2023 Ram 1500 Performance

The Ram 1500 truck is available with four engine options, none of them aimed at outright performance. Then again, even the diesel has reached 60 mph in under eight seconds in independent testing.

The base engine is the well-known 3.6-liter naturally-aspirated Pentastar V6, though a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is standard higher up in the range. The V8 can also be ordered with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system (standard on the V6). The newest member of the engine lineup is the EcoDiesel V6, but unfortunately, it's now being discontinued and production ceased in January 2023, so supply will run out soon. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Equipped with the mild-hybrid 5.7-liter V8 engine, the 1500 has a maximum tow rating of 12,750 lbs. The base V6 Crew Cab with the long box has the lowest tow rating of the bunch with a maximum of 7,740 lbs when equipped with the 3.55:1 axle ratio. While that figure may seem low in relation to the V8's, it's still useful. There are two four-wheel-drive systems available. The cheapest is the part-time system with a low-range transfer case. The full-time 4WD is unfortunately only available on the TRX.

There are three engine options available, with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 being standard on most models. Unlike most Stellantis products which use only the V6, the 1500 uses the eTorque system as well, which uses a 9-kW/90-lb-ft belt-driven starter-generator to help the standard 305 horsepower/271 lb-ft V6 along. The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (395 hp/410 lb-ft) already offers plenty of power, but it too can be equipped with a 130 lb-ft electric motor for spirited launches. The newest member of the engine family is the 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel that produces 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, but Stellantis is discontinuing this engine and it's already been taken off all the spec sheets, although some might still be available on dealer lots. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

While we're big fans of the 5.7-liter's sound and character, the sensible engine is the diesel. Yes, it doesn't deliver the same intoxicating soundtrack, but this oil burner is so smooth and refined that you hardly hear it at all. The smooth eight-speed automatic also helps to get the most out of the narrow powerband. The final nail in the coffin for the V8 is fuel consumption. In the best-case scenario with the diesel, you're looking at 26 mpg on the combined cycle. The 5.7-liter without electric assistance can only manage 19 mpg. We'd happily sacrifice the V8 grumble for that sort of efficiency in a truck. Now that the diesel is gone, there's no economical Ram 1500 left and even the HFE can't compensate, because it has way lower payload and towing numbers. We imagine Stellantis is readying the Hurricane turbocharged inline six to eventually join the 1500 lineup.

As alluded to earlier, the 3.0-liter diesel is the most frugal engine option and although it's no longer listed, it's available on 2023 1500s in 4WD guise until supplies run out, so we'll cover it here. According to the EPA, the 4WD diesel returns economy specs of 21/29/24 mpg city/highway/combined. The 3.6-liter V6 has best economy figures of 20/26/23 mpg for the RWD HFE variant, dropping to 20/25/22 for the normal 2WD and 19/24/21 mpg for the 4WD. The 5.7 V8 in RWD guise can manage up to 18/23/20 mpg and 17/22/19 in 4WD.

The standard tank size is either 23 or 26 gallons, but a 33-gallon tank is available as an option. In a diesel 4WD, this means close 800 miles on a single tank. We love it not just for its efficiency, but anything that cuts down visits to the gas station is a win in our book. There is an HFE model in the line-up as well. This model is built with efficiency in mind and is only available in Tradesman Quad Cab configuration with rear-wheel drive. While we appreciate the effort, the economy difference isn't great and it feels a little like a compliance car with a limited use case, lacking the towing or payload specs of the other models.