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 The Hemi is such an outdated motor still plagued with issues that have never been resolved.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.

 

[BowDown]

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 the HEMI, they could have and should have made enhancements and fixes to it. However, they decided to take the cheap and easy way out and stick with the same old same old...very disappointing.

I think @CalvinC nailed that, emotion.
I also believe that's why stellantis brought it back with no changes, they no it's a dead platform but they brought it back to appeal to those emotional about the V8 sound; IMO, that's the only reason they brought it back as it's not better in any measurable way.

The more I drive my hurricane, 4000 as of now, the more I forget about the V8 rumble, especially those light part throttle accelerations where that TT torque simply moves the truck.
I hated that about my HEMI, felt like I was pushing a sponge when I pressed the gas pedal, push, push, push and nothing until the truck down shifted or I was at 1/2 throttle.

Ironically, my 20 felt like my 25 after having driven my 2003 for 277k miles.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I think @CalvinC nailed that, emotion.
I also believe that's why stellantis brought it back with no changes, they no it's a dead platform but they brought it back to appeal to those emotional about the V8 sound; IMO, that's the only reason they brought it back as it's not better in any measurable way.

The more I drive my hurricane, 4000 as of now, the more I forget about the V8 rumble, especially those light part throttle accelerations where that TT torque simply moves the truck.
I hated that about my HEMI, felt like I was pushing a sponge when I pressed the gas pedal, push, push, push and nothing until the truck down shifted or I was at 1/2 throttle.

Ironically, my 20 felt like my 25 after having driven my 2003 for 277k miles.

I have found with my 2020 Hemi, that if I blip the throttle quickly, the transmission will downshift, then I can bury the throttle and is accelerates quicker than if I just push the throttle down and wait.

 

[BowDown]

I think they made the right choice.

Well, I think the RIGHT choice would have been to let the Hemi just stay dead. But, barring that....

I think they recognized that it needed MAJOR updates and that is how the Hurricane was born.

I think an updated 5.7-ish liter, naturally aspirated V8 was never going to give the performance and also fuel economy, emissions numbers, and overall cost to manufacture, that they needed and the Hurricane platform offers. I mean, they couldn't even do it before, with a lower bar, and keep it naturally aspirated (thus, the supercharger on the TRX).

I think pouring a whole bunch of R&D into making a "modern" naturally-aspirated Hemi would have just been a big waste of money. An investment they would never recoup as the Hurricane eventually pushed it out of production anyway.

If they were going to bring it back, continuing to milk the old cow until it finally dies from natural causes was the right way to go.

They may have sold a ton of Hemis when they first re-opened order-taking for it. But, MY guess is that demand for a Hemi is going to seriously tail off in '26 and '27 after that initial rush. In 2 or 3 years, I think the uptake #s will not be enough for them to have a business case to continue making it. Just my uneducated guess.

For someone like Dodge (stellantis), absolutely.
GM invested in their V8, went DI and made numerous other changes but I think GM has a large enough customer base and sell enough V8 powered vehicles that they can do they.

Dodge doesn't and never really has, even now. They have (had) 3 main V8 vehicles and I bet the 1500 accounted for the vast majority of those sales.
Ford has F150s and Mustangs both of which they sell millions of, same with GM. Stellantis/Dodge doesn't have that luxury.

I don't think Stellantis is going to update the HEMI, they don't have enough models to put it in to help cafe justifying the expense. Itd take 5 years or so to develop l, test and bring to market a new HEMI

 

[BowDown]

I have found with my 2020 Hemi, that if I blip the throttle quickly, the transmission will downshift, then I can bury the throttle and is accelerates quicker than if I just push the throttle down and wait.

It's not that it won't or I can't get it to downshift, it's that there's no power unless it does downshift whereas I can lightly apply throttle to the hurricane and it will accelerate nicely staying in the same gear.

Make it downshift and the truck takes off. The lack of mud range power without a downshift is one of my biggest dislikes with the hemi. If it had more mid range torque, this would be a different conversation for me.

 

[SD Rebel]

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.


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).


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.

Considering how long the Hurricane isssue/problem thread was on this forum and all the videos posted online, yes it had "teething" issues in the 1500 out of the box. However, where did I say it was a design problem? Problems that require you to go to the dealer, especially the headache Stellantis dealers are, even if it's a coil pack or software is still a problem and a hassle.

Sure, I loved my Ecoboost, you are preaching to the choir here about turbo engines, we currently have a Mitsubishi 2.4L & Toyota 2.4L turbo diesels in our garage. I'm just noting that it's not just a perception issue among RAM guys, but Toyota folks (as I'm also a Toyota owner on the forums) are having a big issue with their new gasoline I4 turbos now. Some people prefer an NA motor, especially these days. I'll wait until I see 1500s Hurricanes with over 100K miles and zero issues before I know how well these motors are doing however.

Exactly, that was my point. Even if the Hemi wasn't their preferred choice, customers turned their back on the 1500 in 2025 that forced Stellantis to freak out and literally bring back the enigne from the dead, and even now they are going in the process of putting it in the Durango and all new Charger. They aren't going through this trouble unless they thought they had to, seems to be working.

If you look at my past post, I've been one of the biggest proponents for the Hurricane, well before it came out, including making it my choice for 2026 purchase, but I'm not blind to why people prefer the V8 either. Again, it's probably what's leading to Rams sales recovery from last year. A mixture of preference, perception, marketing, politics, etc, all rolled into it.

What will be interesting to see is the take-up ratio between the Hurricane SO vs Hemi.

 

[SD Rebel]

For someone like Dodge (stellantis), absolutely.
GM invested in their V8, went DI and made numerous other changes but I think GM has a large enough customer base and sell enough V8 powered vehicles that they can do they.

Dodge doesn't and never really has, even now. They have (had) 3 main V8 vehicles and I bet the 1500 accounted for the vast majority of those sales.
Ford has F150s and Mustangs both of which they sell millions of, same with GM. Stellantis/Dodge doesn't have that luxury.

I don't think Stellantis is going to update the HEMI, they don't have enough models to put it in to help cafe justifying the expense. Itd take 5 years or so to develop l, test and bring to market a new HEMI

Absolutely, and again, they weren't expecting to bring back the Hemi, that was a bandage to stop the sales bleed. But I won't be surprised they are planning on revising to a next-gen V8 now.

 

[BowDown]

Considering how long the Hurricane isssue/problem thread was on this forum and all the videos posted online, yes it had "teething" issues in the 1500 out of the box. However, where did I say it was a design problem? Problems that require you to go to the dealer, especially the headache Stellantis dealers are, even if it's a coil pack or software is still a problem and a hassle.

Sure, I loved my Ecoboost, you are preaching to the choir here about turbo engines, we currently have a Mitsubishi 2.4L & Toyota 2.4L turbo diesels in our garage. I'm just noting that it's not just a perception issue among RAM guys, but Toyota folks (as I'm also a Toyota owner on the forums) are having a big issue with their new gasoline I4 turbos now. Some people prefer an NA motor, especially these days. I'll wait until I see 1500s Hurricanes with over 100K miles and zero issues before I know how well these motors are doing however.

Exactly, that was my point. Even if the Hemi wasn't their preferred choice, customers turned their back on the 1500 in 2025 that forced Stellantis to freak out and literally bring back the enigne from the dead, and even now they are going in the process of putting it in the Durango and all new Charger. They aren't going through this trouble unless they thought they had to, seems to be working.

If you look at my past post, I've been one of the biggest proponents for the Hurricane, well before it came out, including making it my choice for 2026 purchase, but I'm not blind to why people prefer the V8 either. Again, it's probably what's leading to Rams sales recovery from last year. A mixture of preference, perception, marketing, politics, etc, all rolled into it.

What will be interesting to see is the take-up ratio between the Hurricane SO vs Hemi.

Many on the FB groups are at, near or surpassed that marker with no issues. The only reason I give this any consideration is the amount of driving/use it takes to put 100k miles on a truck in a 18-24 months

 

[BowDown]

Absolutely, and again, they weren't expecting to bring back the Hemi, that was a bandage to stop the sales bleed. But I won't be surprised they are planning on revising to a next-gen V8 now.

If they were smart, they would but this is Dodge and we mopar enthusiasts know how disappointing dodge has been the last 30+ years.
I think they'll let people marinate with the hurricane for a few years and see how good it is then drop the hemi again.

I am curious as to how the rumored SRT street trucks will be powered, I doubt it will be the whipple'd 5.7 like Fox is doing

 

[HSKR R/T]

For someone like Dodge (stellantis), absolutely.
GM invested in their V8, went DI and made numerous other changes but I think GM has a large enough customer base and sell enough V8 powered vehicles that they can do they.

Dodge doesn't and never really has, even now. They have (had) 3 main V8 vehicles and I bet the 1500 accounted for the vast majority of those sales.
Ford has F150s and Mustangs both of which they sell millions of, same with GM. Stellantis/Dodge doesn't have that luxury.

I don't think Stellantis is going to update the HEMI, they don't have enough models to put it in to help cafe justifying the expense. Itd take 5 years or so to develop l, test and bring to market a new HEMI

GM only has the truck line and Corvette for V8s.

Stellantis has RAM, Charger, Durango, Jeep Grand Wagoneer that all have Hemis.

 

[HSKR R/T]

vious nsidering how long the Hurricane isssue/problem thread was on this forum and all the videos posted online, yes it had "teething" issues in the 1500 out of the box. However, where did I say it was a design problem? Problems that require you to go to the dealer, especially the headache Stellantis dealers are, even if it's a coil pack or software is still a problem and a hassle.

Sure, I loved my Ecoboost, you are preaching to the choir here about turbo engines, we currently have a Mitsubishi 2.4L & Toyota 2.4L turbo diesels in our garage. I'm just noting that it's not just a perception issue among RAM guys, but Toyota folks (as I'm also a Toyota owner on the forums) are having a big issue with their new gasoline I4 turbos now. Some people prefer an NA motor, especially these days. I'll wait until I see 1500s Hurricanes with over 100K miles and zero issues before I know how well these motors are doing however.

Exactly, that was my point. Even if the Hemi wasn't their preferred choice, customers turned their back on the 1500 in 2025 that forced Stellantis to freak out and literally bring back the enigne from the dead, and even now they are going in the process of putting it in the Durango and all new Charger. They aren't going through this trouble unless they thought they had to, seems to be working.

If you look at my past post, I've been one of the biggest proponents for the Hurricane, well before it came out, including making it my choice for 2026 purchase, but I'm not blind to why people prefer the V8 either. Again, it's probably what's leading to Rams sales recovery from last year. A mixture of preference, perception, marketing, politics, etc, all rolled into it.

What will be interesting to see is the take-up ratio between the Hurricane SO vs Hemi.

The Durango never lost the Hemi. It's actually the only precious Hemi platform that never got the Hurricane update. Many "last call" Hellcat Durango owners were upset when they continued to build Hellcat Durangos for 2025.

I'm a huge fan of the hurricane. Plenty of Jeep Grand Wagoneer with over 100k miles on them. Taking the drivetrain and putting it in a different platform doesn't change the reliability the drivetrain. Most of the issues with the Ram were from the switch to the new canbus architecture and software bugs, not mechanical issues with drivetrain. At least no more than what the Hemi still has after 20 years.

 

[BowDown]

GM only has the truck line and Corvette for V8s.

Stellantis has RAM, Charger, Durango, Jeep Grand Wagoneer that all have Hemis.

Cadillac uses the LT
Holden use those same V8s in Australia and New Zealand. GM cars and trucks are also sold in europe and the engines also power FedEx and UPS trucks and Isuzu gas trucks.

There's a lot more GM V8 engines in use than stellantis V8s

 

[SD Rebel]

vious nsidering how long the Hurricane isssue/problem thread was on this forum and all the videos posted online, yes it had "teething" issues in the 1500 out of the box. However, where did I say it was a design problem? Problems that require you to go to the dealer, especially the headache Stellantis dealers are, even if it's a coil pack or software is still a problem and a hassle.

The Durango never lost the Hemi. It's actually the only precious Hemi platform that never got the Hurricane update. Many "last call" Hellcat Durango owners were upset when they continued to build Hellcat Durangos for 2025.

I'm a huge fan of the hurricane. Plenty of Jeep Grand Wagoneer with over 100k miles on them. Taking the drivetrain and putting it in a different platform doesn't change the reliability the drivetrain. Most of the issues with the Ram were from the switch to the new canbus architecture and software bugs, not mechanical issues with drivetrain. At least no more than what the Hemi still has after 20 years.

True, the Durango didn't actually lose the 5.7L Hemi, but it was originally planned to be phased out until negative customer feedback changed their minds. Similar to the 1500 getting it's Hemi back. The original plan was to drop the Hemi and go Hurricane.

They reversed course and said it's V8 only, however they didn't have enough 5.7L production due to the 1500, and are now including Pentastars for 2026 model year until the 5.7L ramps up production again. This was announced recently by Dodge.

As for the Hurricane in the Wagoneer, a lot of thermostat and other engine light issues if I recall. Again, you can have problems that aren't a mechanical or design flaw when installed in different models, doesn't change the fact they are problems and have to be dealt with.

 

[SD Rebel]

If they were smart, they would but this is Dodge and we mopar enthusiasts know how disappointing dodge has been the last 30+ years.
I think they'll let people marinate with the hurricane for a few years and see how good it is then drop the hemi again.

I am curious as to how the rumored SRT street trucks will be powered, I doubt it will be the whipple'd 5.7 like Fox is doing

I don't think Dodge and RAM's customer base are going to get "smart" and drop the Hemi, especially a brand that has built it's image on the V8. When you consider GM is making a new generation of V8s and Ford is keeping the V8 in the Mustang (and likely F150) until the 2030s, I don't think Stellantis will risk dropping it now. It will force them to update the Hemi at the least, even if not a completely clean sheet design.

They are going back to putting V8s in everything again, or not longer cancelling them, the RAM 1500, Durango, Wrangler/Gladiator and Charger all have or will get V8s in the future. Based on that, the Hemi isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Many on the FB groups are at, near or surpassed that marker with no issues. The only reason I give this any consideration is the amount of driving/use it takes to put 100k miles on a truck in a 18-24 months

Time will tell, all problems are small minority in reality, including the ones on the Hemi.

 

[BowDown]

I don't think Dodge and RAM's customer base are going to get "smart" and drop the Hemi, especially a brand that has built it's image on the V8. When you consider GM is making a new generation of V8s and Ford is keeping the V8 in the Mustang (and likely F150) until the 2030s, I don't think Stellantis will risk dropping it now. It will force them to update the Hemi at the least, even if not a completely clean sheet design.

They are going back to putting V8s in everything again, or not longer cancelling them, the RAM 1500, Durango, Wrangler/Gladiator and Charger all have or will get V8s in the future. Based on that, the Hemi isn't going anywhere anytime soon.



Time will tell, all problems are small minority in reality, including the ones on the Hemi.

I hope not, I'd like to see a gen 4 HEMI.
Give it DI and port injection and 500 more rpm

 

[HSKR R/T]

True, the Durango didn't actually lose the 5.7L Hemi, but it was originally planned to be phased out until negative customer feedback changed their minds. Similar to the 1500 getting it's Hemi back. The original plan was to drop the Hemi and go Hurricane.

They reversed course and said it's V8 only, however they didn't have enough 5.7L production due to the 1500, and are now including Pentastars for 2026 model year until the 5.7L ramps up production again. This was announced recently by Dodge.

As for the Hurricane in the Wagoneer, a lot of thermostat and other engine light issues if I recall. Again, you can have problems that aren't a mechanical or design flaw when installed in different models, doesn't change the fact they are problems and have to be dealt with.

Thermostat was the only real issue with the engine design in the first year. They changed the design and it hasn't been an issue since. Engine light issues were mostly software related. Not engine reliability issues. At least not any more than what the hemi still has after 20 years.

 

[SD Rebel]

Thermostat was the only real issue with the engine design in the first year. They changed the design and it hasn't been an issue since. Engine light issues were mostly software related. Not engine reliability issues. At least not any more than what the hemi still has after 20 years.

Sure, I pretty said that. The Hemi is been around for 20 years, lets wait and see if the Hurricane is better over time.

Two of my buddies bought 2025 with Hurricanes, they all had codes that took time and effort to fix. I had my Hemi for 7 years, it's never had an engine light code go off (except when I had to change my 7 year old battery). Even better, mine was an 2019, first year of the DT, zero issues.

 

[SD Rebel]

I hope not, I'd like to see a gen 4 HEMI.
Give it DI and port injection and 500 more rpm

That's pretty much what I think, they have no choice but to keep it up to date because they are going to need a V8 in their lineup.

 

[BowDown]

Sure, I pretty said that. The Hemi is been around for 20 years, lets wait and see if the Hurricane is better over time.

Two of my buddies bought 2025 with Hurricanes, they all had codes that took time and effort to fix. I had my Hemi for 7 years, it's never had an engine light code go off (except when I had to change my 7 year old battery). Even better, mine was an 2019, first year of the DT, zero issues.

I'm not gonna lie, if my Limited did not get hit, I'd still be happily driving my HEMI. My 20 never had a serious issue. The exhaust manifolds and the AC TSB were it; they replaced the leather dash as a goodwill but mine was not bad nor was that a HEMI related issue. The exhaust manifolds were my only HEMI related issue. The extra power and overall better drivability of the hurricane over the HEMI is definitely there and very significant BUT its not significant enough for me to have bought a new truck solely for that reason.

I like the Tungsten and have liked it since the announcement of the trim level and I was thinking about it over the summer but only because 2025 is the only year of the seasalt/indigo interior. I do not like the black interior and if that were the only option, I wouldn't buy one which was going to be the case in 26 and up year models. My plan was to look in 27 when my Limiteds warranty expired but the accident and the availability of the seasalt interior forced my hand.

For all my complaints about the HEMI, I was happy enough with it that I had no real plans to buy a new truck, however the accident forced my hand. In driving all 3 trucks, there was no way I was buying a HEMI powered truck over the hurricanes.
If I were buying today, hurricane, not even a second thought
If I were not forced into a position to buy a new truck, I'd still be driving my HEMI and happy even though a hurricane truck could smoke it like a cigar.