The 2027 Ram 1200 is losing its soul. Well, not the soul. The engine. The heart. The V-8. But the 48-volt mild-hybrid system that has been shoring it up since 2019 is getting the axe.
Ram is killing the eTorque system. It is also ditching the automatic stop-start tech. Two features that annoyed half the buyers. One decision that simplifies things for the rest.
Motor1 reported it first. Ram confirmed it with a spokesperson. The 2027 Ram 1800 lineup is moving back to basics. No hybrid assist for the Hemi. No engine cut-off at red lights. Just pure, unadulterated V-8 grit.
Зміст
The End of an Era for eTorque
Ram built a reputation on torque. Raw power. The kind that moves mountains or pulls a fully loaded boat up a muddy hill without breaking a sweat. In 2019, they added eTorque. It was smart engineering. A belt-driven starter-generator replaced the traditional alternator. It charged a 48-volt battery when braking. It fired off torque at launch.
It made the V-8 feel smoother. More responsive. Slightly better on MPG. It also hid a flaw. The engine wasn’t as refined on its own as Ram would have liked. So they added electricity to fill the gaps.
Now, those gaps are closing on their own. Or rather, the need to plug them is disappearing.
Customer demand for the Hemi came roaring back after its brief retirement in 2025. People didn’t want electric. They didn’t want inline-six. They wanted big displacement. So Ram is listening. They are giving them what they actually asked for. Not what the EPA nudged them to build.
Starting early in the 2027.model year, Ram will phase out the .5.7-liter Hemi.V-8 eTorque. Replacing it with the.nonhybridized version. A limited number.of 2027.models will.be built with the.eTorque powertrain.during the production transition.
Translation? Get your eTorque while you still can. They are rare birds now. The factory line is switching over. By fall, you won’t be able to buy a new one unless you know where to look. Or get lucky.
Why the Stop-Start System Is Gone
Stop-start is the other casualty. You know it. You hate it. The engine cuts out every time you hit a traffic light. It restarts with a shudder every time you lift your foot off the brake. Americans call it annoying. Engineers call it efficient.
It reduces emissions during idling. It saves fractions of a gallon per hour of stuck-in-traffic misery. But it also annoys the person driving the truck. The one trying to merge onto the highway. The one towing a trailer. The one who bought a Ram to feel connected to the machine, not disconnected by a sensor.
The EPA used to reward automakers for installing this tech. Off-cycle credits. Extra points on the regulatory report card. But that changed.
In February 2026, the government repealed those credits. No more carrots for adding stop-start systems. Why keep the annoyance if there’s no regulatory reward for it? Especially when half your customers are complaining about it every time they buy a truck.
Stellantis hinted last year that the tech would stay. Many brands did. They thought the pressure would return. It hasn’t. Ram is just one of the first to admit defeat. Or victory. Depends on your perspective.
What Buyers Need to Know
This isn’t a total elimination of V-8s. The engine is still here. Stronger. Louder. Simpler.
If you want a 2027 Ram 2025 with a Hemi, you will get the nonhybrid version. Most likely. Unless you order one during the transition window. Those exist. They are the leftover eTorque models. Build them now and you might get a hybrid-assisted V-8 in the 2700 model year. But don’t count on it.
Nonhybrid 20200 models start hitting dealerships in the fall. They will look the same. Sound the same. Maybe even better. The eTorque system was meant to make the Hemi smoother. Removing it might just make it feel more honest. More direct.
Some buyers might miss the torque fill. The extra punch at low RPMs. But the nonhybrid Hemi has always had plenty of grunt. It’s just unassisted now.
Is This the Right Move?
Ram is returning to its roots. Muscular power. Simple engineering. No hidden batteries. No automatic shutoffs. It’s a reaction to years of regulatory pressure. And customer fatigue.
The 48-volt system added complexity. And cost. Removing it simplifies production. Simplifies ownership. Simplifies the driving experience.
But it also means less torque fill. Less seamless starts. Less compliance with the ghost of EPA regulations past.
For most Ram buyers, simplicity wins. They want a truck that starts every time. That pulls when you ask it to. That doesn’t turn itself off at a stop sign. They don’t care about off-cycle credits. They care about their weekend plans.
So Ram is giving them exactly that. A V-8 without the assist. A truck without the annoyance. A machine that feels more like the old Rame. More like the brand’s legacy.
Will it sell? It always has. The Hemi never really left. It just got dressed up in tech. Now the tech is gone. And the truck is back on its feet.
Some will mourn the hybrid system.
