Well now... V8 Hemi-Powered Ram 1500 is back

[FORDTEXAS]

The Ram 3.0 straight six has been a disaster with numerous reliability issues that have left some owners with a sour taste in their mouths and it has dismal sales so far. It is an impressive performer though when it does work.

The Toyota 3.4 twin turbo V6 has been an even bigger disappointment with numerous major engine failures and recalls. Not exactly a good showing for Toyota or this technology. Of all the companies that build trucks I would’ve expected this to be least likely to happen to Toyota, but then again my 2001 Tundra was great until the frame rotted out. The fuel economy of this engine is also dismal.

i agree with you about the ram statement. however i do feel that the toyota engine failures were blown out of proportion.

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[Dakar09]

are you talking about tim kuniskis?

Yes, the new CEO fella.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's doing it. But I feel it was more because GM and Ford continue to offer and develop their V8s

 

[Goldeneye36]

Funny how a thread about Ram bowing to market forces and bringing back the Hemi still manages to devolve into 5.0 vs EB infighting, lol.

I was going to type more but it's not worth it. The 5.0 is a great engine and I'm glad it's still available. The EB has been around just as long as the 5.0 (~15 years) and if it was as unreliable and terrible as the "V8 or nothing" people claim, it wouldn't still exist. The 5.0 has had its own issues over it's run as well.

Both are complicated engines in their own way, despite turbos not actually being new or complex tech in and of itself (everyone seems to forget turbodiesels have been a thing forever). I like options and it's great Ford offers them. Taking a chance on rocking the boat with a TTV6 in a full size truck over a decade before everyone else has paid off for them.

 

[Jeff1024]

Funny how a thread about Ram bowing to market forces and bringing back the Hemi still manages to devolve into 5.0 vs EB infighting, lol.

I was going to type more but it's not worth it. The 5.0 is a great engine and I'm glad it's still available. The EB has been around just as long as the 5.0 (~15 years) and if it was as unreliable and terrible as the "V8 or nothing" people claim, it wouldn't still exist. The 5.0 has had its own issues over it's run as well.

Both are complicated engines in their own way, despite turbos not actually being new or complex tech in and of itself (everyone seems to forget turbodiesels have been a thing forever). I like options and it's great Ford offers them. Taking a chance on rocking the boat with a TTV6 in a full size truck over a decade before everyone else has paid off for them.

Very well said. It's great Ford continues to provide options....always good to have choices and we will all have our personal preferences based on usage and perceived reliability or lack there of.

 

[Dakar09]

It's all about the options. I think that's where the Toyota and Ram trucks really turn people off. "Your only engine choice is Fill in the blank but you'll love it.

 

[24Carbon150]

Maybe best to wait to see just how durable, reliable, or value-retaining these engines are in the future before we sing their praises? On paper, these look great, not everything is about "stats".

The new Toyota engines aren't exactly thrilling people with performance or reliability. The new Ram TT engine will likely not do so either. And the 5.0 can hang very well with the EB. Again, the PB is a different beast and doesn't belong in this comparison. It adds more cost, a lot more weight, and more parts that can go wrong.

Besides, there's not replacement for displacement

I stand by my previous posts. None of the V-8’s of previous gen’s come even close to outperforming the newer turbo engines, are there growing pains in the first few years of production….absolutely, but if you drove each of the above trucks and compared the the old engine versus the newer engine there’s is absolutely no comparison. The V-8’s lose in every category. Same goes for our Fords, I have several friends with 5.0‘s and I drove a couple 5.0’s when making my purchase, the V-8’s are just old technology compared to these newer more powerful engines. Will this pattern continue….Couldn’t tell you , but it’s hard to get a guy back into a truck with less power, less acceleration and worse fuel mileage.

 

[Dakar09]

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to disagree with it, lol

The Coyote V8 is no older than the EB, nor is it less sophisticated. You strike me as a "newer is better" kind of person, and that's cool. However, there is also the "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" school. I'm in the latter camp.

But to slam the Coyote is just stupid, tbh.

 

[Jeff1024]

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to disagree with it, lol

The Coyote V8 is no older than the EB, nor is it less sophisticated.

Not to start a war, but as I sip my coffee this AM I figured I would try to start a small battle.

I don't understand "the 5.0 is simpler" train of thought. Both the 3.5 and the 5.0 are complex engines. This isn't 1960, every engine in a modern car/truck/van is complex at this point. It's a necessity to have systems like VVT and direct injection to produce 400+ hp while also achieving 20+ mpg.

Sure, we could go back to "simple" V8's with pushrods, multiport fuel injection, and simple engine management but at that point everyone would be complaining because they only made 200hp.

Yes the EcoBoost has turbo's, but this isn't The Fast and the Furious we are not bolting on NOS and Turbos that we overnighted from Japan prior to Race Wars. The 3.5 is a factory turbo setup with internals and maybe more important engine management built to hold the boost from the factory. Turbo chargers have been around forever, offer a ton of advantages, and if done correctly are no more or less reliable than a big modern V8.

We live in a world where a production engines regularly make 400hp and 500ft/lbs of torque on 87 octane pump gas and are generally reliable. We are spoiled.

Pick the V8 for the sound, or b/c you are a traditionalist and think trucks should have V8's. Or Pick the Ecoboost b/c you tow heavy and like the low end linear torque curve. Either is an amazing Factory Engine that is making stupid power numbers. Where I think people get twisted up a bit is thinking one is "less complex" or "easier to maintain" than the other. They both have their issues which Ford has by in large addressed and are both in their current form solid powerplant options.

 

[FORDTEXAS]

Yes, the new CEO fella.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's doing it. But I feel it was more because GM and Ford continue to offer and develop their V8s

i think you might be misunderstanding it. the stellantis CEO wanted the 8 cylinder engines GONE. however the smaller CEO's such as tim kuniskis and matt mcalear wanted the engines to stay.

therefore carlos tavares is the main reason the 8 cylinder engines went bye bye

 

[24Carbon150]

But to slam the Coyote is just stupid, tbh.

I wasn’t slamming the Coyote, I was simply stating that there isn’t one segment where the V-8’s are outperforming the newer TT smaller displacement engines. You don’t need to defend whatever truck you own, this is just a subjective discussion.

 

[JCsTruck]

I wasn’t slamming the Coyote, I was simply stating that there isn’t one segment where the V-8’s are outperforming the newer TT smaller displacement engines. You don’t need to defend whatever truck you own, this is just a subjective discussion.

That’s not correct. In the Ford lineup the 5.0 liter V8 nearly matches the more powerful TT 3.5 in performance and beats it in towing fuel economy and reliability and costs less too.

 

[Dakar09]

I wasn’t slamming the Coyote, I was simply stating that there isn’t one segment where the V-8’s are outperforming the newer TT smaller displacement engines. You don’t need to defend whatever truck you own, this is just a subjective discussion.

I wasn't defending my truck. I was more commenting on the rather quick embracing of new unproven technologies of these smaller, higher strung, overly complicated engines. Current EB excluded, give those new engines a chance to earn their praise.

But the general dismissal and looking down on the Coyote around here is a bit surprising. I know some of it is in jest, but it's almost like a talking to a bunch of Lightning guys ??

 

[Dakar09]

i think you might be misunderstanding it. the stellantis CEO wanted the 8 cylinder engines GONE. however the smaller CEO's such as tim kuniskis and matt mcalear wanted the engines to stay.

therefore carlos tavares is the main reason the 8 cylinder engines went bye bye

I think you're misunderstanding me. I was saying the new RAM CEO is going to look like the cool guy by BRINGING THEM BACK. I am well aware the old Stellantis CEO (Tavares) was an idiotic global puppet and ditched the Hemi altogether. Oddly, Tavares was also coming down heavily AGAINST EV mandates.

 

[FORDTEXAS]

I was saying the new RAM CEO is going to look like the cool guy by BRINGING THEM BACK

because he does deserve the credit. he fought for what the consumers wanted.

 

[PJRNM]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, haven't reviewed every post, but the Hemi will be the eTorque version, not a fan. That hybrid system is what sealed my intent to purchase an F150 with the 3.5.

The Hemi will be offered in the 2026 Ram 1500 Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Express, Warlock, Laramie, Limited, and Longhorn. It will come a bit later to the off-road Rebel, a delay needed to accommodate some of that truck's unique features. And the Hemi, which will feature the eTorque mild hybrid system, will come with the sport exhaust standard.

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