It may seem odd, but many people trade in their sedans and crossovers to purchase pickup trucks like the 2025 Ram 1500. This phenomenon makes sense when you think about it; trucks offer more space, plenty of power, and similar luxury as you’d expect from a BMW or Mercedes car for a lower price. Among the big three American automakers – Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis – the Ram 1500 was already competitive in terms of premium feel and car-like driving characteristics, but now it receives a major facelift for the 2025 model year.
The changes include updated styling, technology upgrades inside, and a new Tungsten trim. The big news is the change under the hood, where the HEMI V8 has been retired after multiple decades of service. Ram will keep the Pentastar V6 as the base powertrain, but a new Hurricane inline-six (which debuted first in the Jeep Wagoneer) takes the place of the V8, outdoing it with more horsepower and torque from a smaller displacement.
Can Ram’s thorough updates help it keep up with other recently facelifted trucks from Ford, Chevrolet, and GMC? CarBuzz flew out to Austin, Texas, to find out.
Exterior: No Controversies Here
When redesigning a truck, it’s best not to alienate an audience that already loves the existing product. Ram was treading a fine line here, making the 2025 truck look updated without changing the formula too much. New LED headlights are found across the range, though twin bi-functional projectors are only available on Limited trim and above. Eight trim levels are offered, ranging from the barebones Tradesman up to the ultra-luxurious Tungsten, each with unique styling details and themes.
Ram will sell Crew Cab and Quad Cab configurations, the latter of which is available with a five-foot seven-inch bed or a longer six-foot four-inch bed (Crew Cab only comes with the 5’7″ bed). Those beds can be equipped with fan-favorite features such as the multi-function tailgate that splits 60-40 as well as the Rambox to store smaller items on either side of the truck.
Between the eight trim levels, various appearance packages, and equipment packages, everyone can find something to like in the Ram 1500 lineup. For example, the Rebel looks ready to tackle a swamp while the Tungsten has copious amounts of chrome to impress other country club members.
Interior: New Luxury Territory
If you thought the Ram was premium before, just wait until you step into the new Tungsten trim level. Named after one of the rarest metals on Earth, the Tungsten elevates truck luxury to new heights. Up front, it includes 24-way adjustable massage seats wrapped in a special Indigo and Sea Salt Caramel leather. Of course, vinyl and cloth seats are available in lower trims, and the Limited still gets massage seats with slightly less adjustment. The Tradesman even comes with an old-fashioned three-person bench seat that folds into an armrest.
An updated 8.4-inch screen comes standard on lower trims, but many trims can get the optional 12-inch vertical screen. At the top end, a new 14.5-inch screen caps the lineup with excellent usability and plenty of physical buttons and knobs surrounding it. You can also add a 10.25-inch passenger screen, which can display the navigation, multimedia from the HDMI input, or images from the 360-degree camera system. Those screens can be tied to various audio systems from Alpine, Harmon Kardon, and a new exclusive Klipsch Reference setup with 23 speakers and 1,228 watts. It’s the most premium audio array that we’ve ever heard in a pickup truck.
As before, there is plenty of storage space around the cabin, including a new Ramcharger wireless pad that can charge two devices at the same time (not to be confused with the upcoming Ramcharger EV with its V6 range extender).
Powertrains: Rock You Like A Hurricane
Sorry V8 lovers, the 5.7-liter Hemi has been retired here. The 3.6-liter V6 with a mild-hybrid eTorque system carries over from last year unchanged with 305 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque going out through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Two-wheel-drive comes standard but four-wheel-drive is available. It’s far from the quickest setup, but it moves along decently with smooth stop-start courtesy of the eTorque system.
A 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six (dubbed the Hurricane) joins the fray to take over where the Hemi left off, arriving in two states of tune. The Standard Output delivers a healthy 420 hp and 469 lb-ft of torque. To put that into perspective, the V8 only produced 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. The High Output version truly represents its Hurrican name, storming in with 540 hp and 521 lb-ft. Even the hybrid from Ford and the V8 from GM can’t match the Hurricane on power.
Fuel economy is not available yet, but Ram promises the Hurricane should improve on the V8’s 18/23/20 mpg figures across the city/highway/combined cycles. Max towing is rated at 11,580 pounds while max payload is 2,300 lbs. In real-world testing, the Standard Output-engined Ram 1500 hits 60 mph in around 5.2 seconds, while the High Output version only takes 4.7 seconds. That’s far from TRX pace, but Ram says a hardcore RHO model is coming to replace it.
Ram will also sell two electrified variants, the Ram 1500 REV and Ramcharger. The former is pure electric while the latter includes a V6 engine to charge the battery on the go. Look forward to reviews on those later this year.
Driving Impressions: Car-Like Truck
If you’re considering buying your first pickup truck, the Ram 1500 has always been one of our top recommendations because it drives more like a car than its competitors. Double wishbone front suspension and a five-link solid rear axle keep the truck compliant over rough roads, especially when equipped with the optional four-corner air suspension (the only such system in this class). The steering feels more direct than rivals, creating more confidence to navigate around bendy roads.
This 2025 update adds Active Driving Assist with available Hands-Free Driving Assist. Similar to Blue Cruise and Super Cruise, it lets the Ram drive hands-free on certain highways but also provides steering assistance (hands-on) on normal city streets. Though the hands-free portion likely lacks the number of mapped miles as Ford or GM, it worked well during our brief highway stint and it’s the only one of the three that works off the highway, even in a hands-on capacity. We prefer this to the all-or-nothing approach from competitors. The system keeps the truck centered in its lane with limited ping-ponging between the lines – and you can trigger an automatic lane change from the turn signals.
When the road ends, more rugged variants like the Ram 1500 Rebel can’t wait to get muddy. With the available four-corner air suspension, the Rebel lifts up to allow 9.2 inches of ground clearance – an inch more than other trim levels – to provide superior approach, breakover, and departure angles. Ram took us on a fairly challenging off-road course to test the Rebel’s hill climbing and hill descent features, which basically act as cruise control to make even a sheer drop seem like an easy obstacle to overcome.
A short Baja section allowed us to hammer the Rebel at higher speeds, where the suspension stood up to abuse and kept us comfortable in the cab. We look forward to sampling the RHO, which should match the TRX in terms of suspension capability, although it won’t match the supercharged V8 on power.
Pricing & Verdict: Tradesman To CEO
Whether you are a blue collar worker or a CEO, there is a 2025 Ram 1500 to fit your needs. The base Tradesman trim starts at $40,275, while the Big Horn and Lone Star models each cost $44,935 (all prices exclude a $1,995 destination and handling fee). The off-road Rebel trim costs $54,195 while the premium Laramie starts to get spendy at $60,030. In the luxurious tier, the Limited Longhorn is priced at $75,650, the Limited is $75,155, and the Tungsten caps the lineup at $87,155. Switching out engines and ticking options boxes adds to these costs.
Other trucks from Ford and GM offer similar amenities, but the Ram 1500 takes the luxury a bit further with car-like handling, air suspension, huge inline-six power, a class-leading stereo, and huge screens. The new Hurricane engine fixes what was the Ram 1500’s most glaring weakness against its competitors, but now it leapfrogs them in spectacular fashion. It takes a lot to make a truck owner consider changing brands, but the 2025 Ram 1500 should make Ford and GM owners consider switching.