2026 HEMI or Hurricane?

[SD Rebel]

Totally agree. The Hemi is such an outdated motor still plagued with issues that have never been resolved. The Hurricane is modern and appears, for the most part, to be fairly "solid". I can understand buying a truck because of the sound it makes, but that should not be the primary reason IMPO...at least it would not be for me. RAM made an error here. Before relaunching te HEMI, the could have and should have made enhancements and fixes to it. However, they decided to take the cheap and say way out and stick with the same old same old...very disappointing.

Not sure it's plagued with issues, no more than any other engine in the market right now. I've had my Hemi for 7 years now and not a single issue or engine light until recently, which was because I had to replace the battery, went away after I put a new battery. Pretty cool my original battery lasted 7 years on a side note.

The Hurricane has had it's own teething issues right out of the gate. As for the engine sound, it's more than that, lets say "character" to be more accurate. It's a big reason why people don't like EVs, and big enough that RAM 1500 sales took a big drop when it was Hurricane only and rushed a V8 back into the lineup. Definitely no time to upgrade it, but maybe in the next gen.

This issue isn't isolated to RAM, Toyota is dealing with this on their Tacoma's and Tundras. The Tacoma people don't want a 4-cylinder turbo, even though it blows away the old NA V6. The Tundra's new V6TT is another matter altogether. Their main concerns is moving away from tried and true NA engines to turbos.

The lack of offering a choice, regardless of what you will actually choose is a big psychological reason why some will avoid a vehicle. Ford sells mostly Ecoboost F150s, but won't stop offering the V8 for this reason.

GM has invested a lot of money to keep the V8 as their mainstay motors in the next gen, coming out in 2028 model year. RAM will likely do the same, unless somehow RAM buyers overwhelming choose the Hurricanes. Ford will keep the Coyote in the F150 as long as the Mustang still has a V8.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Not sure it's plagued with issues, no more than any other engine in the market right now. I've had my Hemi for 7 years now and not a single issue or engine light until recently, which was because I had to replace the battery, went away after I put a new battery. Pretty cool my original battery lasted 7 years on a side note.

The Hurricane has had it's own teething issues right out of the gate. As for the engine sound, it's more than that, lets say "character" to be more accurate. It's a big reason why people don't like EVs, and big enough that RAM 1500 sales took a big drop when it was Hurricane only and rushed a V8 back into the lineup. Definitely no time to upgrade it, but maybe in the next gen.

What were the teething issues with the hurricane? A vast majority of the issues in the 2025 Rams were software related due to the new canbus architecture. The engine itself has been battle tested in the Jeeps, and the initial issues worked out. Which the only real issue I ever heard about was an issue with the thermostat.

This issue isn't isolated to RAM, Toyota is dealing with this on their Tacoma's and Tundras. The Tacoma people don't want a 4-cylinder turbo, even though it blows away the old NA V6. The Tundra's new V6TT is another matter altogether. Their main concerns is moving away from tried and true NA engines to turbos.

Turbo engines have been around for decades. They are "tried and true" in their own right. The limiting factor with earlier turbo engines was the higher cost they brought compared to the N/A options. Dodge is no exception, they had a very successful run of turbo 4-cyl engines from late 80s to early 2000s. Most of those were in the more performance oriented vehicles though. Toyota has had successful turbo engines as well as GM(GN, T-type g-bodies, and Sy/Ty) and Ford(turbo mustang and Thunderbird).

The lack of offering a choice, regardless of what you will actually choose is a big psychological reason why some will avoid a vehicle. Ford sells mostly Ecoboost F150s, but won't stop offering the V8 for this reason.

GM has invested a lot of money to keep the V8 as their mainstay motors in the next gen, coming out in 2028 model year. RAM will likely do the same, unless somehow RAM buyers overwhelming choose the Hurricanes. Ford will keep the Coyote in the F150 as long as the Mustang still has a V8.

I do agree, that there needs to be the option for multiple engines, to include a V8. If for nothing more than marketing and to appease the louder critics. Even if they aren't the main seller. Which, even with Rams the V6 Pentastar outsold the Hemi on the more common lower trim levels because of affordability.