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00:00With 18 entrants, Motor Trend's 2025 Truck of the Year competition was as diverse as
00:17it was telling of the industry at large.
00:19Eight of the crew were completely electrified, with ranges rivaling their gasoline and diesel
00:23counterparts.
00:24And of the 10 trucks left with internal combustion engines, not a single one of them brought
00:28a V8 under the hood.
00:30An all-wheel drive cargo van brought off-road chops with it.
00:33Apocalypse Ready and Bulletproof were introduced into the segment as new features.
00:38Long-awaited major updates came to two popular midsize trucks.
00:42Standout features like a midgate that offer complete access between the bed and the cab,
00:47a 48-volt four-wheel steer-by-wire system, and upgraded computer architecture made each
00:52competitor stand out.
00:54And while the 2025 Ram 1500 might seem like the most traditional truck, maybe even the
00:59safe choice with the polarizing examples we've had, it stood out to our judges against
01:04our six judging criteria to clinch the title of Motor Trend's 2025 Truck of the Year.
01:14The 2025 Ram 1500 lineup offers an outstanding variety of trucks.
01:19We have the Warlock, a tradesman-based, off-road-ready, back-road bomber that's also budget-friendly.
01:25The RHO, Ram's newest Baja truck that's new and improved compared to the TRX, despite
01:30not being Hellcat-powered.
01:32And here we have our Tungsten, the newest luxury flagship model slated above the Limited
01:37and Limited Longhorn.
01:39Taking a look at the front fascia here, we can see perhaps Ram's biggest innovation
01:43into the design of pickup trucks.
01:46If you'll notice, there's no lines here.
01:48There's no gap.
01:49One of the biggest innovations Ram has made to the design of a Tungsten is this one-piece
01:53front fascia, typical of what you might see on a car.
01:56They've taken the lines, we've got a smooth, complete face that flows all the way back
02:00to the wheel arch moldings, all the way down to the chin splitter, and we get a nice, clean
02:04look that we haven't seen in a truck before.
02:06But it also gives Ram the ability to make the truck look more aggressive.
02:10It gives it a nicer stance without having to raise the hood line.
02:13What we're seeing in trucks today are hoods that are growing taller and taller, and they're
02:17destroying the sight line through the windshield for the driver in the cabin.
02:21By keeping the hood line low and by stretching the fascia downward, we get that nice, big
02:26grill that everyone likes to see in their modern pickup trucks.
02:29This grill's different than the rest of the lineup.
02:31Each truck in the Ram lineup has a unique personality.
02:35For instance, the Tungsten here, we've got a flat edge that flows all the way across.
02:39We've got a nice, big oval.
02:41You'll see on off-road trucks like the RHO, we've got a little bit of a feature that comes
02:45up here, which is stretched out from previous models to also make the grill look taller.
02:50On our Tradesman, on our Wardlock, and the other trims, we'll see a little bit of differentiation
02:54here and there.
02:55So each truck stands out, and you can see it as soon as you walk up to it.
02:59In continuing advancement in design, the Ram Tungsten offers next-level opulence, and Ram
03:04has long set the standard.
03:05We've seen some of their trucks fall behind over the years, but with this generation,
03:09Ram definitely takes the claim of the most luxurious truck out there again.
03:13With stitching across the seats, the dash, the steering wheel, the door handles, all
03:18over the truck, you'll find intricate carbon fiber weaving and ornamental elements like
03:22the Tungsten center console badge with intricate engraving that looks miles deep, and the VIN
03:28of each truck personalizing the ornamental centerpiece.
03:31And on top of those visual cues, we have massaging seats, heated and ventilating seats.
03:36We have an incredible stereo that will blow the most astute audiophile out of the water.
03:41And on top of all of that, we've got enough screens in this thing to rival the biggest
03:45movie theater.
03:46But they're all functional.
03:47They won't overwhelm you, like some of the massive tablets we've seen in other vehicles.
03:51Now, it is a truck, so you're going to see some big screens in there, but Ram puts them
03:55to use in ways that its other competing trucks did not do as well.
04:05So often we find that when manufacturers are trying to reinvent trucks or introduce new
04:09features, we lose the old ones that customers love.
04:13As new as this truck is, so much of it still feels so familiar.
04:17And on top of quiet, comfortable cabins, no matter what trim you're driving in, the road
04:22feel is fantastic.
04:24Here in this Tungsten, we have air springs at all four corners.
04:26The truck lowers at highway speeds for better aerodynamics, but it also eats up a lot of
04:32the body roll you typically find with a truck.
04:34And because we don't have a heavy V8, the Hurricane is about 50 pounds less than the
04:40outgoing 5.7 liter.
04:42We have a more nimble and more responsive front end.
04:46The steering ratio, some of our judges felt it could be a little bit tighter, but it's
04:51very responsive and the front end tracks.
04:55Even on the trucks with steel springs, like the Warlock we sampled in our competition,
04:59the ride from that truck is absolutely incredible.
05:01And at its price point and its intended function, which is basically a work truck with a suspension
05:07lift and added off-road capability, it's just as home on the road and with a trailer.
05:13The headline-grabbing engine swap news, no more V8s, sent waves through the truck community,
05:20but it really needs to give the Hurricane straight six a chance.
05:23Since its introduction, we've demonstrated that the new, more powerful and technologically
05:28advanced engine outperforms its heavy predecessor.
05:31Hurricane equipped trucks are quicker.
05:34The high output version widens that gap even further.
05:37The RHO might be slower than the mighty TRX, but not by much.
05:41And it's a better driving, better jumping truck because the Hurricane is nearly 150
05:47pounds lighter, restoring some of the lost payload we get from that off-road suspension, too.
05:53Now, another engineering advance is Active Driving Assist.
05:55It's Volantis' hands-free answer to GM's Super Cruise and Ford's Blue Cruise.
06:00It's currently available on about 125,000 miles, well-marked divided highway, and it
06:06worked reasonably well on our Michigan road system, where we conducted our testing.
06:09We like the green cluster surround light that indicates that the system is working, and
06:14although it's not perfect, we still slayed it just behind Super Cruise and Blue Cruise
06:19as it rolls out and works towards greater coverage.
06:22We hope to see updates like automatic lane changes in the future, but for now, Active
06:27Driving Assist is a solid start that can be built on and really brings the Ram brand into
06:32the modern world.
06:34In addition to the passenger screen, we have two wireless phone chargers available, and
06:40you can pair two phones.
06:41You can't run them simultaneously, but you can easily and quickly switch between two
06:45different pair of phones, including one paired with Android Auto and one paired with Apple
06:50CarPlay.
06:51Now, down here on our center console, this new Trailer Reverse Steering Aid is really
06:57going to help Ram start chipping away at Ford's towing supremacy.
07:01It calibrates itself without the need for programming and stickers.
07:04It allows the driver to steer the trailer in reverse with this knob, and it even has
07:09a push-to-center function that straightens out the truck and keeps it steady once the
07:14driver finds the position they want the trailer in.
07:17When there is stuff to haul, the 2025 Ram 1500 is rated to carry between 1,190 and 1,940
07:26pounds of whatever you can fit in the bed.
07:29We loaded a half-ton in our Warlock, and we're impressed that it rode even more smoothly
07:32and still handled fine.
07:34There's still a Ram box option, providing side storage compartments, a box divider,
07:39and storage inside the floors of the truck.
07:41That's available as roughly a $1,000 package on a five-foot, seven-inch bed from the Bighorn
07:47all the way up.
07:48Tailgate options include power release, power down and up, and a side-hinged barn door or
07:53drop-down capable multifunction tailgate.
07:56A retractable corner bed step makes it easier to access the bed and climb aboard, where
08:01you'll find the usual fixed and adjustable tie-downs.
08:04Off-roading has long been a Ram's strength, and for 2025, there's a limited-slip or electronically
08:10locking rear differential standard or optional on every model.
08:14The Ram Classics Warlock package of blacked-out trim and popular options now joins the main
08:201500 lineup with a one-inch suspension lift, Bilstein shocks, skid plates, and a locking
08:25rear axle.
08:26For anyone paying attention, that's mostly the equipment that we found on the Rebel.
08:31For 2025, you can get a 10th Anniversary Edition Rebel X.
08:36But of course, it's the RHO that really shines off-road, and we definitely dug its banshee
08:41whale and improved steering feel relative to the TRX.
08:46The updated tuning to the Bilstein shocks gave the RHO the ability to eat huge hits
08:51without bottoming out, and many of our judges noted how much lighter, wheelier, and rear-torque
08:56biased the RHO felt.
08:58And when we got the opportunity to jump it, we did, and it was absolutely incredible.
09:04The in-air attitude of the RHO is now monitored, adjusting compression on the front and rear
09:09shocks based on whether you're front-down or rear-down.
09:13Another upgrade from the TRX, which set the shocks to full compression, now you get adjustable
09:18compression based on what the truck's doing in the air, giving you smoother landings,
09:23letting you get more jumps out of the equipment you have under the truck.
09:26Swapping V8s for twin-turbo straight-sixes definitely seemed like an efficiency play,
09:32but the fuel economy improvement is probably modest on mainstream trucks.
09:37Highway economy is only up by about 9%, but in the city, rear-drive models are equivalent,
09:43and 4x4s measure about 6% worse, so combined ratings kind of actually change very little.
09:50But more importantly, the base straight-six turbo bests the equivalent Chevy Silverado
09:555.3-liter V8 by 12% to 17%, and Ford's 3.5 EcoBoost found in the F-150 and the 5-liter
10:04V8 by just slightly slimmer margins.
10:07And we can't forget about the mild hybrid 3.6-liter Pentastar eTorque V6 that still anchors
10:13the Ram 1500 lineup.
10:15Safety might be Ram's weakest category, but that still says a lot when the rest of the
10:19categories are so strong.
10:21The IIHS hasn't tested the 2025 model yet, but NHTSA has awarded 4 stars for frontal
10:28and rollover crash survivability and 5 stars for side impact, with overall rankings of
10:345 stars for group cabs and 4 stars for quad cabs.
10:37Although those ratings are good, Chevy and Ford both earn a 5th star in frontal crash
10:42worthiness and 5 stars for overall on all tested variants.
10:48The 2025 Ram 1500 lineup truly offers something for every person purpose with a 10-model lineup.
10:56And that's before we consider the upcoming Battery Electric Rev and Extended Range Electric
11:01Ram Charger.
11:02By now, we've tested several models in the lineup, and we're continually impressed by
11:06the distinct personality and purpose that each truck has, with the Warlock unexpectedly
11:12rising to the top as a judge favorite, easily considered the best value per dollar in the
11:16entire competition.
11:18Even the $89,000 Tungsten here feels worth the money because of its quiet cabin, its
11:24refined ride, its impressive roster of equipment, and its quality workmanship and materials.
11:30And despite a $50,000 price walk through the lineup, from the Tradesman all the way up
11:34to the Tungsten, each truck feels worth the money and has a distinct purpose for everyone
11:39out there.
11:40Now, after a week of testing and an additional week with the judges who hauled payloads,
11:46they towed trailers, they went off-roading, they found that every other truck in the field
11:52fell short against its competitive segment in at least one of our six judging criteria.
11:56But the Ram 1500 rose above all of them, especially compared to its competitors, to claim the
12:032025 Motor Trend Truck of the Year.