Ram drops V8 power for the 1500 – is this the end?
Words by NZ Autocar magazine
The last V8-powered Ram 1500 for local consumption has been converted in Australia. From next year, the 1500 line-up will switch to six-cylinder petrol power. Will the move sink sales? We all know how much the big pick-up fraternity loves the sound of a rumbling Hemi.
It’s not all bad news however. The six cylinder in question is the new Hurricane 3.0-litre twin turbo. In the US, the base spec engine outputs 313kW with 638Nm of pull. And there’s also the high output version, cunningly called ‘high output’ which makes 402kW and 706Nm of torque. Towing is rated at 4.5 tonnes too.
The last Hemi-powered model to be converted, sorry, ‘r’e-manufactured’ was a 1500 Limited, being the 28,495th vehicle to go down the line in Melbourne.
Read our 2021 RAM 1500 Limited review
Ram says ‘limited numbers of the V8 remain in showrooms before an updated model arrives in the first half of 2025’.
“It’s time to bid farewell to the iconic Hemi V8,” said Todd Groves, General Sales Manager for RAM Trucks NZ. “The Hemi V8 set the standard for high-performance trucks and played a key role in establishing RAM Trucks as a success story in the Australasian market. As we say goodbye to this legendary engine, we look ahead with excitement to its successor – a new-generation turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine set to arrive in the first half of 2025.”
“Availability of these exceptional trucks is now very limited, so we encourage those still interested in grabbing a piece of iconic RAM Trucks history, to move fast as the last of the V8’s will not last long!”
More information on the arrival times and specification of the new-generation RAM Trucks models will be shared early in 2025.
