2025 Ram 1500 & Ramcharger DEEP DIVE with the Chief Engineers! 

I want to see the TFL guide to Moab! Where to stay, eat, stuff to see and the TRAILS!

In regards to the Ram air suspension durability, it uses a "closed" system with nitrogen stored in tanks to reduce failures caused by moisture. Other OE's with durability issues utilized an open atmosphere system. We've all seen how much moisture comes out of a shop air compressors tank.

3.0 L inline 6, closed deck aluminum block. All I think of is BMW's B58 engine. They're legendary. With a tune and minor bolt ons these hurricane engines will be brutal, and will eclipse the Hemi in every way, only cost will be the engine sound but there's everything to gain with this. Would have been a nice opportunity to ask why the 392 never got out in the ram

I have an SO Hurricane(420/469) in my Wagoneer S2 with the Advanced All Terrain Group (3.92 rear). It compares favorably with the 6.4L (410/429) 4.10 rear in the Power Wagon it replaced. Torque comes in lower , is flatter ,wider and over all much smoother. One thing to note for traditionalists is that it DOES NOT have dip stick and must be checked electronically. .

I love my tow hooks or recovery hooks they are so handy I may not have used them often but having them is a big convenance. I hope they continue to give us the built to serve in the big hard as well.

I love my HEMI in my '22 Rebel, however, I'm pretty sure I could cozy up to 521 horse power and even 420! The exhaust note is going to take some getting used to. I believe RAM makes the greatest looking trucks and their interiors are second to none. Just my opinion.

I had a 01 F150 4x4 and live in So Cal. I have used my tow hooks to pull low cars off of a curb they got stuck on and I used them with a tow chain to pull out tree stomps. They are usefully even in the city.

I've used my tow hooks many many times. I've pulled people out of the ditch in the snow, have pulled dead vehicles back so I could get jumper cables on the vehicle, I've used them for pulling brush out of the ground, and the list goes on.

Hemi ticks aren’t an issue if you don’t idle your vehicle for an extended period of time.. if you do; you should replace your oil pump with a melling or hellcat pump to increase oil volume AND pressure at low rpms.

There is no replacement for displacement guy's. On paper, ok so the I6 outperforms the HEMI. Longterm the V8 will outlast any turbo'd out V6 or I6. Reliability or performance? I will take reliability over performance in a heartbeat. Another great video guys!

Keep it up -- Love the interviews with engineers.

You guys have the best job in the world!

Episode 201 Deep Dive is for sure a big help to me in my decision making. Your interviews of the two Ram engineers helped me make the decision to hold off for one more year before I replace my 2010 F150. I normally never buy a first of, but this time I may change my mind. Looking forward to more evaluation information in the future.

The octane discussion reminded me that back around 2010 there was a push by the automakers to transition to 97 octane gasoline in order to support tighter emissions. That argument was muted by the EV push, but it may still have to happen. If you want to understand what impact that can have just study the impact the switch to 100 octane had on allied aircraft in WWII.

The current 1500 stylings are skookum 👌

One thing bout one is mentioning is that inline engines are inherently simpler when compared with any V engine. One head, one exhaust manifold, one intake gasket, one valve cover, much easier spark plug access, etc etc…

This Ramcharger has blown up on the car scene. It’s going to set records. As TFL always likes to say. Unobtainanium!!!

The twin turbo may outperform a naturally aspirated v8, but it comes with much higher maintenance when you have to replace those turbos.

Great podcast as always! I am really interested in the new Ram plug-in with 690 range. Now to see if it is going to cost a 100 grand!

Thanks for explaining the difference between a Range Extender EV and a Plug in Hybrid. Most people didn't get it.

I just got a 2024 2500 Ram 4x4 work truck with 6.4l Hemi and turning in my 2018 6.4l 175k miles only problems were fuel pump failure, Electric radiator fan failed, and the inside of the radiator plugged up/ gummed up causing an over heat. Other than that engine was very reliable. 2024 I will update at the end of the summer. the 2019 was the classic body style.

Of course I use tow hooks, I bought a Power wagon in 2019! The Ramcharger interests me as a daily as my commute is 90 miles/day.

I’ve had a Ram since 1997. There is literally NO WAY I’m ever going to have a truck without a V8. I’ll be keeping my current Ram while looking at GM and Ford. Since they hate their customers I don’t even feel bad.

You both have a lot of credibiilty when you explain things in such tech ways. As well getting the engineer in an interview was FANTASTIC!

It dont matter how many hours of full throttle testing they show me anymore. I remember the 5.7 hemi got over 100 hours of full throttle testing and it cant even hadle 1000 hours of idleing without eating a cam and lifters. Real world testing is the only thing that truly tests a powertrain

Use my tow hooks all the time. Tow hooks and bumper steps should be on every single truck

The numbers on the new ice ram sound pretty good to me. I like the idea of good power and hopefully half decent economy with an ice. That could be nice for those that don't really want a hybrid.

Just look into Diesel Electric trains- been doing it for years.

The range extender may be the best EV system yet. It's been effectively used in railroad locomotives for decades. I'm a bit surprised they didn't use one of their 4 cylinder engines to power the generator, to save weight and space. I suppose the existing V6 was a more cost effective solution for the first model.

It’s going to be all about durability and reliability in the end and that’s goanna take time. Hurricane motor with no cylinder sleeves to me a major flaw to this design.

Totally with you, Nathan, on the tow hooks! I used my tow hooks to recover another driver from the snow. Would rather know I have them instead of wishing I did when a situation arises. As for the main topic of this video, I really want to love the I-6 Hurricane, but I have been burned before with a new Stellantis powertrain (had the 3.0L EcoDeisel in a Jeep G. Cherokee). I'll wait a generation or two before opting in.

Fantastic video that was very informative. Leaning very strongly towards the Ramcharger and I liked the interview with Joe Tolkacz. It answered a ton of questions and made me want the truck even more. Curious about the MSRP. Figure it will be about the same as the Ram Rev, but I'm hoping it comes in around the 90k range.

I have used the tow hooks on my Jeep SUVs to pull other drivers out many times, I have also used them to yank some things around on our property. They are important enough to me that I have chosen a different vehicle several times when purchasing in order to make sure it was equipped with factory tow hooks. The factory tow hooks tend to be superior to some aftermarket ones because they are engineered into the vehicle and designed to actually be used, not just for looks. So ya Nathan I totally agree with you.

Really apprecaite this. Great content and thanks for the engineers to join the call. As a RAM owner it's nice to see!

Tow hooks: YES!

11:56 "adorable engine"😂

BTW if a person pauses at 11:39 you can see the parts differences for the HO version. It is a lot, different piston, crank, intake manifold, injectors, turbos, rods, one of the cams, etc. Also I think the Ramcharger is going to be a hit! The Pentastar should be great in this application. Really under stressed since it runs at the optimum RPM for efficiency and never exceeds I believe 3600 RPM in this application.

With regards to tow hooks; yes, I have used them. How: mostly to get personal cars (and one FedEx delivery truck) unstuck in deep snow up here in AK. I don't use them often, and I would not mind if they are hidden somehow, but I hope the new Ram trucks have them.

A friend of mine uses it as a backup when crossing rivers on his crazy custom, betaup, 90s Range Rover. I have seen him do it quite a few times, it a nice thing to be sure you wont get stuck in a river.

The overall package of the Ramcharger is excellent and will sell and put pressure on Ford/GM/Toyota to either get up to 2.5+ miles per kwh on EV or a range extender EV combo with better mpge equivalent 30-50+ and msrp for a competitive 40k-80k. A stripped down 40k-50k commercial/retail model needs built.....let the consumer dictate what they want!!!!

im a ram guy and i already put my deposit in

I heard from a critic that a diesel (either non-hybrid or non-plug-in-hybrid) would be more efficient at towing than this ramcharger, because of the extra weight of the batteries. I tried to convince him that the extra battery capacity means that the ramcharger would actually be MORE efficient (even under towing) in hilly terrain, because of the increased regenerative braking capacity. I hope you guys will actually test this out some day to prove this out!

Did I hear that chief engineer correctly? They killed the hemi, forcing customers to try the SST/SST HO hoping they would like it better? No, bring the hemi back as an option. Don't try to force customers into what you want them to do. It might be time for a Ford, or GM. Gross. I'm so disappointed with ram.

Holding onto my '17 as long as possible.

The lack of a V8 is going to hit RAM sales HAARRRRRD. They lost my next purchase because of it, and I'm sure MANY people feel the same.

You can defend the straight six, however we all know GM is developing a new small block. Therefore the argument for the 6 cylinder is not all that great

It'll be interesting to see its actual durability and performance next to a Cybertruck. I'm all about utility and performance. A 1500 is a light work/play compromise. My smallest truck is a 2500.

Once again you've given us some very good information on the Ram Charger and the different Ram 1500 pickups. Please keep doing this wonderful work, as it helps us to understand more things about the vehicles we drive!!

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 3.6. My buds made fun on me when i bought it BUT i freaking love the thing... I also have a 2014 Dodge Charger 3.6 with 200k miles on it.... WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

Does the RAM 3.0L fuel injector wash the intake valve or is it DPI only? The BMW 3.0L N54 didn't spray past the intake valves and they would coke badly. Walnut shell blasting was necessary to remove carbon buildup.

These v6 i6 i4 turbo engines are built to to 85% of its power before becoming unreliable all the time the average LS and coyote are at 50% or lower of its capability. I have owned a 2015 1500 with a 5.3 4x4 I got a best of 23.6 mpg at the pump at 65-75 mph speeds I rented a 3.5 2019 f150 4x4 took it on the same trip and got a average of 20.6 same speeds. I currently have a 2020 ram 1500 5.7 with 3.92 gears I just come back from the same trip I got 21.3 mpg all trucks where calculated at the pump the chevy was underrated .2mpg on the dash ford was way overrated 1.8 mpg and my ram was .4mpg overrated. Why I bring this up is because a turbo charged 4 or 6 cylinder making 300-400 hp will get the same mpg as a well built v8 making the same.

Are you guys planning on picking up and doing a short term ownership of the electric with generator? I'm very curious to see how it actually performs as a potential buy for myself as I won't need to use a truck for towing that often outside of weekend warrior and holiday trips

The electric hybrid sounds cool, but I have a few questions. 1. How long are the batteries supposed to be good for? 2. Are the batteries accessible, or would the body need to be lifted for a change? 3. Price of the battery pack. If they need to be changed out every 5yrs, is it affordable?

Can't wait for a Hurricane Wrangler Rubicon

It is kinda like a combination of the present Laramie Sport and Limited combined (the exterior look). I am into it (Ramcharger), can not wait to own one and put some custom rims on it.

Great job guys. Nice to have the engineers on to clarify things. Looking forward to these trucks. They look awesome.

From a design perspective, inline motors are way more robust and higher performing than a “V” design engine.

Lol @ the Ford Lightning ad at the end

I thought he said adorable but it was "durable." Man it sucks getting old😂!

Took hooks are amazing. My truck doesn’t have them on it and it sucks. My fuel pump stop working and my brother had to hook to my crossbar and it not as easy to get too. If my truck had tow hook it would have made it easier.

I’ve had 4 pickups. I’ve used the tow hooks twice… once for moving a dock… the other to drag a log. I could have used the trailer hitch in those cases as well.. it’s handy to have them if you ever have to pull someone out of the snow but I haven’t been there (yet).

My man Nathen I use them every day to pull stumps out . Go tow hooks . No tow hooks no buy.😊

Ladies and Gentlemen, we present you with the all new 3JZ!.... oops, sorry, I meant, the all new Hurricane 🌀 engine!!😂 This could be a good thing only time will tell..🤞

I have a BMW with a 3.0 straight 6 and it’s amazing! BMW has been using the 3.0 six for many many years. I love my 3.0 6cyl, lots of power, creamy smooth running motor, and reliable as watch. Hopefully stellantis make the new motor as reliable as BMWs engine. And more of a gas saver!

My next truck will definitely have tow hooks in front and a receiver hitch in the rear. If truck, tow hooks are used somewhere some place sometime. Does not matter if it’s 4x2 or 4x4.

Ramcharger in a 2500 or 3500 format would be interesting if it ever came to be.

Will the Multifunctional Tailgate be available with the Rev or RamCharger? Based on the tail light design it seems not. I love that feature.

So glad they didn't change the body (much at all, but still minor update for aerodynamics) Not everything must change, but it is very new otherwise.

27 gallon fuel tank + about 3 gallons of gasoline of battery (33.7kwh/gallon)..so 30 gallons of fuel and the range using all of that (i assume) is 690miles (at what speed i don't know, but probably highway speeds). So overall 23mpg. Not horrible, but nothing great either.

The only reason I can think of why RAM would go with SST vs SSTT is that they own the IP for the trademark from Chrysler buying AMC back in the day. Would be interesting to ask someone in the know.

I'm a bit worried that the vehicle-to-grid functionality won't be in the launch Ramcharger and that it will be a feature that can't be turned on later. This is a key feature that would get me to buy this truck. I did reserve my spot in line so will be looking for updates as launch gets closer.

All I care about is the Ram Charger. This one will be a game changer!

The single biggest advantage of a 6 cylinder over others is the lack of secondary vibrations, Downsides are that it is long and may have plumbing issues as well as engine bay space issues.

I want to hear you guys elaborate on the 2019 rebel and how it was “ruined”

I don't have rated tow hooks on my hilux but I've used the receiver bar several times to tow other vehicles. I also use my truck off-road and have recovery gear available. Rated hooks front and rear on a truck are crucial. It is a truck after all, not a suv. Make it an option and let the city slickers get a truck without them.

I've used the tow hook on my Laramie as an anchor for my repelling rope to complete a rescue. There was nothing else around to tie onto. The truck is normally a daily driver.

Has the tank size been confirmed at 27gallon? If so the range seems very low. 690-145=545. /27 gallons=20mpg. Doesn’t the regular v6 get better than that already? I expected the engine to be more efficient being that it’s not subject to the regular stop and go and acceleration loads. Interesting. I’m wondering if he made a mistake on the tank size and it’s 17 gallons or something.

I used the front tow hooks to pull out a stump

Ramcharger needs to be the future of HD trucks. Small diesel generator, electric motors. Torque allll the time.

so I will respond to your tow hook question. I use mine several times each winter. I regularly pull US MAIL rural delivery mailmen and their vehicle out of snowbanks. I also use them to pull my John Deere snowblowert out when I screw up and slides it off the road. The real advantage is it is an easy and safe place to hook.. Plus you don't have to lay down on the ground and try to find something underneath that you think is strong enough t to hook onto. Obviously all this app;lies to the front. In the rear you use your trailer hitch.

in 16 years of owning my 2500HD 4 x4 i only used the tow hooks only 1 time that was to pull out someone else out

I have used tow hooks way more than I have ever used the spare tire or emergency Jack. It would be stupid to not have any of this emergency equipment.

I don’t care what engine is in the truck they need to keep the price down make it affordable for the average working man so the company will stay alive and well and make the vehicle reliable to bring back the reputation kinda like Toyota did in the 70s they need to contact Buyers after three months and ask questions how to improve.

Direct injection with no port fuel injection to clean the intake valves will prove to be a mistake but hopefully they’ll change that on the next iteration

I haven’t used a trailer brake yet: do you often need to dynamically control gain? It feels like gain ought to be set by the trailer you tow, and once you’re hooked up and loaded you shouldn’t need to adjust that number.

Towhooks are like protection, better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Agree with nathan 100%

Nathan caught Andre off guard at 37:34

You still might able to get a hemi with Ram classic in 2025😂

I'd be curious if there are aero shutters on the radiator for the EV mode? To me not having those is the only reason the EV mode efficiency might be well under other EVs? But seems even the REV has a lower range than one would expect, so seems they might just be underselling EV efficiency with these until they get the EPA numbers.

In theory in terms of efficiency a BEV with a ICE range extender would make perfect sense. But in reality a Hybrid system is way more efficient, for automobile applications.

If you take a 690 mile road trip and the batteries are depleted at 145 miles, the balance of the trip will be on the 260 hp engine/generator. The motors are still capable of 540 hp but the V6 can't keep up (260 hp in, 540 hp out). The primary rear motor with 239 hp can be used for cruising while charging but not towing uphill.

For the Ram Charger portion of the pod cast it would have been nice to have a visual demonstration of what the engineer was speaking about like wat was done for the first part of the podcast with the hurricane

Pro tow hooks!! I have never owned a truck but have car topped many kayaks, canoes, etc and use front tow hooks whenever possible for tie downs. Reals SUVs and trucks should have tow hooks. Period.

Hey ram, can we get a transmission in the HD trucks that weren’t intended for a van like the 68rfe? Why even offer anything other than the Aisin and why haven’t you gone to a 8 or 10 speed like the competition?

This in a 2WD regular cab will be wild

good podcast too but why is hemi 5.7 engine discontinued?

Shame on them for not getting the sound issue down!

I pulled my neighbor's semi tractor out of their snowy driveway with the tow hook on a 2004 Trailblazer. And how about the Durango, do you think it will live on with a similar refresh and powertrain?

I own a Gen5 1500 Laramie with the 5.7 - I live in Germany and drive a lot also in other European countries. It is a truly great truck and also a truly great car at the same time. There is one thing though, I am really disappointed with - and RAM did not change this for the updated 2025 lineup - the approach to the "energy saving" - and also parts and cost savings area. The ZF 8HPxxx (xxx for torque maximum in Nm) 8speed transmission is a great product, it dominates the whole car industry. It comes in many different versions - and since about 2015, ZF has a mild hybrid version, e.g. BMW is using it since then, meanwhile in all of their models. This integrates an electrical engine IN the transmission - and being there, it serves in three roles at the same time : it is a starter, a generator, and an electric motor to help with start/stop and boost when there is enough capacity in the battery. Doing so, it replaces two classical items (the starter and the generator) in the engine bay, and it also saves all the belts and all the mechanics to drive them. PLUS it serves as an electric booster. WHY ON EARTH does RAM go for the version without the mild hybrid parts in it - the eTorque (which my RAM does not have) is a weirdly overcomplicated solution. You have the classical starter and generator you have to pay for PLUS another belt driven electrical device to recuperate and boost a bit. RAM's choice from the ZF 8HP lineup does not make any sense, and even for the updated model they failed to recognize this, and stick to the crappy eTorque approach. As an engineer, I am feeling ashamed instead of RAM. Just one comment on the straight 6 twin turbo design : it is a "successful" adaptation of a BMW diesel engine design from 2004 (!) - some might know the 535d/540d. The design is still good - but, come on. One also could put the two turbos on the two sides of a V8. Which is done by BMW (545i/550i) and Audi, or e.g Ferrari (now with Stellantis like RAM) on their V8 since ages.

Omg of course we all use tow hooks for pulling out small trees and bushes for getting unstuck for tying down things etc. etc.