Newest Ram 1500 pickup ditches V8 engines altogether

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The stylists at the Ram truck brand gave the 2025 1500 model a new look - modern yet still rugged.

While they were creating the shape, engineers were working on a major powertrain update. With the new generation of this truck, there's no V8 option at all.

Instead, a pair of high-tech, very powerful six-cylinder engines named Hurricane. They offer V8 power with better fuel efficiency and fewer emissions.

The Ram brand, still part of Dodge 20 years ago, got a lot of mileage out of the comeback of the name Hemi for its then-new V8.

The original Chrysler Hemi was a legend of both NASCAR and muscle cars in the 1960s, so a return suggested newfound V8 performance.

With the new Ram 1500, six is as high as the cylinder count goes. The base engine is the carryover 3.6 liter V6 with 305 horsepower.

Newly optional, the 3.0 liter Hurricane makes an impressive 420 horsepower, a pretty high power-to-displacement ratio, or a very impressive 540 horsepower from the high-output version.

An American pickup without a V8 as a power upgrade? Well, it's not exactly a new idea.

Ford started offering its EcoBoost V6 in the segment-leading F-150 13 years ago, and has sold millions of them since. You can still get an F-150 with a V8, at least for now.

Ram parent company Stellantis has big plans for their turbocharged six. An all-new Charger will be here soon, and while Dodge has been touting an EV version, the gasoline alternative will have the Hurricane, making up to 550 horsepower under the Dodge's low-slung hood.

When it comes to full-size pickup trucks, certain things definitely act as selling features.

For example, specifications like engine horsepower and torque, or towing capacity, but increasingly, something else helps sell them too: luxury. Lots of luxury.

Ram is upping the ante in the premium truck wars with the new Tungsten 1500.

The interior is almost befitting of a European luxury sedan, and every amenity you can think of is included. It should be, as the sticker price can cross the $90,000 mark for the 4x4 model.

That won't be sticker shock to anyone who's priced high-end full-size pickups recently. Other brands have top-of-the-line pickups with sticker prices in excess of $80,000.

So while the V8 has run its course for this Ram truck, those craving power needn't worry. It's a new world, with a new engine that's delivering what's needed in a pickup.