Ram pickups are in the spotlight like never before.
Sales cratered — and took Stellantis profits with them — after execs ill-advisedly ditched the legendary Hemi V8 for a pair of twin-turbo inline six-cylinder powerplants. The Hemi returned as an option in light-duty Rams for the 2026 model year, but don’t sleep on the Hurricane six-cylinder engines. It’s a winner that delivers outstanding performance and surprising fuel economy.
I recently drove 600 miles in a top of the line Ram 1500 Tungsten with the high-output Hurricane and Ram’s hands-free highway driving system … and loved it.
Car of the week: 2026 Ram 1500 Tungsten Crew Cab 4×4
What is it? Four-door, five-passenger four-wheel drive full-size pickup.
How much? Base price $91,925. All prices exclude $2,795 destination charge.
My well-equipped test car had no options, so it sold for $35,865.
How’s it selling? Great. Sales of the Ram 1500 — the light-duty version of the big pickup — are up 27% versus this time last year.
What does it compete with? Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country, Ford F-150 Platinum, Toyota Tundra Capstone.
Why do I want it? Looks, power, bravado, luxury. Hands-free highway driving.
What I love about the Ram 1500 Tungsten
What I wish were better
The Tungsten’s 23-speaker Klipsch audio system delivered brilliant sound at all pitches and volume levels with one troubling exception: Some bass notes triggered a buzz that made me worry about eventual speaker failures.
2026 Ram 1500 Tungsten Crew Cab 4×4 key figures and features
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who needs a Hemi engine? Not the 540-hp Ram 1500 Tungsten pickup
Reporting by Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
