2016 Ram Truck Engine Specs

Since Ram became its own brand in 2010, the company has solely dedicated itself to engineering and manufacturing some of the best light- and heavy-duty trucks and cargo vans available.

With five different truck models, the 1500, 2500, 3500, or the 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs, the line of Ram trucks something for everyone. Whether looking for a heavy-duty chassis truck for the heaviest construction or towing projects, a truck strong enough to tow your boat, or an everyday fuel-efficient vehicle that has a large bed for all of your daily needs, Ram has you covered.

Ram trucks are known for their towing capacity, fuel efficiency, and endurance, so we’ve compiled details on all of the Ram truck engine options below. But before you can understand all of the Ram truck features, it’s important to know these common words used to name the various Ram truck options.

Terms / Brands Associated with Ram Truck Engines to help you better understand each engine:

HEMI: A HEMI engine is an extremely powerful engine that is shaped “hemispherically” hence the name. Because of the engines shape, it allows for more pressure in the engine which helps to add more horsepower.
Cummins:Cummins are a brand of diesel engines which provide the truck with a high amount of horsepower.
MDS / Fuel Saver Technology: MDS stands for Multi-Displacement system. Basically the system works by only using four of the eight cylinders in V8 engines on Ram trucks when the truck reaches and maintains a steady speed. This allows for fuel to be saved and the truck to be more fuel efficient.

Ram 1500

The 2016 Ram 1500 comes in eight different trims, some of which are special edition trims. The Tradesman, 1500 Express, Big Horn, Rebel, Sport, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn, and the Limited are the available trims.

Buyers have the option of three different engines for the Ram 1500. The standard engine is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine paired with a eight-speed automatic transmission. The 3.6L engine has a fuel economy of 18 city mpg and 25 highway mpg. This engine generates , 305 horsepower, 269 lb-ft of torque, both of which help to give it its maximum towing capacity of 7,610 pounds.

Another available engine is the 3.0-Liter Ecodiesel V6 engine also paired with the same eight-speed automatic transmission. This is a 240 horsepower engine that gets 21 city and 29 highway mpg, as well as 420 lb-ft of torque. This engine leads the light-duty truck class in best fuel efficiency.

The biggest engine option is a 5.7-Liter HEMI V8 engine with MDS/ fuel saver technology, and two different transmission options. The first transmission option is a eight-speed automatic transmission, and the second is a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine paired to the higher gear 8-speed automatic transmission averages about 15 city mpg and 22 highway mpg, and the six-speed automatic transmission is about 14 city mpg and 20 highway mpg. The 5.7-liter HEMI engine can tow a maximum of 10,650 pounds.

Ram 2500 and Ram 3500

The Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 are different trims, but the same engine options. For the 2500 there are nine different trims, and six trims available for the 3500. 2500 trims include: the Tradesman, SLT, Big Horn Laramie , Outdoorsman, Power Wagon Tradesman, Power wagon, Laramie longhorn, Limited, and Laramie. Trims for the 3500 are Tradesman, SLT, Bighorn. Laramie, Laramie Limited, and Limited.

The standard engine for both the 2500 and 3500 is a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with VVT engine. This engine gets 383-horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque, and can tow a maximum of 13,910 pounds. There are two transmission options for this engine, and eight-speed and six-speed automatic transmission. The eight-speed transmission gets 15 city, 22 highway mpg, and the six-speed transmission gets 14 city and 20 highway mpg.

A 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with MDS/ Fuel saver technology is also available for both the Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks. This engine gets 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. In addition the truck can tow up to 16,520 pounds, and is available with the same eight-speed and six-speed transmissions as the previous engine.

The final and most powerful engine available for the 2500 and 3500 trucks is a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine. This engine can tow up to 31,210 pounds, and produces 385 horsepower and 800 lb-ft of torque. There are three transmission options for this engine which include: a 68RFE six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual transmission , and a Aisin AS69RC automatic transmission.

Chassis Cab

There are twelve available trims for the Chassis cab. The 3500 SRW 10K GVWR tradesman, 3500 Tradesman, 4500 Tradesman, 5500 Tradesman, 3500 SRW 10K GVWR Tradesman, 3500 SLT, 4500 SLT, 5500 SLT,3500 SRW 10K GVWR Laramie, 3500 Laramie, 4500 Laramie, and 5500 Laramie are the available trims.

There are two engine options for the Chassis cab, a 6.4-Liter HEMI V8 engine with MDS fuel saver technology, and a 6.7-Liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine.

The 6.4-Liter HEMI engine produces 370 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. The engine also tows a maximum weight of 19,950 pounds. There are two transmissions with the engine, an eight-speed automatic and a six-speed automatic.

The 6.7-Liter Cummins engine comes with the same two transmissions, and tows up to 29,600 pounds. This engine produces 325 horsepower, and 750 lb-ft of torque.

Interested in one of these trucks? Come down to University Dodge for a test drive.