Since its inception, the Ram Truck brand has tried to be the most truck of all the trucks. “Best-in-Class” this and “Segment-leading” that headlined every press release and advertisement. Not anymore.
At a glance
- Ram has the best interior experience of all truck brands
- Hemi V8 returns because Boomers hate Millennials
- There’s little for the Ram 1500 to boast about other than its interior
Today’s trucks are basically really, really large sedans. Advertisements and country music videos might look back with rosy glasses at the good ol’ days when pickups had bench seats and gun racks and parked next to near-ripe corn fields in the sunset. But the reality is that those trucks were uncomfortable, bouncy, unreliable horror shows of utilitarianism. Today’s trucks aren’t even close when compared. They’re powerful, cushy, and tech-filled. Every pickup truck brand is like this now. Ram has, however, somehow taken this to a new level.
The 2026 Ram 1500 isn’t much changed from last year’s model, which saw a pretty significant update. While most of the focus was on the newly-minted RHO model, the speedster replacing the ridiculous(ly awesome) TRX, the 1500 lineup got some pretty strong changes. Mostly to its interior. The layout in a Ram Truck hasn’t changed too much in years because that layout is really well done.
There’s plenty of places for phones, gadgets, drinks, and the other assorted junk we tend to pile into our vehicles. The crew cab model boasts more than a dozen cup holders throughout (16+ in some models). Upgrades were mostly small things like materials choices, added small item storage, and a slight tweak to where buttons and dials were placed.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
For 2026, the biggest changes to the Ram 1500 are the re-introduction of the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and a bid by Ram to remedy its growing reputation for unreliability with a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty for the North American market. The V8 engine, which I drove in the Tradesman model Ram 1500 labeled a “Warlock,” is nothing special.
Other than it being gone for a year of V6-only options, it’s still the same throaty eight-cylinder mid-performing, mild hybrid engine setup it was before. The turbo-six options are still better in almost every respect, including capability for towing and hauling. But a lot of truck buyers like that 8-count and really don’t like turbochargers. So Ram will oblige.
There’s a subtle thing happening in the pickup truck market in general and at Ram Truck specifically: capability is taking a back seat to ergonomics, comfort, and a car-like driving feel. Blame it on today’s buyers being spoiled or on the rise of the cushy SUV replacing the car or on Millennials being whatever it is Boomers think they are. It doesn’t matter. What it amounts to, though, is that the 2026 model year Ram 1500 is not the best-in-class for anything measurable. It tows less, hauls less, and gets lower fuel economy than pretty much all of its rivals.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
What Ram has, and should be pushing harder, is a superior interior experience in its lower-end trim points. I’d drive a Ram Tradesman with its low-end upholstery and highly ergonomic layout anytime over a Ford XL/STX or a Chevrolet WT/Custom. It’s not until higher-cost trims that the Ford and Chevy interiors begin to compete with Ram. Sure, they’ll out-tow and out-haul the Ram most of the time, but those bragging rights don’t trump the daily use experience.
Couple that interior experience with the smooth ride quality that all of today’s trucks now have and you might understand what’s going on here. Today’s trucks are not just comfortable; they’re composed. Almost aloof sometimes. Especially the Ram 1500.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
That composure extends into daily usability. Whether you’re commuting, hauling, or just crossing state lines for the sake of it, the 1500 feels less like a tool and more like a companion. It’s as comfortable as any sedan or SUV during road trips or just daily commutes.
Sure, it’ll do truck things. But it doesn’t feel like a truck most of the time.
Truck traditionalists and forum gladiators will argue this, of course. The reality is that, like most enthusiasts, they’re either all bluster or they don’t buy new vehicles anyway. They fail to realize their own irrelevance to the market. Today’s buyers, going by the numbers of high-end trim levels being sold across the full-sized truck segment in the US, want to be comfortable in their truck. The traditional downsides of a pickup, namely an uncomfortable ride quality and a lack of amenities, are now a liability rather than an expectation.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The 2026 Ram 1500 definitely obliges in that comfort. And, like its rivals, the 2026 Ram 1500 has several powertrain options (a V6, a turbo-6, and a V8). Like other pickup trucks, the Ram 1500 comes in various cabin and bed sizes too. Like the others, its fuel economy ranges from the teens to the mid-20s. And like all full-sized pickups, its price tag looks pretty reasonable to start (about $US42,000 plus destination) to downright ridiculous as it pushes six figures at the top levels.
Until those expensive higher-end trims, however, the 2026 Ram 1500 delivers an unrivaled interior experience, ride quality, and cabin comfort. That’s really its strongest selling point.
Product page: 2026 Ram 1500