Which motor - hemi or hurricane?

[edinlr]

I have had three Rams with the hemi and about to get a 26. Pros and cons from people who have had both on which motor they would prefer and why?

 

[RAL]

Own a 2020 with a 5.7. Great truck, great engine. Love the sound of it. Last summer rented and drove 2k miles a Grand Wagoneer L with the HO hurricane. Fantastic motor - power, torque delivery, smooth, refine, very efficient (600 mile cruising range with four people, three dogs and luggage). Anyone here blasting the hurricane probably hasn’t driven a vehicle powered by one. You know what saying is appropriate for the internet - there is an *** for every seat.

If ordering a truck today, I would get the SO hurricane. Plenty of power - most importantly a flat torque curve - more than the V8, and a bit more efficient. To hedge the risk inherent to a new engine, I would use one of the forum vendors to get an 8/85 extended warranty at a good price. If the motor goes 85k and is problem free, or at least normal in terms of reliability, then my experience is you are relatively safe to keep the truck as a car or truck that is reliable for 8 years won’t generally all of a sudden “explode” with serious issues if it has been maintained and driven normally.

For our summer trip this year, we will rent again and I will try to get a Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer as compared to the Suburban or Expedition XLagain because I absolutely love the powertrain in the Wagoneer.

HTH

 

[oe542bob]

I had 3 Hemis in a 1500 and currently have a ‘22 eTorque Hemi. At 25,00+ miles on my current truck and no power train issues. Previous trucks/Hemis were usually traded around the 40,000 miles mark.
I’m on the fence too about the Hurricane or Hemi. Not a fan of the eTorque although I haven’t had any issues with the MGU. A friend of mine just traded his ‘21 1500 Longhorn with eTorque @ 180,000 miles. Never an issues with his MGU.
I did have a loaner Wagoneer about 5 months ago with the SO Hurricane. It was fine. Only put about 50 miles on it so no help here with any impressions of the motor.
My only stumbling block with the Hemi eTorque vs. the Hurricane is I will get an upper Trim package and it will be the Hemi(regular gas) or the HO Hurricane(91 or higher octane). It ranges anywhere from $.50 to $1.00 higher in price.
Gas mileage seems to be around the same between to to engines. Still not settled between one or the other. I can’t say that I really feel I need over 500 horsepower so the Hemi is fine.

 

[Ramboy13]

This is the definition of subjective and personal. It's almost like the old Chevy vs. Ford discussions my uncles had when I was young.
I had a 2014 Laramie prior to this Tungsten. I really liked the Hemi, and almost bought a new 2024 to avoid the new Hurricane. But since the Hurricane had at least a little experience in the Jeeps, I decided to go for it. I can't speak to the SO, but the HO is a beast. I don't drive it to its capability at all, but for the occasional pass or when I really want the extra boost, it does NOT disappoint. This isn't even in the same class as the Hemi.
I use BJ's for 93 octane, and with a BJ's card, I'm paying a little less than other stations for premium. I did all the math, and figure it might cost me $500 more a year (given the increase in mileage over my actual mileage on the 2014 -- maybe not fair, so it's probably a little higher). In the end, I thought if I'm going to spend this much on a truck, I can spend another grand per year to have the extra fun at my fingertips.
Not sure which trim level you're interested in. Keep in mind that the HO is not just an SO with higher boost. The engine and even the rear axle are built to handle the extra power. We'll probably hear more and more about guys tuning the HOs to get a lot more out of them (honestly, not sure how they can afford tires!!).
Bottom line - I personally wouldn't hesitate to get a Hurricane. Good luck - you really can't go wrong. And Happy Fourth!!

 

[Rebellion is Duty]

In time, the Hurricane will prove itself worthy. Stellantis fubar'd its release into the 1500 line. Hemi is a great engine. You just don't eliminate it and force owners to accept an unknown as a replacement. That doesn't work here. Ask the English about imposing your will on this population.

I love my Hurricane. Everything I expected it to be. Powerful. Fast. Smooth.

I hadn't owned a Ram in a long while. Had no idea the engines had changed. When I did the test drive, I was impressed. More impressed since having almost a year.

 

[wvinson]

I've had a '14, '17, '19, '22 Hemi in my 1500s, but after having my '25 HO Limited for 9 months, I could never go back. The hurricane is a blast to drive, especially having 4WD on launch with no wheel spin. I also put aggressive 305/45/22 Hankook tires on mine for better handling and an aggressive look.

This engine is in another league compared to the old hemi as far as power and smoothness although it was a good engine in its time. I could care less about mpg if I'm spending $90k on a vehicle. I enjoy the drivability, towing, usability, and all the luxury amenities. The hands free driving works great as well. This is by far the best RAM thus far, and I love it!

The SO and HO are the same engine but with different, beefed up internals. I would get the HO. It's a Beast!

I'm getting the JB4 tuner put on mine next week for around an extra 100hp. Can't wait!

 

[RedFred]

I have put over 300k miles combined on my 2 hemi trucks. Currently own a 2025 with the SO motor. I thought I was going to miss the hemi, but I have been very pleased with the SO. The only con of the SO is the sound at start up. After spending years with a hemi, cold starts on the SO sounds like a lawn mower to me. The only thing I miss with the hemi is the muscle car rumble of the V8 at start up. The cons for me on the hemi were that I didn't want the eTorque system, the manifold issue has never been fixed, and the motor is a little under powered by today's standards.

 

[BryanBro]

I drive a 22 hemi v8 and purchased a 25 SO 1500 for home.

Love both

SO gets better gas Miles.

When towing my boat. I get about 7 in hemi. 13 - 14 in SO. When I need to pass even pulling boat. The SO surprised me with hiw
Much power it pulls as good or better with SO. With much better gas miles.

I am so glad I Got the so. I am not sorry I got it nor about the HP. Torque or anything about it. I already have 5000 miles and I am
Averaging 21 miles per Gallon. On a trip from Ohio to Florida I got 24 miles per Gallon.

 

[yrralguthrie]

Depends on whether you value higher mpg or listening to the V8 rumble.

 

[StuartsFriend]

Depends on whether you value higher mpg or listening to the V8 rumble.

Which depends on the age where you peaked.

Between these two engines SO wins hands down. Inline six are naturally smooth and the turbos make the engine so much better. People spent a lot of money to get fast, street legal cars. RAM gives you that out of the box with a nice warranty for '26+ vehicles.

The whole "Hemi is back" marketing campaign caters to the lowest common denominator.

 

[jws1982]

After owning both, I’d pick the hurricane now. On paper, the hemi would be the more reliable engine for towing regularly. If I was doing that though, I’d probably be in a 2500. The hemi sound is great, but the quiet power of a turbo inline 6 is just better.

 

[RedFred]

Depends on whether you value higher mpg or listening to the V8 rumble.

It's not really about the mpg's, it depends more on whether you value more HP and torque or something that just sounds like it's faster or more powerful.

 

[Biga]

I had 2 Hemi's and now a hurricane. The Hemi was a great motor but I prefer the power of the hurricane now. I've had my hurricane for over a year and 0 issues. Everyone talks about the sound but in my opinion a stock hemi it was pretty quiet. I guess for 2026 they are adding the GT exhaust which would wake it up more.

 

[mjfr99]

Only 4000 miles on our 2025 1500 SO. w/3.55 rear
IMHO- The motor is impressive.
Good power, SMOOTH delivery with just a hint of turbo lag. From 2k RPM+ - FAST
Decent MPG 16-18 town and soft footing the highway 22-23
Pulls my 2500 lbs of loaded MC trailer like it not even back there.