To get the best towing and hauling performance out of pickup trucks, automakers had to resort to massive, powerful engines. While these did get the job done from a capability standpoint, they came with a pretty significant caveat — terrible fuel economy. Turns out, not even pickup trucks are immune to downsizing, but that doesn’t mean their capability is sacrificed. You can still have a larger engine, yes, but that’s no longer the only way.
The biggest headliner in terms of engine downsizing recently has been the facelifted RAM 1500. The HEMI V8 that has found a home under the hood of RAM trucks for decades is out, and in its place is the new Hurricane 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder. Despite having two fewer cylinders, the horsepower goes up to 420 or 510, depending on which version you go for. As we found out in our first drive of the 2025 RAM 1500, the new Hurricane six-cylinder is a mighty machine.
Admittedly, the towing capacity is a little down from the HEMI V8, but it’s still a great number for the class. Over at GMC, the Sierra 1500 is available with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine. It might seem like blasphemy to install a turbo four-cylinder engine in a half-ton pickup truck, but with 310 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, the TurboMax four-banger is plenty capable. If you hook up these smaller engines to a hybrid system — as seen in Ford’s F-150 Hybrid, the new RAM 1500 Ramcharger, or Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX powertrain on the new Tundra pickup– the benefits can be even greater.
