We knew the end was coming, and now it's here. The Ram 1500 Classic—which is so old it predates Ram becoming its own brand—will wrap up production this year as a 2024 model. It exits stage left along with the 5.7-liter Hemi, marking the end of a very long era for Ram and Dodge.
"The Ram 1500 Classic has been a great entry point pickup for Ram and the Tradesman model has certainly represented the needs of our commercial truck customers," a Ram spokesperson told Motor1. "With the introduction of the Tradesman trim on the new Ram 1500 for the 2024 model year, we bid farewell to the previous generation and remind customers that the Hemi-powered Ram 1500 Classic will sell into 2025."
The Ram 1500 Classic dates back to 2009 when the fourth-generation truck debuted. It was simply the new Dodge Ram at that point, which later became the Ram 1500 when the truck division was spun off from Dodge. The Classic moniker came in 2019 when Ram decided to keep the old truck in production alongside the new fifth-generation model. We figured it would stick around for a year or two, but with an MSRP that undercut the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, it endured as a lucrative vehicle for buyers wanting a half-ton truck for a mid-size price.
Really, Ram had no choice but to end Classic production. The 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 was the only engine available in the Classic 1500 Tradesman, and retooling a 15-year-old platform to accept the new Hurricane inline-six likely would've been cost-prohibitive. As it stands now, there's only a $1,500 difference between the 2024 Classic Tradesman and the 2025 model.
You have to go back to the early 1950s to find a time when a Ram (or Dodge) half-ton truck didn't have a V-8 option. The twin-turbocharged I-6 engine makes either 420 or 540 horsepower for the 2025 Ram 1500, so the modern lineup certainly isn't lacking for power. Whether Hemi loyalists are willing to give up two cylinders for turbo, however, remains to be seen.
