5 Of The Best Engines Ever Put In A Dodge RAM Truck

Dodge trucks, which were spun off to exist under the standalone Ram brand in 2009, are frequently the underdog of the big three American truck manufacturers in terms of sales. Whether that makes the brand try harder or whether it's just in Ram's DNA from past successes like Chrysler's 426 cubic-inch race HEMI that dominated drag strips and NASCAR tracks in the 1960s, Dodge Rams have always boasted an interesting and varied selection of powerplants to choose from — beyond, say, the simple choice of small block or big block Chevy V8.

In the late 1970s, Dodge released special edition after special edition, with such classics as the Lil' Red Express, Warlock, and even a Levi's jeans-inspired truck. In 1979, the Lil' Red Express was the quickest accelerating vehicle made in America — including the Corvette. Then in the mid-1990s, the brand pulled itself from outdated obscurity with the Ram model and its fresh, aerodynamic styling that mimicked big rig trucks. It was genuinely unlike anything the world had ever seen. Celebrating the plucky Ram are these five memorable engines that helped propel it to the success that it enjoys today.

Two years after Dodge unveiled its rowdy V10-powered Viper roadster to great fanfare, an equally massive 8.0-liter Magnum V10 was made available in the Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks. The truck V10, which was iron compared to the Viper's aluminum block, was remarkable for its unconventional approach to competing with not only other manufacturers' large V8 gasoline engines but also served as an alternative to Dodge's own 5.9 Cummins diesel. The V10 gasser was indeed more powerful than the Cummins diesel but at the expense of reduced fuel economy. 

In fact, the truck V10's 310 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque made it the most powerful gasoline engine available in any pickup truck at the time of introduction. According to Dodge, "It gives the new Ram pickup the ability to outrun all other trucks in its class with manual or automatic transmissions whether unloaded, loaded, or pulling a trailer." So innovative was the Dodge V10 that a few years later, Ford rolled out its own V10 motor, dubbed the Triton. Dodge's Magnum V10 was offered from 1994 until 2003 when the new third-generation HEMI V8 was released.

For a solid decade, Ford's F-150 Raptor ruled the roost uncontested in the Supertruck category. In 2021, the Raptor's world was turned upside down by Ram's 1500 TRX (pronounced t-rex, like the dinosaur), the quickest gasoline-powered pickup on the market. Under the scooped and louvered hood is a 702 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8, just like the one in the brand's Charger and Challenger muscle cars.

Just don't call it a Hellcat — that name is reserved exclusively for Dodge products even though Ram and Dodge are owned by the same parent company, Stellantis. Of course, the TRX is a mite bit heavier than the Dodge muscle cars and has the parasitic drag of all four wheels to turn with standard AWD/4WD, so zero to 60 mph takes 3.7 seconds, which is still darn impressive for a truck that can also tow 8,400 pounds.

Unfortunately, that old joke about being able to pass anything except for a gas station is true for the TRX. It gets only 10 mpg in city driving and a slightly better 14 mpg on the highway. With Dodge killing the Charger and Challenger after the 2023 model year, it's yet unclear if the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 will live on in the 2024 TRX.

"That thang got a HEMI?" If you were around and near a television in the early 2000s, then you probably remember Dodge's annoying yet effective advertising campaign featuring that catchphrase. That touted engine would be the 5.7-liter (345 cubic-inch) Gen III HEMI V8 that first debuted in Ram pickup trucks for the 2003 model year. Though immediately popular with the general public, there was controversy among Chrysler purists because the new HEMI's combustion chambers weren't perfectly spherical like the old ones from the 1960s and early-1970s. 

Nonetheless, with 345 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque, the new 5.7-liter V8 was one of the most powerful mass-produced engines at the time, which also happened to deliver decent fuel economy. Things got even spicier in 2009 with an updated 5.7 HEMI, nicknamed the "Eagle," which got better flowing cylinder heads and variable cam timing. The current output for the truck 5.7 HEMI is 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque.

That's about 25 more horsepower than the passenger car version of the same motor, owing to a less restrictive intake manifold that only fits under the truck hoods. Like all Stellantis V8 engines, the Ram 5.7 HEMI is living on borrowed time and is likely to be replaced by the 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine, dubbed the Hurricane. The Hurricane boasts impressive specs, but we'll still miss the HEMI's glorious burbling exhaust note. 

During the golden age of muscle cars — the late 1960s and early 1970s — the famed 426 cubic-inch HEMI V8 was the highest horsepower motor available in Chrysler's stable. But many Mopar enthusiasts remain convinced that the slightly lower output 440 cubic-inch Magnum V8 was nearly as quick as the HEMI and had better manners for regular street driving. The 440 Magnum engine had a wider, more versatile torque curve than the HEMI and was easier to keep in a good state of tune versus the HEMI's multiple carburetors.

Besides muscle cars, a detuned version of the 440 was also offered in Dodge trucks, vans, and its Ramcharger SUV up until 1978. By the end of the 440's production run, unleaded fuel and emissions controls had whittled the once-mighty big block down to about 220 horsepower, but at least it still boasted a healthy 345 lb-ft of torque. 

Besides Dodge vehicles, a large number of 440 V8s made their way into recreational vehicles (RVs) that were based on a Dodge chassis. That's a fortunate thing for modern hot rodders because the "motorhome 440" has become an extremely popular and affordable engine to convert a small block car to a big block V8 when the donor RVs become deteriorated and get scrapped.

According to MotorTrend, when the latest-generation 2019+ Ram heavy-duty pickup was in the development phase, engineers calculated that in order to hit the desired 35,000-pound towing capacity, an engine producing 980 or 985 lb-ft of torque would be required. That's getting awfully close to breaking the magic four-digit barrier, which is exactly what Ram decided to do.

The newly redesigned high-output Cummins 6.7-liter inline six-cylinder made 400 horsepower and yep, 1,000 lb-ft of torque. Besides the headline torque number, the revolutionary engine also sports a block made from Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) which is approximately 60 pounds lighter than its predecessor, yet is stronger. Other updates include forged connecting rods, a new turbocharger that makes up to 33 pounds of boost, and a larger intercooler to accompany the new turbo. Recently, Ford joined Ram in the 1,000 and up torque club with a 6.7-liter Duramax diesel that generates 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Still, Ram has the distinction of being first.