2025 Ram 1500: First Spin

The big headline here should be: The V8 is dead. Ram’s now legendary “Hemi” V8, a part of the Dodge/Ram pickup-truck engine family since 2003, is being retired for 2025. More on that in a moment…

There are plenty of additional headlines, too. Significantly updated for 2025, the Ram 1500 lineup boasts new tech features, a new top trim level, and new styling. And, as a result of the changes under the hood, the Ram TRX, a hyper-powerful off-road-ready version of the truck, retires after the 2024 model year.

New to the Ram for 2025 are two versions of the Stellantis “Hurricane” twin-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine. Already in service under the hood of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, the Hurricane engine displaces 3.0-liters, and boasts some impressive power numbers.

And while some dyed-in-the-wool V8 adherents may decry the absence of an 8-cylinder engine in the Ram 1500 lineup, keep in mind that Ford has been selling turbocharged “EcoBoost” V6 engines in the brand’s F-150 pickup for more than a decade.

By the numbers, the High Output (a standard-output variant is also offered) inline-6 Hurricane engine delivers 145 more horsepower and 111 pound-feet more torque than the outgoing 5.7-liter Hemi. So, is the Hurricane a better truck engine than the Hemi? Yes. And no.

The Hurricane’s torque output certainly supports serious towing. That said, maximum Ram towing capacity for 2025 falls to 11,580 pounds, somewhat short of the 12,750 rating of last year’s Ram. Of course, there’s more to towing-capacity ratings than just the engine. But, the Hurricane powerplant is subject to a condition the old Hemi never fell prey to: turbo lag.

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For those not in the know, turbo lag is a brief delay in power delivery. Because turbocharged engines rely on air compressed by a turbine in the exhaust system, they may be subject to a period of low power delivery caused by the time it takes compressed air to travel from the turbine to the engine itself. The delay is usually brief, but can hinder acceleration, with the result being less-than-satisfactory throttle response.

We found the Ram’s around-town acceleration—even from a stop—just fine, with plenty of power for quick getaways. Where we noticed lag was underway. For example, when we were traveling 55 mph and needed to reach 70 mph in order to pass slow-moving traffic, we took note of a protracted pause between the moment we “hit the gas,” and when the engine finally responded to our request for more power.

We found this interesting as Alan Falkowski, director of the Propulsion Component Product Release Center for Ram, made it a point to mention during his press presentation that each turbocharger is fed by three cylinders. This splits the work between the two turbos, thereby eliminating turbo lag.

It’s possible Ram engineers are still tweaking the engine, and this was an aberration unique to pre-production models. So, if you’re worried about turbo lag, and you’re interested in a 2025 Ram 1500, make sure you do some highway passing/acceleration runs during your test drive, and see for yourself how it feels.

In addition to the 540-horsepower, High Output Hurricane, the 2025 Ram 1500 is offered with two other powerplants: the tried-and-true 3.6-liter “Pentastar” V6 (which features Ram’s eTorque mild-hybrid system), and the standard Hurricane—also a 3.0-liter inline 6–that delivers 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque.

With the biggest elephant in the room out of the way, what else is new for Ram’s popular pickup?

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Well-heeled shoppers will be interested to learn that for 2025, the Ram model range is capped by an all-new topline Tungsten trim level. Slotted above the previous top-tier, and still available, Limited in the Ram stable, the Tungsten features an even more luxurious cabin, and an even longer roster of standard features.

Think large luxury sedan, and you’ll be close to what the Tungsten is all about. The new extra-regal Ram includes such premium touches as a suede headliner, 24-way massaging power front seats, a 14.5-inch infotainment screen, and an ultra-premium 23-speaker Klipsch-brand audio system. For the most part, the Tungsten looks top notch, but there are a couple misses that make us question the $12,000 upgrade over the already luxurious Limited.

First up, the only interior color option is an Indigo/Sea Salt combination that looks lovely, but we worry that the Sea Salt seat bottoms will quickly become dingy with wear. And, if you’ve got any spillers in your family, forget about it.

We were also disappointed by some of the dashboard materials. While in aggregate the cabin looks fantastic, some pieces of the dash were disappointingly common looking, and not up to our nearly $100,000 expectations. Note that for 2025, the Tungsten will be offered only in crew-cab configuration, and comes only with a 5-foot, 7-inch “short bed.”

That said, there is a lot of really cool new technology to be had on the 2025 Ram 1500. During the media preview, we drove only Limited and Tungsten models, and had the opportunity to play around with the newly available 10.25-inch passenger-side screen that accesses entertainment, navigation, and camera functionality. The secondary touchscreen is not visible to the driver, but is perfectly sized and positioned for use by the front-seat passenger.

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New to the 2025 1500 is Ram’s semi-autonomous Hands-Free Active Driving Assist feature. While it’s not as robust as General Motors’ Super Cruise system (no automatic lane-change feature), it felt more stable than Ford’s Blue Cruise, which tends to bobble the vehicle between the lane lines.

Also new for 2025 is a dual wireless phone charger, a faster Uconnect 5 infotainment operating system, a digital interior rear-camera mirror, and a big 10-inch configurable head-up display. And in the bed, 110-volt outlets which provide up to 2 kW of power.

I know what you’re thinking: That’s a lot of tech for a truck. I’ve heard a lot of complaints on social media lately about pickup-truck pricing, and how the regular truck guy is being squeezed out of the market. Why, some guys have asked, can’t there be a base truck with crank windows and no infotainment system? I hear you, but it seems that ship has sailed, my friends.

The average transaction price of a new vehicle in 2024 is about $47,000, and while there are still two models in the 2025 Ram lineup that come in under that figure, they are going to be more tech forward than some truck guys want. We were able to do a walk around of the value-oriented Ram 1500 Big Horn, for example, and while it is fitted with every-man cloth seats, it was equipped with an available 12-inch vertical infotainment screen, and a small digital driver-information display between the analog speedometer and tachometer. Kinda techy for an entry-level pickup. Both the Tradesman and Big Horn come standard with an 8.4-inch info screen–but it is still a screen. And, no, there are no hand crank windows anywhere.

OK, so we have a lot of tech, the TRX is dead, and you only have two trim levels that fall below the average transaction price of a new vehicle. What is the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup, and how does it price out? Including the $1,995 destination fees, it looks like this:

Tradesman: $42,270
Big Horn/Lone Star: $46,930
Laramie: $62,025
Rebel: $66,190
Limited: $77,150
Limited Longhorn: $77,645
Tungsten: $89,150

Overall, the 2025 Ram 1500 remains a great truck. It’s comfortable on the highway, and the tech features work the way they should. Note, we did take a short drive off road in the ruggedly equipped Rebel, which seems as ready as ever to leave the pavement. We expect to spend more time with the Rebel at a later date.

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As a petite driver, I did have some forward-facing visibility issues, but that’s par for the course with a full-size truck. There are still some more basic options available, but the high-end lux-level Tungsten trim is a delight, with its seat massagers and highly adjustable headrests.

With Ram’s improved reliability ratings–it currently tops Consumer Reports’ predicted-reliability list for full-size trucks–the 2025 Ram 1500 just might be the truck to buy this year.

Note: The updated Ram 1500 is only part of the Ram pickup news for 2025. In the works, and due reasonably soon, are the RAM 1500 REV all-electric pickup, and the 1500 Ramcharger plug-in hybrid electric pickup. Stay tuned!

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