SIX PACK

THE RAM'S NEW TURBO-SIX LEAVES THE OLD MODEL'S HEMI V8 FOR DEAD

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

THE Hemi V8-powered Ram 1500 is no more and in place of the iconic V8 now sits a new inline six-cylinder petrol engine. If you missed out on the last of the V8-powered 1500s, you shouldn't be worried because aside from lacking that sweet V8 rumble the new Hurricane 16 engine is a beauty.

BOOSTED SIX

WITH a pair of turbochargers boosting the 3.0-litre mill, claimed outputs are impressive; 313kW-635Nm in standard (SO) trim and a stonking 403kW-707Nm in HO trim.

In the case of the SO that's 7.6 per cent more power and 14.2 per cent more torque than the 5.7-litre Hemi V8, while the HO Hurricane makes 38.5 per cent more power and 27.2 per cent more torque, which is way more grunt than the naturally-aspirated Hemi V8 ever made! The outputs of the new Hurricane 16 are only surpassed by the supercharged Hemi in the wild Ram TRX model.

The differences between the SO and HO versions of the engine are more than just a simple tune. The HO has a lower compression ratio than the SO allowing for higher boost pressures, a higher-capacity fuel pump and a 6100rpm redline compared to 5800rpm on the SO.

Initially available in just two models while the V8 1500s are still running out, the Hurricane-powered Rams available at launch are the standard output powered Laramie Sport at $141,950 (+ORC) and the HO-motivated Limited at $159,950 (+ORC). Ram Trucks Australia (RTA) tells us that the new powertrain will become available in more variants in the near future. We always thought that the low-spec Big Horn model was the pick of the range and look forward to its return with Hurricane power.

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