2026 Ram 1500: New Hemi sounds great, performs less so
The V-8 actually slows the truck down. But the truck is even more comfortable than most large pickups, and some big honking mirrors help and hinder in equal parts.
2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss vs. 2026 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4: Gasoline vs. electric pickups.
This week: Ram 1500
Price: $81,000 as tested. Advantage Ram.
What others are saying: “Highs: Smooth and quick acceleration with the turbo inline-six, comfortable ride, quiet cabin, roomy rear seat, automatic 4WD available. Lows: High step-in height hampers access for shorter drivers, long wet stopping distances,” says Consumer Reports.
What Ram is saying: “America’s most dependable full-size truck.” (That’s according to JD Power. Consumer Reports begs to differ mightily; see below.)
Reality: A nice truck but for a few real drawbacks.
What’s new: The Hemi 5.7-liter V-8 in the truck tested is the biggest news, plus some other trim changes.
Competition: In addition to the Silverado EV, competitors include the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, Ford F-150 Lightning, and GMC Sierra 1500.
Up to speed: The 5.7-liter V-8 engine seems to get to 60 incredibly fast, but it takes a full 6 seconds, according to Car and Driver. For those keeping score at home, the Silverado EV made it there in just over 4 seconds.
The 1500 also features a 3.6-liter V-6 and two versions of a 3-liter turbo inline six, one motivated by 540 horses, so there are faster Ram 1500s out there.
The Hemi exhaust note is quite nice, perfect to amuse yourself as you watch the Silverado EV disappear into the horizon. Passing is no sweat in the Hemi-powered pickup, unless you’re trying to pass a Silverado EV.
Shifty: The dial shifter is on the dashboard. It’s a straight twist from Park to Drive and back.
The 8-speed transmission is shiftable via paddles.
On the road: The Ram 1500 is big and ungainly, but those plentiful mirrors make orienting yourself in lane fairly easy after some practice.
I picked up the vehicle and headed home along increasingly narrow roads, practicing lane centering with the mirrors as I drove. On the tightest lane, at its narrowest point, where a tulip poplar juts into the road’s edge, a landscape pickup with a wide trailer approached me. I scooted all the way against the embankment and left it up to my fellow traveler. Made it with maybe 3/4 inch to spare. So the learning is easy.
Country roads require slowing down for curves, but the vehicle has no surprises.
I never looked for a Sport mode; the 1500 handled pretty nicely for a truck. This is a tie.
Off the road: Ram still offers the best controls for four-wheel drive.
Driver’s Seat: The mirrors that saved me in one spot threatened to annihilate me in others.
Big and poorly located, the mirrors made pulling into intersections a challenge. I couldn’t see around them. I am not exaggerating that I worried I was going to get T-boned.
Further, often when I accidentally glanced into the mirror while cornering, I’d think a car shown in the mirror was actually a car coming at me from that side. Yikes!
The seat is roomy and comfortable but kind of hot. There is seat ventilation, but read on for its downsides.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat is spacious, with tons of legroom, headroom, and foot room.
Unlike the Silverado, the seat slides back and forth so the back is not too straight. The seat bottom folds up. Advantage Ram.
The bed choices are 5 feet, 7 inches or 6 feet, 4 inches long.
Towing maxes out at 11,610 pounds, almost 1,000 less than the Silverado EV and almost 2,000 less than the Silverado. Advantage Silverado EV.
In and out: It’s quite a climb into the 1500, and we didn’t have running boards, so ouch.
Play some tunes: Sound from the 19-speaker Harman Kardon stereo is awesome, an A trending toward an A+. I uncovered parts of old songs I never really knew about, but it wasn’t across the board.
The vertical touchscreen is everything a Subaru wants to be. All screen, just a couple little buttons outside for HVAC controls. Big backup camera view.
But the top of the screen emits a terrible glare in the sun, so bad we had to cover it. Truly — there’s glare and there’s glare, and this is one your mom made when you wisecracked some rude teenage comment to one of your nicest aunts. Or so I’ve heard. Advantage Ram, despite my-, er someone’s, poor aunt.
Keeping warm and cool: Speaking of HVAC, I’d say don’t get me started, but that’s why I’m here. An acre of screen, and it’s nearly impossible to zero in on the teeny, tiny seat ventilation button. (Same for the heater.)
Further, it’s a toggle, so you have to hit it spot-on the right number of times for high, medium, or low. And it seemed to randomize after each restart, keeping the setting sometimes and others starting from scratch.
The rest of the functions were easier to see. Advantage Silverado EV.
Fuel economy: I averaged about 16 mpg in some hot-rod Hemi driving. Huge advantage Silverado EV. Still, this is better than the last gasoline-fed Silverado I tested.
Where it’s built: Sterling Heights, Mich.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the reliability to be a 1 out of 5. (They’ve made me promise not to use their more detailed 100-point system; let me just say this 1 is worth buying a subscription to investigate further.)
In the end: Fuel, schmuel, the Silverado EV is a much better truck overall, but the price of fuel would be a nice bonus. There’s something to be said for the rear seat in the Ram, though.
