ArcaMax

When something is replaced by a new thing, it is assumed the new thing is an improved or otherwise better thing. A good way to find out is to compare the thing that was replaced with its replacement.

The 2025 Ram 1500 pickup used to be available with a 5.7-liter (and 6.2-liter) V8. Those V8s have been replaced with a pair of inline sixes.

They are -- literally -- the replacements for displacement.

But is it a good thing?

What It Is

The Ram 1500 is a half-ton pickup available in Quad (two normal-size doors and two smaller-size rear doors) and Crew (four full-size doors) configurations. Crew cab versions are available with either a standard short bed (5.7 feet) or a longer (6.4-foot) bed.

All Quad cab versions come standard with the 6.4-foot bed.

The Ram is no longer available with just two doors (regular cab) or an 8-foot bed.

It is also no longer available with a V8 engine. The previously optional 5.7-liter Hemi has been replaced by a new 3.0-liter inline six in two configurations that both make more horsepower and torque than the no-longer-available 5.7-liter V8 and deliver slightly better gas mileage. The Ram 1500 joins the Toyota Tundra as one of the two trucks in the half-ton class that no longer offers a V8.

Both the Chevy Silverado 1500 and the Ford F-150 still offer them -- and also regular cab/8-foot bed configurations too.

Prices start at $40,275 for the base Tradesman Quad cab trim, which comes standard with a 3.6-liter V6 paired with a mild-hybrid system called eTorque that shuts the V6 off when the truck isn't moving (or coasting/decelerating) and automatically restarts it when its power is needed to get the truck moving again. Four-wheel drive is available as a standalone option and bumps the MSRP up to $44,125. The Tradesman Quad cab is the only version of the Ram 1500 that does not offer the new 3.0 six as an option.

The Quad cab is available in three other trims: HFE ($41,275 to start), Lonestar ($44,935 to start) and Big Horn ($44,935). All of these also come standard with the 3.6-liter V6/mild hybrid combo, but you can choose to swap that out for the 420-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six.

Crew cabs are also available in base Tradesman configuration -- starting at $43,025 for the two-wheel-drive iteration with the short bed. The 420-horsepower six is available as an option with this one.

There are seven other Crew Cab trims, too, including Warlock ($54,260) and Laramie ($60,030) and Rebel ($64,195), RHO ($69,995), Limited ($75,155), Limited Longhorn ($75,650) and top-of-the-line Tungsten ($87,075).

These trims come standard with the 420-horsepower turbocharged inline six. The RHO -- which sort of replaces the no-longer-available TRX that came with a 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 -- has a 540-horsepower high-output version of the new inline six as well as TRX-like related upgrades such as 35-inch all-terrain tires, long-travel suspension, fender flares and front and rear bumper/fascia differences for both looks and increased angles of approach and departure.

What's New For 2025

The big changes -- under the hood -- were introduced last year. The main difference this year is the new Tungsten trim (Crew cab only).

What's Good

-- New 3.0-liter inline six is more powerful (and more fuel-efficient) than no-longer-available 5.7-liter V8.

-- You can still get a V6 - without a turbo.

-- Available three-across first-row seating.

What's Not So Good

-- V8 was effectively pushed off the roster due to federal fuel economy and "emissions" regulations rather than market demand for a turbo six.

-- No regular cab/long-bed iteration.

-- V6 is paired with a mild-hybrid system that adds complexity and cost for negligibly higher mileage gains.

Under the Hood

The Ram 1500 used to come standard with a V6 and was available with a V8. Now it comes standard with a V6 -- paired with a mild-hybrid system -- and the previously available V8 has been replaced by a new, much smaller 3.0-liter inline six in 420-horsepower and 540-horsepower configurations.

These changes have their good -- and bad -- points.

First, as already mentioned, the new 3.0-liter six -- even in 420-horsepower configuration -- is much stronger and is slightly more fuel-efficient than the no-longer-available 5.7-liter Hemi V8, which made 395 horsepower and touted 17 mpg in city driving and 23 mpg on the highway. The new 420-horsepower 3.0 six touts 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway. The mileage difference is -- obviously -- not much of a difference. But it's a bigger difference than it sounds like, given the horsepower difference. Put another way, you get 35 more horsepower without it costing you any more gas.

On the not-so-good side, the 3.0-liter engine needs the boost to make all that power, and boost can be expressed as pressure, which can also be expressed as stress. The smaller engine is worked harder to make that power. Ram devoted a lot of brain sweat to making this engine stronger to handle the pressure, but working harder under more pressure generally correlates with a shorter service life; this almost inevitability is compounded by the additional components -- the turbos and peripherals -- that just by dint of being there add more potential failure points than would be there if they weren't there.

On the Road

Since full-size sedans are essentially extinct, full-size trucks have taken their place as the family conveyance of choice -- for those who can afford them.

Just like back in the day, three can ride up front in the new Ram, courtesy of the flip-up center console that transforms into a center seat when flipped up. Three more can ride in the back. And there is vastly more room in the bed for whatever you (and those you're hauling around) might need to take with them than would fit in the trunk of even the fullest-size sedans you can buy today -- because all of them have small trunks relative to the size of the trunks that full-size American sedans once had.

The only thing this truck lacks is the authoritative sound a beefy rig such as this ought to make. The no-longer-available V8 made it. It bellowed through its twin sewer pipe-sized exhaust tips; this one whispers. The shame is, it could whistle -- and pop. A turbocharged six will never sound like a big V8. But it could sound like a turbocharged engine. Why not? People who buy big trucks like engine sounds. A whistle when the boost comes on would make this truck a lot more emotionally appealing and even help salve the sorrows over the canceled V8.

At the Curb

The fact that the '25 Ram is not available in regular cab/long-bed configuration is another piece of evidence in support of the contention that today's half-ton trucks are being used more like cars once were by the majority of people who buy them now that the government has effectively out-regulated big American cars.

Put another way, it does not seem to be a liability -- i.e., something that causes people to not buy them, as would have been the case back when big American cars were available and big trucks were chiefly bought by people who needed a rig that could haul sheets of 4-by-8 plywood without several feet of that hanging over the edge of the bed.

You can get an almost 7-foot bed -- with the Quad cab -- and it becomes effectively 8 feet when you drop the tailgate to add some length to the bed. But you cannot get more than a roughly 6-foot bed with the Crew cab, which makes it clear that this iteration of the Ram is more for hauling people than a load of gravel. Not -- as Seinfeld used to say -- that there's anything wrong with that.

Times change -- and so have trucks.

The Rest

Though the Ram is not available in the cornucopia of cab/bed styles offered by the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150, it is available in trim configurations to suit almost any want/need -- assuming you want the Crew cab and the four full-size doors and the short bed. If not, you're limited to the four trims the Quad cab is available in. That means you can't get the performance stuff that comes with the RHO, or some of the luxury stuff that comes with or can be optioned with the Limited trim, including a ride/height-adjustable air suspension system, premium leather upholstery and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.

The Bottom Line

Is the new six more -- or less? That depends on what you think is better -- or worse.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate, Inc.