‘There is no replacement for the V8’
A thick V8 belongs in a pick-up like a Ram 1500, right? You would think so, but Ram removed the 5.7 V8 from the range for the 2025 model year. They regret that.
The Ram 1500 is a relatively well-known phenomenon, even in the Netherlands. The Ram alternative to pick-ups such as the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado went into the 2025 model year last year for the first time in decades without a Hemi V8. From that moment on, only six-cylinders were on the 1500 menu. Ram now regrets the choice to discontinue the 5.7 liter Hemi V8. The mighty eight-cylinder will return to the 1500 for the 2026 model year.
Ram does not hide the fact that it now believes that it should never have removed the V8 from the 1500’s range. ‘The legend is back’, Ram 1500 heads in a press release. In the same laudatory text, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis expertly puts on sackcloth and ashes on behalf of the brand. “Everyone makes mistakes, but how you deal with them determines who you are. We screwed up when we stopped supplying the Hemi V8 in the 1500. We are now fixing that mistake,” said the CEO.
The 5.7 V8 – incidentally a mild-hybrid machine with cylinder deactivation – delivers a generous 400 hp and 556 Nm in the Ram 1500. The according to Ram stronger and more efficient blown six-cylinders from the Hurricane engine family will also remain available. “We have clearly heard from consumers that there is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V8. At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not to statisticians. Data be damned, – we hoist the flag and let the Hemi ring out again!”, said Tuniskis.