2025 Ram 1500 TOTY Review: A Hell of a Truck With a Diverse Model Lineup

The Ram 1500 pickup is a two-time winner of MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year award, and the nameplate is back with a diverse model lineup, a new turbocharged straight-six engine, and more tech than ever before.

There are 10 models of Ram 1500 available today—with a $47,000 price difference between the top and bottom of the range. Of these trucks, the Ram 1500 Warlock, RHO, and Tungsten all vied for this year’s Golden Calipers. Of those 10 variants, four can be had in two-wheel drive, six only come in 4x4 guise, and the Ram 2500 Tradesman HFE only offers rear-wheel drive, a 6-foot, 4-inch box, and the 3.6-liter V-6.

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The V-8’s absence from the lineup is headline news this year. Both the Ram 1500 Tungsten and RHO feature the new twin-turbo Hurricane I-6 under their hoods in its high-output form, making 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque. The standard-output twin-turbo Hurricane I-6 is available in the Tradesman, Bighorn, Warlock, Laramie, and Rebel trims, where it makes 420 hp and 469 lb-ft. The Hurricane makes less power than the preceding 6.2-liter V-8, but the lighter engine was designed to perform (almost) as well with better efficiency.

With a Ram 1500 for every use case and budget, the Warlock aims straight at the hearts of value-driven buyers. Climbing inside, judges called the appointments “basic yet refined” and “unapologetically Tradesman” with vinyl floors and cloth-wrapped bench seats earning praise. With 1,000 pounds loaded in the bed, we were delighted with the smooth ride and noted the standard-output 3.0L SST still has enough power to get heavy loads in motion. The plush ride carried onto the dirt, if we stayed within the bounds of the suspension dampers’ ability. Judges also appreciated the aggressive tires, steering feel, and the ability to lock the rear axle in 2WD mode.

The most difficult part of appreciating the RHO is forgetting the TRX existed, starting with the engine note. Anyone who experienced the Ram 1500 TRX and its snarling V-8 will surely miss the auditory experience and raw power. Regardless, with less weight in the RHO, the high-output Hurricane is well-matched to the truck and more than willing to put its power to the ground.

For such a large truck, it gave us little to complain about in terms of visibility, and judges thought the RHO’s interior is just about what buyers should receive for $70,000. The RHO also established itself as an off-road dominator. Its Bilstein shocks smoothed rutted trails and long jumps like a trophy truck, while the dirt-focused drive modes were intuitive and uniquely tailored to various surfaces. Overall ground clearance and armor inspired confidence when navigating obstacles.

The Ram 1500 Tungsten’s top-of-the-line features dazzled our judges. From its quilted-leather massaging seats and powerful Klipsch sound system to the magic carpet ride of the air suspension, the evaluation team was impressed. Towing was “like a dream” with the standard high-output Hurricane engine, and we liked the trailer information screen, blind-spot alert while trailering, and the backup assist function even if most won’t need it. Judges noted Ram’s Hands-Free Active Driver Assist vigilantly monitors driver attention and chirps at you within seconds if you take your gaze from the road. But it works largely as advertised, just with a less expansive catalog of mapped roads than its competition.

Whether it was the utilitarian Ram 1500 Warlock, the desert-whomping Ram 1500 RHO, or the swanky Ram 1500 Tungsten, TOTY judges heaped substantial praise upon the entire lineup. People will miss the outgoing V-8, but the feeling won’t last long, as the Hurricane I-6 is very much up to the task. Ram also continues to impress with its commitment to capable, functional, and sharp-looking trucks.

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Truck of the Year (TOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.

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