V8 Lives on for a Little More: Ram 1500 Classic Pickup Remains for 2024 Model Year

Stellantis Corp. is offering the aging Ram 1500 Classic as a budget alternative to modern full-size pickups, but expected price increases could negate its competitive advantage .

The fourth generation Ram 1500 DS pickup truck debuted back in 2008, in 2018 it was replaced by the fifth generation DT pickup truck, but the “fourth” Ram 1500 remained in service and that’s all is still produced and sold on a par with the “fifth”, and to make it easier to distinguish the two models, the “fourth” Ram 1500 was equipped with the Classic prefix.

Ram 1500 Classic

Last fall, Stellantis Corporation introduced a comprehensively modernized Ram 1500 generation DT; it will hit the market in the coming months. Let us remind you that during the update, this pickup truck was seriously shaken up in its engine range: the atmospheric V8 of the HEMI family was replaced by a new in-line petrol “biturbo-six” Hurricane. Meanwhile, as it turned out the other day, the younger 5.7-liter V8 HEMI (401 hp, 556 Nm) will still be available as an option on the Ram 1500 Classic, which is not yet going to retire and will go into the 2024 model year year.

Ram 1500 Classic 1/2 Ram 1500 Classic 2/2

According to Car and Driver magazine, in the new model year the Ram 1500 Classic will not receive any fundamental changes, but will noticeably increase in price: the price of a pickup truck with a single-row cab, rear-wheel drive, 3.6-liter gasoline V6 (309 hp, 365 Nm) and 8-speed automatic transmission in the base Tradesman trim will increase from $34,340 to $40,700, while the richer Warlock trim will retain the minimum price tag at $45,430. The range will continue to include versions with two-row cabs (Quad Cab or Crew Cab) and all-wheel drive. The list of standard equipment and options may be adjusted.

Ram 1500 Classic

It turns out that at the minimum price, the Ram 1500 Classic 2024 model year is almost equal to the pre-restyling fifth-generation pickup truck, which is still available for order, but the updated Ram 1500, related to the 2025 model year, may turn out to be noticeably more expensive — prices for it have not yet been announced.< /p>

How much longer the Ram 1500 Classic will last on the assembly line is still unknown — American colleagues believe that the 2024 model year will be its last, which, however, does not prevent this model from being produced in the 2025 calendar year and even later.

Ram 1500 Classic

We would like to add that the parallel release of two generations did not allow full-size Ram pickups at the end of last year get ahead of your main competitors in your home market. According to the manufacturers themselves, sales of Ram pickup trucks in 2023 in the United States amounted to 444,926 units. (-5% compared to last year), Ford F-Series sold 750,789 units. (+14.8%), Chevrolet Silverado sold in the amount of 555,148 units. (+6.1%).