoing 2024s.
Ram’s move to the Hurricane reflects the diminishing importance of V8s in the pickup world, as more efficient turbocharged sixes, and even some four-cylinders, have proliferated. Ford still offers a V8 F-150, but that truck’s most powerful (and popular) engines are EcoBoost V6s. Toyota dumped its old V8 for the 2022 Tundra redesign, replacing it with turbocharged hybrid V6s. GM offers a pair of aging V8s in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, but made turbocharged fours standard in 2022.
Two new versions of the 3.0-liter Hurricane SST (Straight Six Turbo) will be offered on the 2025 Ram 1500, and they are ambitious. “Our target was to create an engine that made more horsepower and torque than any of the naturally aspirated V8 engines or the boosted engines in the truck segment,” said Hurricane chief engineer Alan Falkowski at the media event, “And do that while improving on the fuel economy and reducing the emissions of the engine.”
While Stellantis aims to have 50% of its sales be electric vehicles by 2030, Falkowski noted, “That means half our vehicles will still have combustion engines, so we need to continue improving them.” To that end there will be a standard version with 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque and a High-Output one with 540 hp and 521 lb-ft. Even the lower-end model represents an increase over the outgoing Hemi’s 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, while the High-Output tops even the Ford F-150 Raptor’s V6.
The six, Falkowski said, will also be smoother and quieter, “because it’s perfectly balanced,” and more durable thanks to very modern internal components like plasma-spray cylinder liners, which reduce friction and are harder-wearing than cast iron liners. Indeed, many of the engine’s internal components are very strong, allowing the engineers to run up to 28 PSI of boost through the High-Output’s turbos. In years past, that much boost would only have worked on a stout diesel engine.
Falkowski did not offer exact details on fuel efficiency, but when the 2023 Jeep Wagoneer shifted from the Hemi to the Hurricane, it saw a 2 to 3 mpg improvement across the board, so similar gains may follow on the 1500. Ram did offer a few hard numbers though, including a maximum towing capacity of 11,580 pounds. That’s 1,170 pounds less than the Hemi, but the electrified REV and Ramcharger will offer 14,000-pound ratings as an alternative.
Although the Hurricanes and the electrics are big news, not everything will be new. The mild-hybrid, 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 eTorque will remain as the Ram 1500’s standard engine. The eight-speed automatic transmission from previous years will continue as the only gearbox.
Beyond the new powerplants, there will also be two new trims for 2025. While the exact makeup of the lineup won’t be revealed until closer to the trucks’ on-sale date, the existing trims (from Tradesman to Rebel to Limited) will continue and be joined by a new range-topping Tungsten and an off-road performance truck: the RHO.
Most of the visual changes to the lineup are modest, except for the Tungsten, which gets new front-end styling with less chrome and a completely integrated front bumper, like the front fascia on a car or SUV. “This allows us to apply graphics and sculpt surfaces that we could never do with a steel bumper,” said Ram’s chief exterior designer Jeff Aneiros. The customers that buy such vehicles are used to luxury goods and experiences, he added, and luxury vehicles don’t look like work trucks.
The Tungsten’s interior is similarly high-end, swathed in acres of Natura Plus leather in a special “Indigo and Sea Salt” color combination, with lots of diamond patterns inspired, like the name, by the tungsten tools used to cut them. Everything that could be powered is, with 24-way front heated and ventilated front seats, and there’s a new 23-speaker, 1,228-watt Klipsch audio system and a wide array of new tech upgrades including the new 14.5-inch central touchscreen.
Kuniskis had a bit less to say about the RHO, which will sit above the Rebel in the 1500’s sport truck lineup and will pack 540 hp. What’s an RHO? “Picture in your mind the truck everybody knows and loves, the TRX. It’s identical to the TRX except that it has that powertrain,” Kuniskis said, pointing to the High-Output Hurricane. “That’s going to allow us to get into a part of the market where we haven’t been with the TRX.”
That almost certainly means a little less speed, but probably a more accessible price point, just as the F-150 Raptor is more affordable than the Raptor R Ford created to take on the TRX. It also may be why Kuniskis added, “We’ll be leaving the TRX name on the shelf for a little while.” A TRX with 85% of the power and far superior fuel economy seems like a recipe for success, but more details won’t be forthcoming until next spring and the RHO won’t go on sale until Q3 of 2024.
Many of the cool features on the Tungsten preview the upgrades that come to the rest of the Ram 1500 line, including that big center screen.
In place of the existing 8.4 and 12.0-inch screens, a 12.0-inch unit will now be standard and the 14.5-inch unit optional, and they’ll run the latest version of Stellantis’ Uconnect 5 software. The screens utilize Full-Array Local Dimming tech like modern TVs, allowing more contrast and split-screen capabilities. The truckmaker also says operating speeds are up to five times faster than before.
A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster will offer many configurations and displays, and the optional head-up display will integrate many of them, including turn-by-turn navigation and traffic sign recognition. It can also be configured for multiple simultaneous readouts. In addition to these other displays, there will also be an optional 10.3-inch passenger-side entertainment screen with an HDMI input, as previously featured on some high-end Jeeps.
2025 will also bring Active Driving Assist, a Level 2 semi-autonomous system, and Hands-Free Driving Assist. The latter offering seems similar to Ford’s BlueCruise and GM’s Super Cruise, both optional on top trucks from those companies. It’ll allow limited hands-free operation on approved roadways and may be geo-fenced, as the automaker says the truck will predictively slow down for tight curves. There will also be a driver monitoring system in place. Hopefully, more active-safety gear will also be standard, because this is the rare area where the existing 1500 lags its rivals.
Other new bits include an on-board power inverter that can supply up to 1.8 kW to a pair of covered outlets in the bed, a digital rearview mirror with a tow mode for better visibility and smartphone-app digital keys.
Exact pricing won’t be revealed until closer to the on-sale date, but price increases are inevitable. When the Jeep Grand Wagoneer adopted the Hurricane in 2023, its price rose by about $3,000 over the Hemi-powered 2022 version. The 2024 Ram 1500’s starting prices range from $40,565 (including destination) for a bare-bones Tradesman to $70,805 for a Limited Crew Cab, so a range between $42,500 and $80,000 may be likely for 2025. That’s not out of line for the class.
Most of the lineup, including the new Tungsten, will go on sale in the Q1 2024, so expect trucks on lots by March. The RHO won’t be available until late summer, and the electric models aren’t likely to arrive until the end of the new year.
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