Video: 2025 Ram 1500 Wins Cars.com Full-Size Pickup Challenge

(gentle music) There's a redesigned Ram 1500 for the 2025 model year with new tech, new style, and most importantly, a new engine. The HEMI may be gone, but the Hurricane has blown in and it elevates the new Ram 1500 to heights it's never achieved before. The new Tungsten top trim levels luxurious appointments combine with the new straight six twin-turbo engine to create a dynamite package. It's good enough to win our latest Full-Size Pickup Truck Challenge, beating out two other top trucks, thanks in large part to its newfound refinement. So what else did we like about the new Ram 1500? Well, it all starts with that new engine. Two new 3.0-liter straight six twin-turbocharged engines are available in the new Ram 1500 with our Tungsten test model coming with the High-Output version, making a whopping 540 horsepower, far more than the outgoing 5.7-liter HEMI V8 ever pumped out in the Ram. It enabled our test truck to launch from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 4.8 seconds when we had nothing in the bed. But even loaded up to maximum payload, it still ripped off a stunning 5.3 second zero to 60 time. Both of those are faster than any other truck in our test. But it's not just all about speed, it's also about smoothness. The refinement of the new Hurricane engine is astonishing, with more than one judge commenting that, "This engine wouldn't feel at all out of place under the hood of a flagship German luxury sedan." The fuel economy isn't great with us observing a 21 mile per gallon combined performance in our long testing loop. But given how much more power it puts out versus the old HEMI V8, this is kind of understandable. The only thing you'll miss about the old HEMI V8 is the rumble. The new Hurricane engine is better by just about every measure and makes all the difference in the Ram's performance. But combine that new engine and performance with the rest of the Ram's dynamic qualities and you have a true American luxury vehicle experience. The ride quality of the Ram 1500 Tungsten with its adjustable height air suspension is outstanding. The best of any pickup we tested over any surface, the Ram 1500 remains steady, smooth, and silent without any disruptive vibration or odd body behavior reaching the occupants. Handling is excellent as well, at least for a pickup truck, with a typical highly-boosted steering feel, but a precision that doesn't make the Ram feel floaty or boat-like. This excellent behavior continues when you put a trailer behind the Ram with the truck exhibiting excellent body control and stability, even in significant crosswinds. When you want to use your expensive luxury truck like an actual truck, the Ram 1500 steps up with performance that instills confidence. And that can make all the difference in a long highway slog with a camper behind you. But as much as we were blown away by the new '25 Ram 1500, it's not a perfect experience. The biggest issue we had was with the glitchy electronics that our test vehicle came with. The big 14.4 inch vertical touchscreen display in the center console was something that drew a lot of controversy. On one hand, Apple CarPlay looks fantastic on this screen with navigation apps, in particular, looking stellar. But too many controls have been put into the touchscreen now, like the heated seat controls. And putting the truck in reverse brings up a backup camera view that's decidedly smaller than competitors' with more horizontally-oriented screens. Seeing the huge screen can sometimes be a challenge too as sunlight glare is a real problem in some conditions. And in our early production truck, oftentimes, the screen would lock up, rendering Apple CarPlay unusable, or the driver's window wouldn't quite close, due to a bad sensor, or the automatic trailer reversing tech sometimes wouldn't do what it was asked to do. Glitches like these are minor, but they do give us some pause about Ram's efforts in initial quality. Overall, however, the pros far outweigh the cons in Ram's newest top luxury pickup. It's always been one of our favorites. And the latest version with its refinements, exceptional powertrain, useful truck features, and unrivaled luxury trimmings all add up to a winning formula that puts the '25 Ram 1500 at the top of the pickup truck pack. It may not rumble, like it once did, but it certainly does shine. For the complete results of our full-size pickup truck comparison test or to see a review of the new 2025 Ram 1500, make sure you click on cars.com/news. It's all waiting for you there. (upbeat music)