Last week, I traveled to Austin, Texas, to drive the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup. The most controversial aspect of the 2025 Ram 1500 is the loss of the beloved Hemi V8 engines, replaced by a pair of “Hurricane” twin turbocharged inline-6 engines dubbed SST (Straight Six Turbo).
The removal of the Hemi engines was not a popular decision, but the Hurricane engines are fantastic—especially the high output version that motivates the 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten.
The Tungsten is Ram’s new ultra-premium model. After spending the largest part of my day with this plush pickup, I don’t have a single bad thing to say.
Hurricane High Output Power
My first 2025 Ram 1500 test truck was the Tungsten model, powered by the twin turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane High Output inline-6 delivering 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque—even more than the 392 cubic inch Hemi V8.
Like most Mopar fans, I don’t love the fact that the Hemi V8 is gone from the half-ton lineup, but having driven every Hemi-powered Ram in recent years, I can comfortably say that the only one that rivals the acceleration of the Hurricane High Output is the mighty TRX. Seeing as how the 5.7-liter Hemi that powered premium models for the 2024 model year “only” had 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, it’s not surprising that this truck feels much quicker than past non-TRX models. It packs gobs more power.
The key difference with the new I6 High Output engine compared to the Hemi is initial power, as the twin turbocharged engine takes a moment to build boost. Thanks to the small turbochargers, spool time is very quick. Under normal driving conditions, as when accelerating slowly with traffic, you don’t really feel the turbos spooling up. When you stomp the throttle from a stop, the Ram moves out pretty quickly, but within a second or so, you can feel power levels surge as boost peaks. When the Hurricane gets up into the power band, it will spin the back tires nice and hard. In fact, if you turn off traction control, the 2025 Ram 1500 with the Hurricane High Output will do one big smoky burnout – even with the huge 22-inch tires.
The only negative for the 540-horsepower I6 in the 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten is the sound. The previous generation Hemi trucks had a pretty healthy growl to them, but that isn’t the kind of sound that a twin turbo I6 makes, so the engineers made this engine incredibly quiet instead. I own a 2006 Ram 1500 with the Hemi and the old single exhaust system is also incredibly quiet, so for me, there was little difference the exhaust sound. Those who own newer Hemi trucks will find the 2025 Ram 1500s to all be very, very quiet. At the end of the day, that is the only real “compromise” in the switch from the Hemi to the Hurricane, but I find the massive increase in horsepower and torque to be a very fair trade for the quiet exhaust note.
Once you are up to cruising speed, the new I6 easily keeps the 2025 Ram 1500 at highway speeds and when you want to blow past a slower moving vehicle, putting the pedal to the floor brings about all of of that horsepower in a big hurry – allowing it to quickly and effortlessly accelerate well past any posted speed limit in this country.
The high output Hurricane Six requires 91-octane premium fuel, as did the 6.4 liter SRT engine before it. This was no change.
The bottom line here is that if you insist on having the sound of a V8, you should probably shop around and find a leftover 2024 Ram 1500 in stock with the 5.7-liter Hemi; but if you prefer 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque over 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, the new Hurricane High Output is a wonderful addition to the Ram lineup. Considering that most Ford F150s sold over the past decade have featured a twin turbo six-cylinder and their sales numbers have remained strong, I expect that Ram owners will quickly learn to love all of the extra power – even when losing the sound of the Hemi.
The Tungsten Experience
The biggest change for the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup is the introduction of the Hurricane engine family, but the other big news for ‘25 is the debut of the new ultra-premium Tungsten trim level. Over the past decade, Ram, Ford, and GM have been continuously adding more and more luxury to their range-topping trucks. The 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten truly feels more like a massive luxury sedan than a pickup.
The Tungsten models come with a unique Indigo/Sea Salt interior (blue and white) layout that features a suede headliner, premium leather-wrapped everything and unique textures, including “diamond knurling” on a variety of metal pieces throughout the cabin. The colors and materials along present an upscale look and feel, but that is just the tip of this luxurious iceberg. The front seats are heated and cooled, with 24-way power adjustment and an elaborate massaging system, making this the most comfortable truck I have ever driven.
Next, the 2025 Ram 1500 is packed with high end interior technology, starting with the new 14.5-inch UConnect touchscreen that is mounted in the center of the dashboard. That screen allows access and control to pretty much every aspect of the interior and some exterior bits as well, but when you are driving, that huge screen allows you to have both the navigation system and the sound system displayed at the same time, allowing you to make changes to your music without going away from the heavily detailed map screen. If you don’t want the split screen, it can be one gigantic map or radio interface screen as well.
The Ram Tungsten also comes with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 10.25-inch passenger screen, a full-color Head-Up Display on the windshield and a digital rearview mirror that offers a substantially better view of what is going on behind the vehicle than a tradition reflective mirror.
Finally, my favorite aspect of the 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten interior is the new Klipsch Reference Premiere audio system with 23 speakers. I have tested many vehicles from every automaker that sells vehicles in North America over the past decade and I have never experienced a sound system that provides crystal clear sound quality and extreme volume levels like the Ram Klipsch system. Whether you are listening to heavy metal or hip hop, the sound quality is truly second to none.
The 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten has a price starting at $89,150 including destination, so this isn’t a truck for everyone; but for those who have the means, this is the nicest premium truck on the market today. Between the power and the amenities, nothing from Ford or GM can come close to challenging the Tungsten Ram 1500.
