Hybrid Hemi Powered Ram 1500 eTorque Models Hitting Dealerships Now

When the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 was introduced earlier this year in Detroit, the biggest news was the introduction of the eTorque hybrid system to the popular half-ton pickup. This mild hybrid system is slated to be standard with the Pentastar V6 engine and optional with the 5.7-liter Hemi, but when the new trucks went on sale earlier this year, they were only available with the standard, non-hybrid Hemi.

That changed this week, with the first examples of the hybrid-powered 2019 Ram 1500 pickups with the Hemi V8 began shipping to dealerships around the country. We have confirmed delivery to dealerships on both coasts and at two dealerships in the middle of the country, so it seems that this is the start of the full rollout of the fuel-friendlier Hemi.

Hemi eTorque
The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 in the 2019 Ram 1500 offers 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, whether or not it is equipped with the eTorque hybrid system. However, the eTorque system provides 130 lb-ft of torque at points in the powerband where normal engine torque is low and in the most need – like when you are accelerating away from a stop. Mind you, it does not add 130 lb-ft of torque to the engine’s torque, so the combined system power is still 410 lb-ft, but in a variety of situations where engine torque is low – the eTorque system kicks in to help out.

More importantly, the aid of the eTorque system makes the hybrid Ram 1500 a bit more efficient, getting 2 miles per gallon better in the city, 1mpg better on the highway and 2mpg combined.

On the RamTrucks website, the eTorque system is an $800 option over the standard Hemi while being $1,995 over the eTorque V6 that comes standard. The non-hybrid Hemi is a $1,195 option over the standard hybrid V6.

I have driven a handful of the new Ram trucks and I was very impressed by them, but I only drove the new half-ton with the non-hybrid Hemi. Having driven the new Wrangler with a similar eTorque system, I cannot imagine that there is any downside to having the hybrid system for $800, so those folks looking to buy a Hemi-powered Ram 1500 may want to take the eTorque model for a spin before making a purchase.

A big thanks to those dealership representatives who confirmed the information on their Hemi eTorque inventory and to the folks from Ram for confirming the delivery plans!