Hurricane or Hemi? Autoblog Drove Both Ram 1500s and Picked the V8 for Fun, the Six for Work

Ram brought the 5.7-liter Hemi back to the 1500 for 2026 because its customers asked for it. That left buyers with a choice the spec sheet seems to settle easily: a twin-turbo inline-six with more power, more torque and more towing, or the old V8 everyone knows. Autoblog's Cole Attisha spent a week in a blacked-out Ram 1500 Black Express Hurricane in late October, compared it with a Hemi he had tested earlier, and found the decision is not that simple.

TORQFOLIO did not drive either truck. This is what Autoblog reported, set against The Drive's Hemi review from last December.

The numbers

Autoblog's comparison uses Ram's maximum four-wheel-drive ratings. The 3.0-liter Hurricane makes 420 hp and 469 lb-ft and tows up to 11,370 pounds. The 5.7-liter Hemi makes 395 hp and 410 lb-ft and tows up to 9,590 pounds. Both use an eight-speed automatic. Attisha's truck was a Canadian-market Black Express Crew Cab tested in Vancouver, B.C., with a sport hood, dark grille, dark wheels and side steps; the article did not give a price.

What the Hurricane does better

On paper and in the cabin, the six wins. Attisha found it quieter and smoother, and well suited to highway miles and commuting, with a strong wall of torque once the turbos spool. The ride was comfortable, similar to the Hemi-powered Sport Night he had driven, and he liked the simpler, businesslike Black Express interior. Its higher torque and towing numbers also matter for anyone who actually hitches up a trailer.

What the Hemi does better

The V8 wins on feel. Attisha wrote that the 25 hp and 59 lb-ft advantage for the six did not translate into a dramatic real-world difference, and that the Hurricane's turbo lag means "the initial lag makes it less satisfying when you plant it." The Hemi responds almost immediately and has the stronger sound and character.

The fuel numbers did not help the six either. Attisha saw 13.2 mpg in the Hurricane and about 13.8 mpg in the Hemi, and he was careful to say those came from different weeks and different routes, so they do not prove which engine is more efficient. Still, his conclusion was blunt: "Fuel savings never materialized."

Looks and cabin

The Black Express package is part of the appeal here, and Attisha liked it. He called the look muscular, crediting the sport hood, dark grille, dark wheels and side steps, and found the simpler interior suits a truck meant to work. For buyers who care how a truck sits at a cruise night as much as how it tows, that matters, and it is available with either engine.

The other side: The Drive's take

Not everyone agrees. When The Drive's Joel Feder reviewed a Hemi Big Horn in December 2025, he scored the truck 8 out of 10 but called the engine choice a mistake. He found the turbo-six quicker and more responsive off the line and the V8 "not instant" by comparison, said the Hemi is less efficient, and found the standard performance exhaust loud enough on every start to become tiresome. His summary: "Less efficient, more expensive, and more obnoxious, the Hemi V8 makes no sense over the turbo-six in reality." He did praise the Ram's ride, crediting the rear coil springs, and called its interior the nicest in the segment.

Feder's numbers give useful context on cost. His Big Horn started at $52,665 and came to $63,835 as tested, and he listed the Hemi at 11,320 pounds of towing, 1,650 pounds of payload and EPA ratings of 16 city, 20 highway and 18 combined. He also reminded readers that a high-output version of the six makes 510 hp and 540 lb-ft, which no Hemi in the current 1500 lineup can match.

The two reviews disagree most on throttle response, which may come down to different trucks, settings and expectations. They agree that the six has the stronger numbers and that the V8 has the sound.

TORQFOLIO's read

Autoblog's split verdict is the useful one. If your truck tows, hauls and commutes, the Hurricane has the power, torque and towing margin, and Attisha found it the calmer partner on the highway. If your truck is the family hauler and the fun car at the same time, he wrote that "the Hemi is the one I would keep finding excuses to take out after work."

It is also worth reading what each review leaves out. Autoblog's fuel numbers came from different weeks and roads, The Drive did not publish observed economy at all, and neither outlet ran instrumented acceleration tests. Before signing, drive both engines back to back on the same road, ideally with a trailer if you tow. The spec sheet says the six wins, but Autoblog's week is a reminder that feel is what you live with every day.

For the street truck and muscle crowd, there is one more angle. The Hemi has decades of aftermarket support and a sound people already love, and the six has two turbos that tuners will be turning up for years. Neither choice is wrong. Just do not buy the Hurricane expecting to save money at the pump, because at least one week-long test says you might not.