We drive the 2025 RAM Tradesman 1500 Review and find out if the Hurricane BLOWS AWAY the HEMI V8!

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:49 What's new for 2025
1:45 Pricing + Options
3:01 Wheels and tires
3:17 Under the hood
4:19 Rear seat
4:33 Interior and tech
6:43 Off-Road
12:11 On-road
15:09 Verdict

What's New?

For 2025 it receives a minor exterior update with a larger grille, refreshed bumpers, and updated head and tail lights. No more incandescent lighting since all trucks now sport LED headlamps as standard.

The 2025 Ram 1500 can be had in Quad or crew-cab configurations with a 6-foot 4-inch or 5-foot 7-inch bed and two or four-wheel drive. The smaller Quad cab is available only on Tradesman and Big Horn trims.

There are no changes to the suspension, double control-arm front, and five-link solid axle rear suspension setups provide the smooth ride Rams have been known for since ditching leaf springs in 2009.  If you are looking to tow then this trim will tow up to 11,056 lbs and carry a payload of 1,910 lbs. Wheels are standard on this trim and are 18-inch wearing 275/65 all-season tires.

Under The Hood

The big story for the new 2025 Ram 1500 pickup is the pair of 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engines, which effectively serve as replacements for the Hemi V-8.  Ram refers to them as "SST" or Straight-Six Turbo engines.  You have 2 choices regular or high-output. The one in this one has 420 hp with 469 lb-ft of torque the High Output has 540 hp and 521 lb-ft.  There is also a base engine which is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 making 305 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque, and is assisted by the RAM e-torque system.

As a comparison, the outgoing 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque V-8 made 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, which is 25 hp and 50 lb-ft less than the Hurricane. Both of them are driven through a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission.

A pair of twin-scroll turbochargers are mounted to the cylinder-head-integrated exhaust manifold, with each unit being fed by three of the cylinders, which results in quicker-than-average spool-up time and therefore almost no turbo lag. Ram does recommend 91-octane fuel for the standard output engine but requires it to get the most out of the high output.

From a stop, the standard output engine is good for a five-second sprint to sixty and the High Output does the deed in a rapid 4.4 seconds, it's one of the quickest trucks you can currently buy.

2025 RAM 1500 Crew Cab Tradesman Numbers

BASE PRICE: $50,015
PRICE AS TESTED: $54,890
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, 4WD, 5-passenger, 4-door truck
ENGINE: 3.0L Hurricane Straight six turbo Standard Output
POWER: 420 hp
TORQUE: 469 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
0-60 MPH: 5.0 sec
CURB WEIGHT: 5,250 lbs (est)
MAX TOWING CAPACITY: 11,580 lbs
PAYLOAD: 1,900 lbs
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: TBA
OUR OBSERVED: 16.7 mpg
PROS: Hurricane 6 delivers on power and torque, Fantastic ride quality, great on and off-road
CONS: Can get pricey with options