Short Take Road Test
We have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is Dodge recently reintroduced its famous Hemi V-8 engine. The bad news is the new Hemi is only available in a pickup truck.
If you're a muscle-car fan, you know how much that hurts. Although Chrysler briefly made a Hemi V-8 from 1951 to 1958, the Hemi we all remember was the 426-cubic-inch unit that first appeared in 1965 as an expensive $500-to-$1100 option in Dodge Coronets and Chargers and Plymouth Belvederes and Satellites.
Shoehorning the Hemi into those relatively lightweight sedans was a perfect illustration of muscle-car excess that ultimately killed the segment. Gulping copious amounts of high-octane leaded gas (and spewing out an unhealthy amount of pollutants), the 1966 Hemi was rated at 425 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque. It would eventually turn out that these mighty horsepower ratings of the '60s were as overinflated as Jennifer Love Hewitt's ta-tas (and about as believable), but the 426 Hemi was still one of the baddest powerplants of its day. It's hemispherical combustion chamber (think half an orange) not only gave the motor its nickname but also provided excellent combustion characteristics and promoted high airflow because the valve seats were better lined up with the intake and exhaust runners.
Nonetheless, the Hemi was dropped in late 1971. Demand for the expensive motor waned as insurance rates for it climbed and emissions laws loomed, threatening to suck the horsepower out of once-powerful engines in the years ahead. About 10,000 Hemis were produced.
Like the 426 Hemi, the new one is a V-8 with pushrod-actuated valves, two valves per cylinder, and that combustion chamber in the shape of half an orange. The new one, however, is a completely modern engine with computer control, fuel injection, two spark plugs per cylinder, and even an electronically controlled throttle.
The new Hemi's displacement is 345 cubic inches--81 less than the 426's--and the engine makes 345 horsepower at 5400 rpm and 375 pound-feet at 4200 rpm using the stringent SAE net rating. There's no reliable way to convert the nebulous SAE gross ratings of 1966 to SAE net, but it's a fair guess that the new Hemi can't equal the old one's muscle. If that doesn't sound like progress to you, consider that the new engine burns less fuel, runs far cleaner, and will go for 100,000 miles on one set of spark plugs.
The problem today is that there isn't a car in the Dodge or Chrysler lineup--excluding the V-10 Viper--that's remotely suitable for the new V-8. So for now, you can only get the Hemi in Dodge pickups, both the 1500s and the new-for-2003 heavy-duty Rams (but watch for the Dodge Magnum, on last month's cover, due in showrooms in about a year).
The heavy-duty Rams are an expansion of the latest-generation Ram pickup trucks that were introduced in 2001 (as 2002 models). The 2003s come in three models: the 2500, the 3500, and the 4500 chassis-cab. Thanks to a new, stouter hydroformed frame, they can tow and haul more than the 1500-series Ram. How much more depends on how you match up the dizzying array of engines and body styles, but a 2500-series truck can carry up to 3400 pounds and haul a trailer that weighs nearly 14,000 pounds. The Ram 1500 can hold 1830 pounds and tow 8650 pounds.
Engines in addition to the Hemi V-8 are a 305-hp, 8.0-liter V-10 and a turbocharged 5.9-liter six-in-line diesel with 235, 250, or 305 horsepower. There are two body styles that are shared with the light-duty Ram--a two-door regular cab and the four-door Quad Cab--and there's a dualie.
Our Hemi-equipped test truck was a $32,410 2500 rear-wheel-drive Quad Cab with an optional five-speed automatic transmission that's only available with the Hemi. So equipped the Ram sprinted to 60 mph in only 7.8 seconds, an amazing time for a 5680-pound truck. The last Ram 1500 we tested (April 2002) weighed 220 pounds less and needed 10.1 seconds to make the mark. Only hot-rod pickups such as the Ford SVT F-150 Lightning and the upcoming Chevy Silverado SS are badder than this newest Dodge.
