The New Ram Hurricane Engine: Is It Better Than the 5.7 Hemi?
Here at Mark Martin Motors in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, we see a lot of trucks roll through our lot on Oregon Pike. From our local Lancaster County drivers to folks traveling three or four hours from Philadelphia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York to find the perfect clean used truck, everyone has been asking us the exact same question lately. What is the actual story on the new Ram Hurricane motor?
Is it a bad engine, or did Ram just make a bad move with bad timing? Let us dive into what this twin-turbo inline-six actually brings to the table and whether it can truly replace the legendary 5.7 Hemi V8.
On Paper, the Hurricane Motor Is a Beast
If you just look at the stat sheet, the Hurricane motor beats out the 5.7 Hemi in almost every single category. You get more horsepower, more torque, and better fuel efficiency. Ram definitely overengineered this motor, outfitting it with more forged internal components than even the tried and true Ford 3.5 EcoBoost.
Breaking Down the Power Output
Ram offers this new engine in two different setups, and the numbers are honestly insane for a six-cylinder truck.
Standard Output
The standard output Hurricane motor pushes out 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque. That is plenty of aggressive power for everyday driving and weekend hauling.
High Output
For the Ram RHO and the top-tier Tungsten edition, they drop in the high output version. This absolute monster puts out 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque. They originally built this high output motor to replace the TRX, though rumors are now circulating that the TRX might be making a comeback anyway.
How Does It Handle Towing and Reliability?
When a manufacturer rolls out a brand new engine, they usually play it safe with the initial tow ratings. They want to give it time to see how it performs in the real world before maxing out the spec sheet.
Towing Capacity Comparisons
Right now, the max towing on the Hurricane motor sits around 11,550 pounds. For comparison, the older 5.7 Hemi maxed out at 12,750 pounds. However, part of this difference comes down to the trucks themselves. The Hurricane is mostly going into heavier, higher-trim trucks rather than your base two-wheel-drive work models, which naturally lowers the payload and total tow ratings.
First Year Reliability Concerns
Since 2025 was the first production year for the Hurricane, we do not have a ton of high-mileage examples on the road just yet to judge long-term durability. So far, there are no major engine or transmission failures making waves. The only notable issue floating around is related to a plastic component in the thermostat assembly. Some owners are seeing check engine lights or overheating concerns between 10,000 and 30,000 miles. It seems like a simple fix, and if a thermostat is the worst problem this engine has, it could easily end up being one of the best motors Ram has ever built.
The Real Problem: It Does Not Sound Like a Truck
From behind the wheel, this engine handles amazingly well. It drives incredibly smooth, feeling more like a BMW than a heavy pickup truck. But when you look at pickup truck buyers in the US, we want what we know and trust. We want a truck that sounds and feels like a truck. American muscle means a good old V8. When you turn the key, you want to know you have something substantial under the hood.
The Disappointing Exhaust Note
To be completely honest, the exhaust note on the Hurricane is incredibly pathetic. It sounds a bit like a Honda Civic SI. Even the Ford 3.5 EcoBoost sounds more aggressive than this new Ram engine. If you park a Hurricane-equipped Ram next to an older 5.7 Hemi with a tweaked exhaust, the Hemi just sounds mean. It sounds exactly how a Ram pickup truck is supposed to sound.
Ram engineered a highly capable engine, but they seem to have forgotten who actually buys pickup trucks. Truck guys do not usually cross-shop with luxury European sedans. They want some rumble.
Should Ram Have Kept the V8 Option?
Ram likely looked at Ford having massive success with the EcoBoost since 2011 and figured they could do the exact same thing. But Ford understands the market and gives buyers options. If you want a twin-turbo V6, you can get it. But if you want a naturally aspirated V8, Ford still offers the 5.0 V8, which is currently the hottest pickup truck engine on the market. Buyers are fighting over them at the auctions.
Ram went about this transition all wrong. If you want to be the number one selling pickup, you have to give your buyers choices. Taking away the 5.7 Hemi entirely alienated a lot of loyal buyers who simply want a loaded truck that sounds tough, like a GM with a 6.2 V8.
Stop By Mark Martin Motors to See for Yourself
Is the Hurricane motor as bad as some purists crack it up to be? Not at all. It is a highly capable, efficient, and powerful engine. If you do not care about the exhaust note and just want a smooth, fast truck with an incredible interior, you will probably love it. In fact, we recently had a customer trade in a basically brand new Ram 1500 Hurricane Big Horn Edition with only 1,500 miles on it just because he wanted to try something different.
Whether you are looking for a practically new trade-in with the Hurricane motor or a classic 5.7 Hemi that rumbles exactly how you want it to, we have you covered. We keep our lot here in Ephrata stocked with the absolute cleanest used trucks in Pennsylvania. Even if you are a few hours away, it is always worth the easy drive to see our hand-picked inventory.
If you are curious to hear the exhaust note for yourself or want to dive deeper into the V8 versus inline-six debate, check out the full discussion in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kraI_pvEx6E