Ram ditching Hemi V8 for Hurricane six – report

A Hurricane is getting ready to blow into Ram showrooms.

Mopar Insiders reports Stellantis’ new Hurricane GME-T6 inline-six engines, debuted in the Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L, will soon find a home under the bonnet of the updated Ram 1500.

They’ll reportedly replace the stalwart Hemi naturally aspirated 5.7-litre V8, which is being phased out across Stellantis’ brands.

The updated Ram 1500 range is reportedly set for a 2024 introduction in North America.

The Hurricane twin-turbocharged inline six is currently available in two iterations, with a third, plug-in hybrid version yet to be released.

The Standard Output produces over 298kW of power and 610Nm of torque, while the High Output produces over 373kW of power and 644Nm of torque.

The range will reportedly continue to open with the Pentastar 3.6-litre naturally aspirated V6 with the eTorque 48V mild-hybrid system. The 1500’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 was recently discontinued.

All engines will reportedly continue to use a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.

The report makes no mention of the fire-breathing supercharged V8-powered TRX, so it’s unclear if that will stick around. While six-cylinder engines account for the bulk of Ford F-150 sales, it still retains a pair of V8 options.

The updated Ram 1500 has already been seen testing, with what appear to be changes to the grille, front bumper and tail lights, among other details.

Inside, Mopar Insiders reports Ram’s design team have been focused on premium textures, colours and materials, with a new luxurious Tungsten model set to offer a bevy of luxury features.

These will reportedly include a suede-wrapped headliner and A- and B-pillars, along with quilted leather upholstery, brushed aluminium and diamond knurled trim elements, and 24-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage plus four-way power headrests.

The updated 1500 will reportedly feature a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Uconnect 5, along with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a segment-first 10.25-inch passenger screen, the latter a feature having already appeared in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

This array of screens has already been previewed with the upcoming electric Ram 1500 REV, which has been confirmed for Australia.

The 1500 will also reportedly offer features like a digital rear-view mirror, head-up display, and a 23-speaker Klipsch Reference Premiere sound system.

The current DT-series Ram 1500 went on sale in North America in 2018, though it took until 2021 to get here in locally remanufactured right-hand drive guise. It’s offered exclusively with the 5.7-litre Hemi V8.

V8 engines are slowly being phased out at Stellantis. While the standard Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer use 5.7-litre and 6.4-litre V8 engines, respectively, their extended-length L versions debuted with Hurricane sixes.

The Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger and Challenger are exiting production, with their replacements to use electric power – though the new STLA Large architecture does support petrol power.

Jeep CEO Christian Meunier also confirmed it’s feasible the new WL-series Grand Cherokee could receive the Hurricane six.

While six-cylinder engines have commonly served as base engines in large American pickup trucks, it wasn’t until Ford started rolling out its EcoBoost engines in its F-150 that we started to see a shift away from V8s.

Turbocharged six-cylinder engines are now among the most popular F-150 powertrains, eclipsing the V8, while the latest Toyota Tundra has dropped the old V8 for a six-cylinder-only line-up.

One holdout is General Motors. It’s taken a different tack, having dropped six-cylinder engines from its Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and rolled out a turbocharged 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine.

Despite this downsizing, GM has stood by its V8 engines, and recently announced it was investing more money in V8 development and production. GM had reportedly been working on twin-turbo six-cylinder engines for its pickups, before pulling the plug on the project.

MORE: Everything Ram 1500