RAM 1000 Reviews

Ram has confirmed production and launch timing for its much-anticipated ‘compact pick-up’ developed to challenge the popular Ford Maverick and reports out of the US overnight point to a North American introduction. Speaking at the 2026 Stellantis Investor Day in Detroit, Michigan, Group CEO Antonio Filosa and RAM management detailed plans for three new pick-ups within the next few years, the goal being 60 per cent global sales growth for the brand by 2030, from 517,000 units in 2025 to approximately 825,000 at the end of the decade. To be based on the Ram Rampage sold in South America (and retaining that name), a production site for what Automotive News reports will be a North American version of the new monocoque ute hasn’t been confirmed. The current Rampage is powered by a 147kW/450Nm version of the ‘MultiJet II’ four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine or the 200kW/400Nm ‘Hurricane’ turbo-petrol four, both driving all four wheels via a nine-speed auto transmission.  US sales of Ford’s Maverick compact monocoque ute have exceeded 100,000 units for the last two years, with others, including Toyota, rumoured to be investigating an entry into the smaller pick-up segment in America. At the same time, the mid-size, body-on-frame Dakota has been scheduled to begin production in Toledo, Ohio (home of the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator) in 2028. Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said the goal is to make Ram “number two in trucks” in the USA by the end of the decade and is on the record positioning the new mid-size Dakota as an affordable “spiritual successor” to the full-size 1500 Classic. Late last year, Antonio Filosa confirmed he had seen clay development models of the Dakota in Ram’s Detroit design centre. As per Mopar Insiders Filosa said, “It was in our design center in Detroit, and I saw the (truck) itself, not only the sketches and designs but the clay model. And it’s just beautiful. “If you want to come to Detroit, we’ll show you without cellphones and cameras, and you will be, I believe, astonished,” he said. These new model confirmations arrive as part of the Stellantis Group’s ‘Fastlane 2030’ initiative which includes introduction of more than 60 new or redesigned vehicles globally by 2030 (23 in North America).  The emphasis on North America is a clear rebalancing of the corporate scales at Stellantis, with former CEO Carlos Tavares widely perceived to have favoured the group’s European brands including Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Citroen, Opel and Peugeot, with his successor Filosa now leaning into its US nameplates - Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. While it had no comment on the new Rampage’s potential for local sale, Ram Trucks Australia General Manager Jeff Barber previously told CarsGuide he had a strong appetite for a Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux baiting ute saying, “We would love a mid-size pick-up and we have always said we have our hand raised if ever such a vehicle were to become available for our market.” Right-hand drive availability for these newcomers, or the economics of local LHD to RHD reengineering are obvious factors in determining viability for sale in this market.

Ram’s big US pick-up truck is muscling up, with a new V8-powered series revealed. It is dubbed the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee, and will be available in four different grades. Headlining the muscle truck range is the SRT super ute, which uses the most powerful V8 ever installed in a production pick-up truck. Under the bonnet of the 1500 Rumble Bee SRT is a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 that pumps out 579kW/922Nm. That helps it hit 60 miles an hour (96km/h) in just 3.4 seconds. And it could make its war Down Under in the future, according to Ram Trucks Australia boss Jeff Barber. "We are super excited about the new Ram 1500 Rumble Bee unveiled in the US overnight.  Ram Trucks has an amazing catalogue of vehicles and, as always, we seriously consider all model variants," he said. The Rumble Bee range is firming as a hot commodity in the US, which could put a pin in a local launch in the near future. After the headline grabbing SRT there are three more accessible models. The range starts with the standard Rumble Bee, which uses a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 that makes 295kW/556Nm.  Then comes the Rumble Bee 392 that packs 350kW/617Nm of grunt thanks to its 6.4-litre Hemi V8. The Rumble Bee 392 Track Pack variant that hosts an array of performance upgrades is next up. The entry-level version is due at the end of the year in the US, with the 392 and SRT versions landing in 2027. The Rumble Bee series isn’t just about V8 grunt, it also packs plenty of standard equipment across the range. There are big screens throughout, luxury features such as power-adjustable bucket seats wrapped in a range of materials, Harman and Kardon stereo and smartphone connectivity, among plenty of others. Don't expect the Rumble Bee to be cheap if it lands in Oz. Big grunt costs big bucks these days, due to the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which fines high-polluting vehicles due. The complicated remanufacturing process that converts the vehicles from left to right-hand drive, doesn't help either.

Ram Trucks Australia now offers an even more afforded entry point into its full-sized US pick-up truck range with the arrival of the RAM 1500 Express Black Edition for under $110,000. The Ram 1500 Express Black Edition will sit below the Rebel, Laramie Sport and Limited grades in the Ram 1500 line-up. It also undercuts rivals such as the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra and Chevrolet Silverado.  2026 price table  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition   2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition engine and efficiency The Ram 1500 Express Black Edition is powered by the same 3.0-litre in-line six cylinder found in the Rebel and Laramie grades of the Ram 1500. The engine actually makes more power and torque than the V8 in the previous entry grade, the now-discontinued Big Horn.     2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition standard features ‘Power bulge’ Sports bonnet Black grille Black badging Black side mirror caps Black door handles Black exhaust tips Black side steps Black 20-inch wheels Body-coloured bumpers Spray-in bed liner Damped tailgate Bed step on passenger side Power operated sliding rear window port Tinted rear windows LED headlights and fog lights Cargo area light Cloth trim Black interior highlights Large centre console with internal sliding tray 8.4-inch infotainment screen 7.0-inch digital instrument display Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 6-speaker audio Sensor key with push button start Remote engine start Gear selector dial Electric park brake Rear underfloor covered storage pockets Storage space under the rear seats   2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition optional features Metallic paint $950  2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition safety features Adaptive cruise control Forward collision alert with AEB Lane-keeping assistance Blind spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Front and rear parking sensors Rear view camera    2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition Colors  Diamond Black Granite Crystal Silver Zynith Bright White Molten Red Forged Blue 2026  Ram 1500 Express Black Edition warranty  Ram Truck Australia covers the Ram 1500 Express Black Edition  with a three-year/ 100,000 kilometre warranty

One of the largest carmaker conglomerates in the world will focus its investments on its most popular and profitable brands, according to reports. News outlet Reuters spoke with five unnamed sources, who said Stellantis will be focusing on the Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Ram brands moving forward. This will reportedly be announced in May as part of a new long-term strategic plan by current Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa. Stellantis currently has a total of 14 brands, including Alfa Romeo, Citroen and Maserati, among others. While it reportedly will be focusing its fundings on the aforementioned core brands, it doesn’t plan to shut down any of the other brands or palm them off to other companies. The lower-volume brands will reportedly instead receive funding to build models using the technology and platforms from either Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot or Ram. Rebadging certain models is another solution that’s reportedly under consideration. These brands will also become focused at specific markets where they are already performing well or have potential, according to the unnamed sources. Stellantis was founded in 2021 upon the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Groupe. This was headed by former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares who gave every brand funding for five years and said he would assess which brand would continue after the fact. Tavares resigned as CEO from Stellantis at the end of 2024 following falling share prices, large changes in operations and the decline of sales in key markets, including North America. He was succeeded by Antonio Filosa who was appointed as CEO in May 2025. Since then he has attempted to correct course and boost sales, especially in North America. However, last year Stellantis noted a net loss of €22.3 billion (~A$36.4 billion) in 2025 which is says was because of a decisive reset to align with customers and support profitable growth - a strategic shift to put customer preferences and freedom-of-choice back at the heart of the Company’s plans”. It has also revised its plans to roll out more internal-combustion (ICE) products, including resurrecting diesel powertrains, amid declining electric vehicle (EV) demand in certain markets.

Utes have been affected substantially by increasing fuel prices, thanks to their large fuel tanks and often thirsty turbo-diesel engines. Diesel fuel prices have jumped to more than $3 per litre, making filling up a diesel ute more expensive than ever. CarsGuide has compiled a list of all the diesel dual-cab pick-up utes on sale, calculating the yearly cost of each at $3.07 per litre (the average price in NSW on 31/3/26) over 15,000km. Isuzu Ute’s D-Max and Mazda BT-50 2.2-litre turbo-diesel variants are the efficiency leaders. The mechanically identical pair of utes cost $3038.02 in fuel in a year, averaging 6.6L/100km. The Ford Ranger’s single turbo-diesel 2.0-litre is next on the list, averaging 6.9L/100km, which equates to $3177.45 over 15,000km.  The new mild hybrid Toyota HiLux also has a competitive efficiency figure of 7.1L/100km, which is a little cheaper in fuel than the standard turbo-diesel variants.  Three-litre variants of the BT-50 and D-Max vary in cost, given fuel consumption fluctuates between 7.1L/100km and 7.8L/100km depending on the variant. The KGM Musso is one of the thirstiest of the utes, with its up to 9.0L/100km, costing more than $4000 over the course of a year.  The GWM Cannon Alpha diesel was the other ute to exceed the $4000 mark.  Concluding the list are the gas guzzling full-size American pick-ups, in Ram’s 2500 and the Chevrolet Silverado HD. Both have V8 diesel engines with a capacity of more than 6.0-litres, meaning they cost more than $7000 over the course of a year. 2026 ute fuel figures Australia    *Dependent on variant **Ram does not provide official figures for fuel consumption. This figure is sourced from CarsGuide's real world testing. ***Chevrolet does not provide official figures for fuel consumption. This figure is sourced from CarsGuide's real world testing.

China is dominating Australian new-car sales, but it’s also not alone, with a handful of legacy brands bucking the trend to somehow grow their sales in the face of BYD, Chery and GWM’s continued ascent.

With the hammer predicted to drop on EV subsides in the coming weeks, there are growing calls to instead shine the spotlight on Australia's ute segment, where similar tax breaks exist for "commercial vehicles."

Polestar Australia boss Scott Maynard has opened fire on Australia's owners of American-style utes, saying they "use and abuse" FBT and LCT subsidies that are aimed at tools of the trade.  In a stinging rebuke of government policy that favours some of the nation's biggest vehicles, as similar rebates for electrified vehicles are under the microscope, the executive suggested the Albanese Government would be better off tightening light commercial vehicle policies towards American pickup trucks. "It's actually being used and abused in the light commercial vehicle space," Mr Maynard said.  "I was a tradie. That's how I started in this industry, as a tech. So I fully support the subsidy of tools of trade to our trades people. I couldn't be more supportive of it. "But these vehicles are not even being marketed as tools of trade. You've got $200,000 American-style utes and pickup trucks marketed as towing caravans and boats, and yet they enjoy the same FBT and LCT let-off, which can be tens of thousands of taxpayers dollars, so that they can never, never turn up on a job site. "That is entirely unjust. So if the government sets out to save some of the taxpayers' money handed over in FBT deductions, it should be done in reconciling where its support of light commercial vehicles goes, not supporting the electric vehicle industry." Since 2022, electric vehicles positioned below the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold of $91,387 for electrified vehicles, under a novated lease, were no longer eligible for Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) obligations. Numbers crunched by the Australian Financial Review found someone who leases a $60,000 car could save as much as $12,000 per year if they opt for an EV over an ICE vehicle. While spurring EV sales, the program is expected to cost $1.35 billion over the 2025/2026 financial year. The incentives are currently under review, with formal submissions closing last month. Similarly, most utes are not subjected to FBT obligations, provided the vehicle can carry a load of one tonne or more, or carry more than eight passengers, or are not primarily designed for carrying passengers. The vehicles must only have "limited" private use. LCT – which generates as much as $1.3b annually – does not apply to “a commercial vehicle designed mainly for carrying goods and not passengers”.. Data from the Australia Institute, published in 2023, found the LCT exemption resulted in lost revenue of around $250m per annum on the sale of American pickup trucks.

Stellantis is reportedly relying on the return of the V8 to one of America’s favourite ‘trucks’ to float its profits in 2026.

Diesel isn't dead after all: Why the owner of Peugeot and Jeep is making up for lackluster EV sales with diesels.