The 2025 Ram 1500 is the product of a generational redesign that sees a gentler face emerge for the storied, capable truck. Like the Ford F-150, the changes to the Ram truck aren't major with this new generation of redos. Instead, the company focused on increasing technology and feature capability, and putting a new engine in the truck.
Full-size truck competition is stiff and Ford, Chevrolet and GMC rivals have all done their due diligence and upped the ante since the Ram was last brand new. Here's what I liked and disliked after a week behind the wheel.
What we tested: Newsweek test drove a 2025 Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab 4x4 in Diamond Black Crystal Pearl for this review. The truck has a starting price of $75,455. Ram provided a truck with a host of upgrades, which brought the final cost up to $86,290 with a $1,995 destination charge added in.
KEEP: New Hurricane engine
The truck's 3.0-liter Hurricane engine delivers 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque, which is ample for daily driver duties. It's quieter than a diesel or the previous V8 HEMI motor, but its strength and relative savings at the pump versus the HEMI make it a winner.
If you want something greener, there is a 3.6-liter Pentastar engine with mild-hybrid technology available. It delivers an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 25 miles per gallon. Of course, once loaded down with gear, and if towing, efficiency drastically goes down.
CHANGE: Location of infotainment screen
The tester truck came equipped with Ram's 14.4-inch infotainment screen, which is integrated vertically into the center of the dashboard.
I'm not tall, but I'm also not short. I sit a proper distance away from the steering wheel for my height. I could not read the truck's infotainment screen while on the go; it was too far into the cabin. This wasn't a brightness or contrast issue, nor was it impaired by the sun's rays.
If I had actually needed the backup camera at any point, the screen's location would have failed me. Instead, I backed up the old fashioned way, mirrors and a head turn.
CHANGE: Climate controls and visibility
The issue with the climate controls is down to the location of the screen. While the temperature up/down and fan speed controls are physical buttons next to the screen near the top, the actual temperature of the vehicle is displayed on the screen. It can't be seen while driving, at least from an average seating position.
KEEP: Steering wheel controls
Ram wins for having physical buttons throughout the vehicle, even if they are duplicative for on-screen controls. One stop further is the steering wheel, which uses ridges and contours to define the spaces between groups of buttons, and even buttons from each other.
Once cannot overstate how good steering wheel design effects a drive experience. At all times of day, poor steering wheel design can be a nuisance and a safety hazard. Ram over Toyota, Mercedes and BMW any day in this regard.
AGNOSTIC: Front passenger screen
Ram's 1500 can now be equipped with a passenger entertainment screen. It's not visible from the driver's side but it also doesn't blend into the dashboard the way the Mercedes-Benz Superscreen does.
Ram lists the screen as "disassociated touchscreen display" as part of its Equipment Group A package, which is only available on some trucks. That package, through pricey at $4,415, gets an owner a ton of tech upgrades including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a hands-free driver assistance system, a head-up display, a surround-view camera system and phone-as-key technology.
English (US) ·