HEMI V8 dropped with 2024 RAM 1500 facelift

The 2024 (MY25) RAM 1500 pick-up has been revealed in the US, headlined by “all-new, more powerful and more efficient” 3.0-litre twin-turbo Hurricane inline six-cylinder petrol engines that replace the long-serving HEMI V8s.

The old-school, pushrod V8 with cast-iron block has been a key selling point for Australian buyers, but just as the factory-backed Ford F-150 launches here this month with a 298kW/678Nm 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, the RAM 1500’s HEMI V8 days look to be numbered as production now switches to Hurricane I6 and RAM Trucks Australia eventually follows suit with its local conversion program.

Full-electric (1500 REV) and new range-extender plug-in hybrid (1500 Ramcharger) powertrains will also be available in North America from late 2024 – and are expected to come to Australia at a later date – but Aussie buyers’ attention will be focused squarely on the new straight-six turbo (dubbed SST).

Two versions, both biturbo, will be available – the standard SST producing 313kW (420hp) and 636Nm of torque, while the High Output (H/O) version musters 403kW (540hp) and 706Nm.

That compares to the 291kW/556Nm found in the regular 5.7-litre HEMI V8 used in the current Aussie DT-series RAM 1500, while the incoming RAM 1500 RHO, which will feature the H/O SST, will be much less powerful than the world-beating DS-series TRX, which uses a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 good for 523kW/882Nm.

A 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 will also be available on entry-level models in the US, while all engines in the RAM 1500 range combine with a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission.

Full specs are still to be released in the US, but RAM points to a maximum towing capacity of 5253kg (11,580 pounds), maximum payload of 1043kg (2300 pounds) and up to 610mm of water fording (24 inches).

A “high-torque rear axle” has also been developed for models with the 3.0-litre Hurricane H/O engine, which at this stage is limited to the RAM 1500 RHO due to follow later next year.

Elsewhere, the Model Year 2025 upgrade for the RAM 1500 brings revised exterior styling (“telegraphing a bold, heroic presence”) and an on-board power inverter that can produce up to 2kW and includes two covered outlets in the bed to run items such as power tools and lights.

Cabin tech highlights include a new 14.5-inch touch-screen (running Uconnect 5 software), a segment-first 10.25-inch front passenger screen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, digital rear-view mirror (with tow mode) and a head-up display.

A dual wireless phone charging pad and ‘smart phone as a key’ technology will also be available, along with a new power open/close tailgate with obstacle detection (operated via the key fob).

Among the new driver assist systems developed for the upgraded RAM 1500 is ‘Hands-free Driving Assist’, which offers (Level 2+) “hands-off driving at all speeds and lane centring on approved roadways, for even greater driving convenience”.

It’s unclear if this will be approved for use in Australia, while some of the other higher-grade features will be restricted to a new flagship Tungsten model that joins the 1500 line-up, which in the US includes Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Rebel, Limited Longhorn and Limited.

The upgraded RAM 1500 begins arriving in US dealerships in the first quarter of next year. Australian timings are still to be confirmed.

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