Back by popular demand: 5.7L HEMI V8 returns for 2026 Ram 1500
Ram owes up to its mistake by bringing back the HEMI V8 for 1500 pickup
When Ram first revealed the 2025 Ram 1500, they caught everyone by surprise by not offering it with a HEMI V8. Instead, the automaker gave it a new engine, a 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six dubbed the Hurricane. Despite not having a thunderous V8, the new straight-six makes more power as it can generate up to 548 PS and 706 Nm of torque. In the Philippines, Inchcape brought the Ram 1500 with a detuned version that still makes an impressive 420 PS and 635 Nm of torque.
Enthusiasts and long-time fans of the 1500 pickup, however, were not pleased that a V8 option was not available. With the US market’s love for the V8, dropping the 5.7L HEMI was perhaps one of the biggest mistakes by Ram’s parent company, Stellantis. But with Ram heading towards a new direction after the exit of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the automaker has officially brought back the V8.
You read right, Ram has decided to bring back the 5.7L HEMI V8 for the 2026 model year of the 1500 pickup truck. This comes after Ram owned up to the mistake and decided to fix it by making the iconic V8 available once more due to consumer demand.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle them defines you. Ram screwed up when we dropped the HEMI - we own it and we fixed it. We’re not just bringing back a legendary V8 engine, we’re igniting an assertive product plan and expanding the freedom of choice in powertrain for our customers,” said Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram.
To show that Ram is indeed owning up to its mistake, all 2026 Ram 1500 pickups powered by a HEMI V8 will include a “Symbol of Protest” badge created by the Ram design team. It shows a ram’s head pushing forward with a HEMI V8 engine. Speaking of HEMI, the 5.7L naturally aspirated V8 generates 400 PS and 555 Nm of torque. It may not be as powerful as the twin-turbo Hurricane inline-six, but for those who still believe there’s no replacement for displacement, there is indeed no substitute for an all-American V8 under the hood.
The V8 also benefits from new and upgraded technologies like variable camshaft timing and cylinder deactivation. Moreover, the V8 gets some assistance via an eTorque hybrid system. The mild-hybrid technology works by replacing a traditional alternator with a belt-driven motor-generator unit that operates in conjunction with a 48V battery pack. This setup provides quick and seamless engine start/stop, adds torque to the engine crankshaft while under load, and enables regenerative braking.
“Ram will continue to offer the more powerful and more efficient Hurricane Straight Six Turbo, but we heard loud and clear from consumers: there is no replacement for the iconic HEMI V8. At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not to statisticians or ideologies. Data be damned - we raise our flag and let the HEMI run free again,” added Kuniskis.
With the 2026 Ram 1500 now available with a HEMI V8 once more, we’re curious if Inchcape Philippines will make the 5.7L V8 engine available to customers. After all, the HEMI holds a special place in both Dodge and Ram vehicles.
