5.7 HEMI Vs. 5.7 HEMI With eTorque: Which RAM 1500 Engine Should You Choose?
When Ram debuted the fifth-generation 1500 full-size pickup truck in 2019, it brought two variants of the much-vaunted 5.7 HEMI V8. One is a non-hybrid variant, and the other is a HEMI V8 with eTorque. The Ram 1500 eTorque is a mild hybrid version that replaces the conventional alternator with a 48-volt electric motor generator that feeds power to a lithium-ion battery pack behind the truck's rear seats.
Moreover, the electric motor captures energy from regenerative braking and feeds the battery with power that helps with propulsion. The Hemi eTorque mild hybrid system became standard for all Ram 1500 trucks for the 2023 model year.
What's confusing are the power and torque outputs. Ram claims the 5.7 HEMI with eTorque produces 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, the same numbers you get with the non-hybrid 5.7 HEMI V8.
Of course, those numbers are underwhelming compared to the next-gen Ram 1500's Hurricane inline-six engines. Debuting for the 2025 model year, the new Ram 1500 has a standard and high-output version of the twin-turbo Hurricane engine. The standard engine produces 420 horsepower and 469 lb-ft of torque, while higher trim variants receive the high-output engine with 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque.
Despite this, Ram fans still clamor for the barrel-chested sound and pulling power of a proper HEMI V8, which is being discontinued. But with no difference in horsepower and torque compared to the 5.7L HEMI V8, what does the eTorque add to the table?
Towing capabilities and fuel economy
If maximum pulling power is what you want in a Ram truck, the HEMI V8 with eTorque is the one to get. It unleashes up to 12,750 pounds of towing (when properly equipped) and a max payload of 1,830 pounds. Meanwhile, the non-hybrid HEMI V8 can tow up to 11,610 pounds and has a 1,970-pound max payload.
Older Rams with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 could tow up to 12,560 pounds, while models equipped with the Pentastar V6 with eTorque could pull up to 7,730 pounds. Summing it all up, the Ram 1500 HEMI with eTorque is the clear winner in pulling power and can even outmuscle the newer Hurricane engines.
The 2025 Ram 1500 with the standard Hurricane inline-six can pull up to 11,550 pounds, while the high-output variant can tow up to 9,920 pounds. Granted that the Hurricane variants have more horsepower and torque and sip less gas, the HEMI V8 offers more potent towing capabilities with or without eTorque.
The HEMI eTorque returns better fuel economy than a non-hybrid V8, but not by much. The eTorque helps the Ram 1500 achieve up to 17 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway, while a non-hybrid HEMI V8 musters 15 and 22 mpg in the city and highway, respectively.