Hurri-can: Our Ram 1500 Gets in a Tow-Off With a Hemi

Our 2025 Truck of the Year–winning Ram 1500 Laramie got to come out to cheer on his younger brother, the 1500 Hemi, competing in the 2026 competition. This presented a golden opportunity to really put its ($1,695) Trailering package through its paces with a 6,900-pound MasterCraft wake boat in tow.

Trailer Setup/Hitching

Ram’s trailer hitch alignment lines and camera angles are as good as any, and once hitched, the trailering app offers a trailer light-check sequence, though Ford’s setup screens in the F-150 seem a bit more thorough. Our truck’s power-adjustable trailering mirrors are a bear to see around in daily driving but function great when towing a longer trailer, their small convex mirrors excellent for eyeballing trailer tire proximity to curbs when turning.

Trailer Reverse Steering Controls—Glitchy

You may recall that during our brief tow of a wood chipper in Update 1, the drive proved insufficient to calibrate the Trailer Reverse Steering system, so we were unable to reverse via the knob. Upon first hooking up a trailer and pressing the Trailer Steering virtual button at the bottom center of the screen, you’re prompted to Calibrate Trailer. Unlike with Ford, no trailer sticker is required. It’s most easily done in an open parking lot where you can drive straight for 100 feet, turn 90 degrees (either direction), and drive 100 feet, repeating this a few times. During this time, the truck determines the approximate length of the trailer, which gets displayed on the dash via an amber icon.

We performed the calibration a few times before the system declared itself ready to steer the trailer. Then, after a bit of practice in a coned area of a parking lot figuring out how quickly the trailer turns, we managed to back the trailer into a perpendicular spot. Once the trailer has achieved the desired angle, simply releasing the knob and pressing its center steers the truck to back the trailer in a straight line. Handy. There’s also a blind-spot camera view that can be pulled up on the screen that augments the extended trailering mirrors to help you place the trailer wheels.

Then we pulled out to try reversing in from the opposite direction … and were told to calibrate. What?! The trailer wasn’t unhitched, and our Ram wasn’t switched off—how’d it forget the calibration? We drove straight for 100 feet and then were told it was ready to steer. But this time the steering stalled out with the trailer at roughly a 30-degree angle. It would appear this system needs a major update.

See All 14 Photos14

Out on the Road

We sampled our air-suspended Hurricane-powered Ram back to back with a similar Hemi-powered Laramie on coil springs, each towing identical ski boats. Driven in convoy, comparing notes via radio, the Hemi was always revving higher and louder. It was spinning through optional ($195) 3.92:1 gearing, while the Hurricane runs a taller 3.55:1 axle ratio, but psychologically it always seemed like the Hemi was working harder.

The trailer tow app page allows you to monitor the transmission temperature and the trailer braking percentage. (Trailer brake gain can also be monitored in the driver information cluster.) A second screen under trailer info presents gauges for coolant and oil temperature, oil pressure, and battery voltage. Trailer-tire pressures can also be monitored here, when so equipped. There is also a trailering odometer to keep track of towing mileage for consideration on maintenance intervals.

One odd difference in the Tow modes: The V-8 downshifts aggressively when decelerating in this mode, but the Hurricane I-6 did not.

See All 14 Photos14

Air Worth the Fare

Another big difference was how much more stable our air-suspended Ram felt when crossing railroad tracks and bumpy pavement. The trailer never seemed to push our truck around as much, and of course, the ability to disconnect the trailer and limbo the hitch ball out from under it saves a lot of trailer-tongue jack cranking. After detaching the trailers, we loaded 10 100-pound horse mats in the back of each. Naturally, the air springs leveled the load, while the coils compressed. Cornering aggressively to simulate an emergency maneuver caused the coil-sprung truck to lean noticeably more.

For More On Our Long-Term 2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4:

• Arrival: Damage Done, Ready for Fun​

• Update 1: Spring Forestry Ritual​

• Update 2: Accessorizing​
• Update 3: V-8 Envy? ​