The 2025 Ram 1500 Is Better Without the Hemi V-8

If your only argument against the 2025 Ram 1500 is it doesn’t have a Hemi, you’re missing out. I crave a V-8 burble as much as anyone, but after a week with the latest half-ton Ram and its high-output 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six, I don’t miss the Hemi even a teeny bit. I absolutely love this truck.

I don’t love it merely for the performance, which is plentiful in the 1500 Crew Cab Limited. This 19-foot rig is supremely comfortable for five adults, providing a spacious cabin, and a compliant ride that belies its beefy solid-axle suspension. The interior is quiet and well laid out, and it’s plenty capable of doing proper truck stuff despite its massaging seats and $88,000 price tag.

Let’s talk more about the engine. The first thing you notice is how incredibly smooth the truck runs. That’s a hallmark of an inline-six, and it gives the Ram 1500 a distinct advantage over its competitors in the half-ton segment. This ‘six comes to life with a quiet whisper, completely masking its two turbos and 540 peak horsepower. Driving around town feels effortless. When the city streets open up to country highways, the Ram’s turbos whistle into existence as the truck devours miles.

Ram says the off-road-focused RHO reaches 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. I didn’t bolt up any timing gear, but with the same engine turning all four wheels in the Limited, I’d say that’s an accurate assessment. The acceleration feels brisk but not brutal, and at risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s just insanely smooth. No, that thing doesn’t have a Hemi… and it’s so much better as a result. If that still bugs you, ask the HD Ram people how much they like their I-6 Cummins diesel.

This 1500 is fast, but it’s also still a pickup truck. With the high-output engine, Ram lists the maximum towing capacity at 9,920 pounds. I didn’t come anywhere near that during my trip to the local compost yard. Technically, that rating is down from the Hemi but if you’re regularly pulling a 10,000-pound trailer, you probably need an HD pickup. In any case, I didn’t even know my small utility trailer was back there, even with 2,000 pounds of dirt piled inside. 

Once again, smooth is the best way to describe the towing process. Hooking up a trailer is a breeze thanks to the bevy of cameras looking rearward, and you can configure the truck’s UConnect software to launch a test mode when trailer lights are plugged in. This also gave me the chance to try Ram’s Trailer Reverse Steering Control—a nifty tool for drivers who don’t have much experience backing up a trailer. However, it essentially replaces the steering wheel with a small knob. You still need to guide it, so veteran reversers likely won’t gain much from the system. 

Ram’s Multifunction tailgate is also worthy of appreciation. Forget Chevy’s overly complicated MultiFlex tailgate or Ford’s Pro Access setup. Ram’s offset barn-door feature is all you need. The smallest side is still usable with a trailer attached, and with both sides opened, you can fit a pallet right into the bed. This feature was particularly handy for a quick run to Lowe’s for cement patio blocks—100 to be exact. With the barn doors opened, a yard worker parked the pallet right off the back of the bed. I loaded 1,300 pounds of bricks in 10 minutes, and just like pulling the trailer, I never even knew they were there.

But what about fuel economy? It’s true that, per EPA ratings, the Hurricane in high-output trim is worse than the Hemi. Specifically, it’s rated at 15 miles per gallon city, 21 highway, and 17 combined. But there’s more to the story than that. On my rural Northern Michigan roads at the dutiful 55-mph speed limit, I could hold between 25 and 30 mpg with careful throttle management. Loaded down with patio blocks, I still averaged 21 mpg on the highway at 75 mph. Those are good numbers for a 6,000-pound truck with sports car acceleration, never mind one loaded with 1,300 pounds. But there’s a catch.

Mileage plummets if you dip into the accelerator even a little bit. That’s why I mention careful throttle management, which admittedly, is tough to do in something with this kind of power. When all was said and done, I ended my tenure with an average of 19.2 mpg—an estimate better than the EPA figure but biased toward rural highway driving. With a gentle foot, I think the HO I-6 can beat the Hemi at the pump. But proving that theory would take more than a week behind the wheel. And it definitely requires more self-control.

Aside from the engine, Hands-Free Active Driving Assist is new for 2025. It activates on approved stretches of highway and does a fine job of keeping the truck neatly in a lane without wandering side-to-side. It will do automated lane changes, though you’ll probably want to handle them yourself. The system is extremely gun shy about moving lanes if there’s traffic even remotely close to the truck. Bright green lights on the dash let you know when the system is on, which I prefer to Ford’s BlueCruise.

I was more impressed with the hands-on assists, most of which are standard for all 2025 Ram trims. I never got a false alert to hold the steering wheel while holding it, something that crops up frequently in other cars, especially on straight sections where little-to-no wheel input is needed. That doesn’t mean the system is negligent in its watchdog duties. The truck dinged and buzzed if my hands were off the wheel for a few seconds. And a sensor on the steering column can track your eyes even through sunglasses. Expect more chimes and buzzing if you look at the 14.5-inch center touchscreen too long.

And that’s likely to happen. The big screen is easy to read, and the UConnect 5 system offers user customization for widgets and things you’d like to see more often. But you can quickly run into information overload between all the apps and widgets. Fortunately, common controls like volume and climate settings have physical buttons, and on some trims, the passenger has a touchscreen of their own, too. Yes, it plays videos while you’re driving down the road. No, the driver can’t see it.

I have very few gripes about the latest Ram, which surprises me considering I’m not much of a truck guy. Navigating the touchscreen was a bit frustrating at times, but that will pass with experience. Filling up with premium fuel is an expensive bummer, but it’s the literal price you pay for performance. There were a few times pulling the trailer where I wished the low-end torque arrived at even lower revs. Easing into the prolific powerband was sometimes tricky, but it’s easily handled with a bit of practice. 

The price is also a gut punch. With a starting MSRP of $77,150, the Limited is in the upper echelon of trucks and it’s not even the most expensive trim. The 1500 RHO offers the high-output engine for slightly less (still over $70,000), but that’s where the standard output six-cylinder comes in. You can get it all the way down to the entry-level 1500 Tradesman, and while it only has 420 hp, it’s still more powerful than the outgoing Hemi. And it should have that same I-6 smoothness, too.

If you’ve read through this review and still can’t fathom life without a Hemi-powered Ram, take this advice. Buy the cheapest early 2000s Dodge Ram you can find, bolt up some cherry bombs, then supplement it with a 2025 Ram as your daily driver. The old Dodge will be around to wean you off the Hemi addiction, giving you time to realize the first Ram in two decades without a V-8 soundtrack is actually the best one yet.