While Ford has committed to producing V8 engines for as long as it possibly can, Stellantis began phasing out its own such powerplants years ago. In fact, it even debuted the refreshed 2025 Ram 1500 with no V8 option, and killed off the V8-powered TRX, replacing it with the RHO and its more potent Hurricane I-6. As one might imagine, that didn’t go over well with the Mopar faithful, and rumors that V8 power would return in the 2026 Ram 1500 first surfaced early this year. Now, amid a flurry of announcements, Stellantis has confirmed that those rumors were indeed true.
The 2026 Ram 1500 Tradesman, Big Horn, Express, Warlock, Laramie, Rebel, Limited, and Longhorn trims will all be available with the 5.7L Hemi V8, rated to deliver 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque when coupled with the eTorque hybrid system. That mild hybrid setup utilizes a 430-watt-hour lithium-ion battery in place of an alternator, along with a three-kilowatt DC-to-DC converter that steps down the 48 volts to charge the truck’s conventional 12-volt battery and power accessories.
All of that gives the 2026 Ram 1500 Hemi a maximum payload capacity of 1,750 pounds, as well as a towing capacity of up to 11,470 pounds. The Hemi even comes with a performance-tuned exhaust system and a 33-gallon fuel tank as standard, and is a no upcharge option for the Limited and Longhorn trims, along with a rather humorous fender-mounted “Symbol of Protest” badge. Order banks are open now, with the initial deliveries of V8-powered 2026 Ram 1500 pickups slated to arrive at dealers this fall.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle them defines you. Ram screwed up when we dropped the Hemi – we own it and we fixed it,” said Tim Kuniskis, CEO, Ram brand. “We’re not just bringing back a legendary V8 engine, we’re igniting an assertive product plan and expanding the freedom of choice in powertrain for our customers. Ram will continue to offer the more powerful and more efficient Hurricane Straight Six Turbo, but we heard loud and clear from consumers: there is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V-8. At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not to statisticians or ideologues. Data be damned – we raise our flag and let the Hemi ring free again!,”
Comments
Kudos for bring back what the customers wanted, and not what regulators were trying to foist.
Its not regulators pushing for the death of the V8 its Stelantis!!! The inline was their bright idea!! Why add a battery hybrid in place of an alternator? No one wants that crap and the added complexity. I dont understand why you guys are so thick….Consumers want a V8…WITHOUT ALL THE BS…START STOP, CYLYNDER DEACTIVATION, WET BELTS AND CRAP CAM CHAIN DESIGNS. We want it reliable and we dont want it so hard to work on that it’s crazy expensive to repair! If you are so concerned with efficiency then cut 500-1000lbs of weight off the truck. It should have stainless headers from the factory with a high flow intake which we all know will do more for efficiency than 0W-20 oil that destroys cams, and cranks. You should offer a lightweight Ram with lower towing capacity that very few folks use to max anyway without a giant un-aerodynamic plastic grill. You keep adding more and more bloat, giant screens, and options that we never asked for. You make the trucks heavier and heavier and slap in a smaller boosted engine that just by design cost 3 times what a V8 does. Then you burry the serviceable parts so it cost the consumer triple to fix anything. Its so simple but you all dont listen.
You make a valid argument, the amount of crap they put in cars these days also increases the price and decreases reliability.
Instead of a “Symbol of Protest” badge, why not go back to the days of the early hemi’s and call it a Red Ram?