10 Best Engines 2003

It's always nice to have a pickup around. It's doubly nice when it's powered by the baddest pickup engine in the business.

The Chrysler Group relegated its light-pickup competitors to the back seat this year when it offered the new 5.7L Hemi Magnum OHV V-8 in its half-ton Ram pickup.

The Hemi's 345 hp and 375 lb.-ft. (508 Nm) of torque squashes General Motors Corp.'s 5.3L OHV V-8 — and even newer V-8s from Ford Motor Co. (5.4L 3-valve Triton, 300 hp/365 lb.-ft. [494 Nm]) and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s Endurance (5.6L DOHC V-8, 305 hp/379 lb.-ft. [513 Nm]). In the U.S.'s ever-brutal pickup wars, horses are king — and the Hemi's got the mostest.

Did we mention it sounds spectacular, too? Five months into our year-long evaluation of the Hemi, drivers still wax eloquent in the Ram's logbook about the Hemi's aural persuasions.

WardsAuto.com Editor Barbara McClellan knows the Hemi intimately, having used the Ram to tow a ‘round-the-world sailboat from the East Coast to Detroit. “The Hemi and the truck performed wonderfully pulling about 7,000 lbs. (3,175 kg),” she says, although she notes the hauling seemed to bother the Ram's often indecisive 5-45RFE 5-speed automatic transmission (mandatory when opting for the Hemi).

“There was a lot of searching for gears, especially on some gradual upgrades at 3,000 ft. (914 m) above sea level,” she reports. She says the driveline soaked up everything the boat-hauling duty demanded, however, including arduous tugs over some of the Allegheny Mountains' more inhospitable grades.

Speaking of tugging, the Hemi hasn't given up its habit of tugging bills of large denomination from our collective editorial wallet. The Hemi does seem to have loosened with the extra break-in mileage since our original report, though: Overall fuel economy has “improved” to 12.5 mpg (18.8L/100 km). Nonetheless, the Hemi's thirst is fodder for constant griping from stingy journalists.

We can't complain about service costs, at least. The Hemi's running like a top, requiring only a routine oil change to refill the deep sump (7.5 quarts! [7L]) at 6,000 miles (9,655 km), although our spec box doesn't reflect the cost of a similar service due at 12,000 miles but not yet performed when this was written.

It's business as usual for the robust Hemi as it rolls into the second half of its long-term test. One entry tirelessly repeated throughout the Ram's logbook, sums our feelings so far about what the Hemi does for the well-constructed, sweet-riding Ram:

“I love this truck.”

2003 Dodge Ram 1500

Engine: 5.7L (5,654 cc) 90-deg. OHV V-8; iron block/aluminum heads

Horsepower (SAE net): 345 @ 5,400 rpm

Torque: 375 lb.-ft. (509 Nm) @ 4,200 rpm

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Specific output: 61 hp/L

Date delivered: 4-30-03

Total miles/miles covered in this report: 12,895 (20,750 km)/8,934 (14,377 km)

Overall fuel economy: 12.5 mpg (18.8L/100 km)

Total maintenance cost: $32.73

Non-scheduled maintenance cost (total): $0