If you stop and think about it, 60 mph is pretty damn fast, at least at human scales. I’m not talking like interstellar travel here, I mean real, day-to-day, sandwiches-and-soap life. It’s a nice speed to think about because it lines up so nicely with how we measure time: 60 minutes to an hour, so 60 miles per hour means that you’re moving at a mile-a-minute, which is easy to understand; every minute, a mile!
We live in an era where cars can go from stationary to 60 mph in shockingly short spans of time, and I think it’s starting to affect our minds. I say this because a recent review of the 2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn V6 that appeared in Motor Trend spends much of its time trying to convince everyone that a truck that takes 8.1 seconds to get from stopped to 60 mph is somehow unacceptable. That, I think, is nuts. Getting from 0-60 in 8.1 seconds is just fine.
I realize this is a drum I’ve banged before, but seeing as how articles like this are still appearing in big-time outlets like Motor Trend, I think that drum still needs some further spanking. I’m not even sure if this is a pervasive way that people now think or if this is just a symptom of the weird, distorted ways that we auto-journos can think, but the general concept that somehow anything that takes longer than, say, six seconds to get to 60 mph is slow seems to be part of the general discussion, and, again, it’s ridiculous.
Let’s look at some of what was said in this review so you can see what I mean. First, though, let’s go over the specs on this truck so we know what we’re talking about. The version reviewed here has a mild hybrid setup (basically an integrated starter/motor in place of the alternator that helps with stop/start and provides a bit of extra power at lower speeds), with a 3.5-liter V6 making 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. This engine is bolted to an 8-speed auto. Nothing amazing, but those numbers are just fine.
The truck is a chonker, with a curb weight of 5,082 pounds, giving a not-that-unreasonable 16.6 pounds per horsepower. That’s nearly the exact same power-to-weight ratio as a 2010 Ford Mustang V6, which used 210 horses to motivate its approximately 3,400 pounds of heft, for a ratio of 16.2 pounds per horsepower. That wasn’t the fastest Mustang, but I don’t recall anyone praying they wouldn’t get stuck behind one on the freeway.
Anyway, let’s get into some quotes from the article:
“Paying the extra $2,695 for the 2025 Ram 1500’s next-level-up (and all-new) twin-turbo Hurricane I-6 engine and its 420 hp is therefore nearly a requirement, not a consideration, for anyone keen on their truck not being a rolling roadblock.”
The part that gets me here is, of course, describing a truck that goes to 60 in 8.1 seconds as a “rolling roadblock.” No, man, just no. What about this is a roadblock? Where the fuck are you driving this? Is this what you picked for a track car?
Maybe he’s having some fun with hyperbole, which I get, because being hyperbolic is more fun than playing video games while having sex on a roller coaster with a mouthful of cake, sure, but at the same time, this concept is at the core of the review: this truck is too slow.
Here’s another quote:
“In the Ram, when you step on the gas, you’ll watch the tach needle twist and hear the engine snarl through its powerband. Acceleration follows tepidly, even as the V-6 revs to its high-rpm power peak. A stoplight drag against a 30-year-old Miata is effectively a draw; by the time the Ram gets to the speed limit, the Miata is still on its quarter panel. Reaching 60 mph takes a long 8.1 seconds, well beyond base-engine-equipped competitors; even Chevy’s four-cylinder Silverado is a full second quicker to 60 mph.”
First, a draw with a Miata is impressive! The truck is like five times the size and weight of the Miata, and it’s still managing to race it to a draw? That’s incredible! And, it’s not like anyone was thinking about Miatas, even with their little 116 hp engines, as “roadblocks.” Because they’re not.
The review says getting to 60 takes “a long 8.1 seconds,” but I just can’t abide this. In reality, out of the weird bizarro world of car reviews, 8.1 seconds is not “long.” In fact, for a long, long time, 8.1 seconds was fast! You know what took about 8 seconds to get to 60 mph? One of these:
A Ferrari! A Ferrari Dino GTS! Nobody thinks of this thing as a “roadblock,” do they? Sure, it’s from 1973, but who cares? Has the length of a mile changed since 1973? Have we re-constructed and dramatically shortened all of our on- and off-ramps to our highways since the 1970s? Did we switch to metric time and seconds mean something different? The answer is no, to all of these silly questions, of course.
Yes, traffic was a bit slower in the past, but not that much slower; and, more importantly, modern traffic just isn’t so blindingly fast that a car that accelerates to 60 in just over 8 seconds would be a liability, anywhere.
I guarantee you that nobody driving the V6 Ram 1500 is going to cause massive traffic slowdowns, anywhere. I can say this confidently because I drive a 52 horsepower car that takes about twice as long to get to 60, and I have yet to have a line of angry cars behind me, honking horns and screaming threats as I merge onto a highway. Somehow, I can merge on almost any on-ramp I’ve ever encountered at about the same general pace as everyone else, because most normal human drivers don’t bother driving at a full 10/10 of their cars’ performance envelopes when they’re just commuting to work.
Sure, there may be some hyper-intense motherfuckers who white-knuckle every on-ramp, foot-pinning that gas pedal into the carpet until it either yields or moans in pleasure, and maybe those tightly-wound velocity junkies may find eight seconds too glacial. They probably exist. But I’ve never impeded the progress of one, even in my 0.9-liter, 52 hp gumdrop.
You know what accelerates way, way slower than 8.1 seconds to 60? Trucks. Big trucks. Fully leaden, the average 18-wheeler semi requires about a minute to reach 60mph. Considering the weight they’re hauling, that’s incredible. And, even with those slow speeds, millions of them are on the roads at any moment, and somehow everything keeps running smoothly.
Fast cars are fun. There’s no question about that! Stomping on the gas and finding you’re at that magic mile-a-minute in less than a handful of seconds is of course a thrill. It’s great. It’s also not how people drive, day-to-day, and the implication that a truck that goes from 0 to 60 in 8.1 seconds is somehow inadequate or even has the potential to impede other drivers is, frankly, ridiculous.
I don’t know what kind of collective madness we’re all saturated by when it comes to how we see 0-60 speeds, but enough already. If your main criteria in buying a new car is acceleration, then I suspect maybe you already know that a huge pickup truck shaped like a shipping container possibly isn’t your ideal option. I also suspect that deep down, you also know that an 8-second-to-60 vehicle is going to be absolutely, totally fine for daily driving in almost every situation, and you will never have to bear the stigma of being a “rolling roadblock.”
What’s wrong with us? We’re such absurd creatures, sometimes.
Any 0-60 Time Under, Say, 7 Seconds Is Good Enough For Most Of Us: Prove Me Wrong
You Only Need 50 HP To Get By Even In Modern Traffic
The Tesla Roadster Getting To 60 In One Second With Rockets May Be Possible But What The Hell Will You Do With It
What a load of crap. We have 2 cars right now. One does 0-60 in 12 seconds, the other in 15. Niether has any trouble keeping up with traffic or holds up traffic.
I’ve been saying something like this for years. And if they think 8.1 seconds is too slow, why is it that I have no problem keeping up with traffic in my Honda Fit which has a 0-60 time around 10 seconds?
To me, ‘too slow’ starts at 12 seconds for the 0-60 time.
But I’ve driven cars with 20 second 0-60 times… it just requires more work and planning a bit… such as getting on the throttle earlier and harder when merging onto the highway… and knowing the shift points for max acceleration (if it’s a manual).
“Big trucks. Fully leaden…”
Isn’t it “laden?” I enjoy Jason’s edge-of-the-envelope usage, but this looks like an unintended spell-check error. Young people including the very young read these articles!
Joining the chorus. Maybe where I live (Anchorage) is sleepier than most cities, but in my ’96 Subaru Legacy manual wagon with 135hp, I keep up with traffic doing 1/4-throttle from stoplights accelerating to 45mph on the local roads. If I floor it, I leave cars waaaay behind in the dust most of the time. And the sound of taking it close to the limiter and manual upshifting makes my slow-car-fast is not only more fun than most more powerful cars, but actually faster than 90% of the local traffic.
You know what I like better than 0 to 60 mph in six seconds, two seconds faster than the base model…$2,695. It’s nice of the MT reviewer to spend my hard earned money. Not going to lie, I like driving a new car. But in my experience the next level up is never just $2,695. Got to have a heated steering wheel, chrome mud spats and True-Coat along with that powerful engine upgrade. That always comes to at least $5000, usually more. True confessions – I got dinged for an extra $1,500 for heated seats and steering wheel on my most recent purchase. Sure, I would have preferred more hp (or range), but that package was $7,000 to $10,000 more. A couple grand for fancy schmancy upgrades, I can tolerate. But 10 G I can’t.
Rather surprisingly, you can add the I-6 to a Big Horn without being required to select one or more expensive option groups. Of course this is all theoretical, since I assume you won’t find a base Big Horn 4×4 with the I-6 and no other options in any dealer’s inventory.
that pretty much applied to every Big Horn before the Hurricane. Even 10 years ago when my previous truck was made, the Big Horns in theory could be had with the tiny monochrome 3.5″ EVIC, front bench seat and 5″ UConnect just like the SLT or my lightly optioned Tradesman, but in practice you would only find loaded ones with the 7″ color EVIC and extra gauges, captain chairs with full center console as well as the 8.4″ UConnect.
My guess is the 2025 Big Horns will almost always come loaded regardless of the engine choice. But you can always take the build to order route and just spring for the extra beans!
I often wonder what it was like back in the days when filling out a build order sheet with everything you wanted and nothing else was not uncommon. Seems like it would’ve been a much more satisfying experience as a consumer.
I’m driving that 2014 Big Horn Ram right now, with a Hemi.
I don’t think I’ve ever owned a vehicle that could do better than 0-60mph in about 10 seconds.
I’ve never felt like a roadblock.
I agree 100% on this one, as I also have an underpowered rig.
I drive a 1986 Mercedes 300SDL, with all of it’s factory rated 140hp pushing 3900lbs down the tarmac.
Mine is even worse than stock because I have the taller rear end from a 560SEL installed in mine (hooray for limited slip! As if I could ever get both tires spinning).
You know what’s never an issue? Being at the speed of traffic before the end of the on ramp. Sure, I’m full-throttle in 3rd gear getting there, but I’m always at the extra-legal speeds of the traffic in my area and merge without issue.
That hybrid V6 engine is likely more than adequate for the majority of truck buyers, if we’re all being honest.
As a fellow diesel driver, I know most people have never driven a diesel car and they can never understand how different it drives from a gas one. I’ve had passengers in my TDI who said my car is somehow both ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ at the same time 🙂
It will never win a drag race, but the omnipresent wall of torque means it can just effortlessly keep going all the way to 140mph, empty or fully loaded with people and stuff, doesn’t matter.
My woes are easily fixed with an upgraded injection pump, but I have many other uses for $2k, so it’s pretty far down the list.
People are so delusional I drive a prius and get around JUST FINE with a 10 second 0-60. Do i have to wide open throttle on an on ramp? Sure! but it’s fine even the shortest on ramp in my town i’m at highway speed by the end. I’m often held up by trucks, or just people who don’t know how to drive and want to merge at 40 mph and THEN accelerate…
That’s a good take.
I will, however, link to this, where Huibert suggested 3.4 seconds to 60 was boring:
> Volvo decided to take a more pragmatic approach in this regard. The EX30 makes no pretenses of being a sports car. The rear-wheel drive version goes 0-60 in 5.1 seconds while the all-wheel drive version can do it in 3.4 seconds. Not slow by any means but neither is going to set your heart aflutter when you can find any number of EV’s these days that will do it in much less time. Personally, I’m OK with that.
https://www.theautopian.com/i-drove-the-new-volvo-ex30-on-ice-in-sweden-and-now-i-want-to-give-volvo-35000/
My heart is absolutely set aflutter when I punch it in an old Mercedes that takes a little over 7 seconds to 60. It’s exhilarating. I can’t imagine having a sub-4 second car at my disposal to go to the grocery store. It’s absurd.
Forget limiting top speeds at 120mph. We should limit acceleration from green lights.
+1
I test drove a base Tesla Model 3 with my girlfriend. Even in chill mode it had plenty of acceleration. In normal mode, it had “too much” acceleration for her.
And that’s a car with a 6 second 0-60.
This is a big stupid rolling roadblock. It could probably do better than 8.1 seconds if it weren’t burdened by 8 gears… at that point, why not go for infinite gear ratios? A common blunder made by truck makers.
Like… I actually OWN one of these. A 2023 Ram 1500 with the huge cab, the short bed, the 2wd, the mild-hybrid ‘E-Torque’ V6, the 8-speed transmission, the everything.
It’s not FAST, but it’s faster than my old 1989 F250 regular cab with 4wd and an EFI 460. The Ram just averaged 27.5 mpg highway with the air conditioning cranked and the cruise control set at 65 on a 350 mile trip. The F250? 10.4 mpg, no A/C.
The Ram’s faster than my wife’s 2019 Subaru Impreza, too, which gets around 30 mpg on the highway and is a lot – a LOT – less comfortable. It’s not SLOW. It’s slower than my car, but my car is a 1979 Olds Delta 88 with a supercharged, fuel-injected 370 cubic inch making 575 horsepower on 91 octane gas. The Olds is FAST; the Ram is fine.
27.5mpg from a gasser? It is EPA rated for 25mpg highway, but as usual, Fuelly reports significantly lower real world efficiency.
Depends on how you drive. I regularly bested the rated numbers in my 2018 3.5 ecoboost. But I drive trucks like a truck. I don’t subscribe to the “accelerate faster and drive faster than everyone, lest your manhood become inverted”. I can count on one hand the times I used more than half throttle to get to highway speeds.
The added weight and friction from the AWD system is part of the reason Subarus only get so-so fuel economy.
And that’s the case for AWD/4wd in general.
And it’s why I stick with 2WD vehicles. For my purposes, the weight and efficiency disadvantages AWD causes outweigh the benefits.
I dunno if that’s the reason. Looking at other manufacturers who offer 2WD or AWD on the same car I don’t see much of a difference:
2024 Altima: AWD 26/36/30 vs 27/37/31 for 2WD
2024 BMW 228i Grande coupe: AWD 23/33/27 vs 24/34/28 for 2WD
And so on. It seems modern AWD isn’t that penalizing.
Lifetime average over 5200 miles so far is 20-ish mpg. Around town it gets 18-ish, and on the freeway at a steady cruise it usually does around 25. Last long steady cruise was at 55 to 65 mph, cruise control, air conditioning, from Santa Rosa CA to Modesto CA and back – 27.5. I was impressed.
You can’t say that and not post a picture of the 88!!
I DON’T KNOW HOW!
Upload to imgur.com (doesn’t even need an account) and paste link in comment.
Ah-HAH! https://imgur.com/a/nRWY3OW
Also, here’s a 55-85 pull. Note that (A) this was with about 6 pounds of boost and I tun 7.5 now, and (B) the tire chirp on the upshift around 78mph with 275/50-17 tires and a Detroit Locker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItiuDnpULy8
Holy shit, thank you!!!
Seeing as you have direct experience, have you towed with it? My truck buying is based around hauling busted project cars. I was extremely spoiled with my 3.5 ecoboost, but I feel like a base engine RAM would probably do what I need in reality.
I can’t talk about the current gen but I owned the 4th gen 1500 with the V6 before it was rebadged Classic and it was rated for only 4800 lbs.
My Tradesman was awkwardly optioned because it had the towing package that included the extended mirrors found in the HD trucks + trailer control and transmission cooler but it didn’t get an upgraded axle ratio so it still had the base 3.21 open diff. Great for MPGs and driving on flat roads but it would always downshift 2-3 gears at the slightest grade. I only towed a couple times with it and less than 3500 lbs, it felt super safe but I could tell the transmission wasn’t happy to shuffle between gears even in tow/haul mode. It did great with hauling even at 1800lbs, though.
Back then the 4th gens with the Pentastar could get a shorter 3.55 gear ratio good for about 7000 lbs. The new trucks might have that axle ratio as well since they all start around that ballpark but if you want an extra oomph in both unloaded and towing without sacrificing FE I’d consider a 2.7 Ecoboost with 3.55 gears. That’s what I went with after selling the Ram last year
No, I haven’t towed with it. The V6 2023s are rated to tow somewhere between 6,120 and 7,730 pounds, depending on configuration. I think mine is at 7200 with 2wd and the bigger cab. The new 2025 model with the V6 is rated at up to 8100 pounds. With a typical car trailer running about 2000 pounds, it seems like plenty.
I once two-wheel dollied a 1969 AMC Rambler American (2500 pounds) with a 1989 F-350 long-bed crew-cab (11,000 pound tow rating). It was undetectable, and fuel ‘economy’ didn’t change (7.5 mpg).
I like fast cars, but… This is A TRUCK. Jeez.
With that said: “Have we re-constructed and dramatically shortened all of our on- and off-ramps to our highways…”
…in fairness, Pennsylvania for some lunatic reason has 30-meter yields into 75+mph highway traffic. Not sure if they did that since the ’70s though!
I had a 2015 Sonata that was an 8-second to 60 car. Mostly it was fine. Sometimes it was frustrating. And that was a general purpose car, where I wouldn’t expect to compromise spryness as much as in A TRUCK.
Amusingly I now drive a PHEV Volvo crossover. 90% of the time it’s in pure EV mode, wherein it hefts its considerable bulk entirely with a 140hp motor. It’s about 12s to 60 in that mode, but so buttery smooth and silent that I rarely notice (I guess now I understand the guys who bought malaise era V8 Caddies a bit better). Most of the time it’s no issue – though if I couldn’t put my foot down and light off another 310hp I guess it might feel different. Still, 8s to 60 in A TRUCK? Yeah – that’s fine.
0-60 id a pointless metric anyway. That’s not where you need the power. How quickly a car does 40-70 MPH, ie, passing, is a much more useful thing to know.
I do 0-60 on every freeway on ramp, yet I do not think I have ever passed somebody on a two lane road starting from 40mph…….
0-60 also closely resembles pulling away from a stoplight or stop sign on a 55mph road, which is an insanely common occurrence in most of America.
I think Mark’s point however is accurate. Even if stopping at a traffic light on a 55 mph road is commonplace, how often do you bury your right foot the second that light turns green? I’d guess quite rarely and instead you slowly build speed and probably get up to the speed limit or slightly above in about 15-20 seconds.
However, once you’re at 60 mph and come up on someone doing 50 on that road you want a quick pass so you aren’t showing off in the opposite lane for too long and that’s where the 40-70 time is much more important.
So while accelerating 0-60 is more common, the 40-70 speed is more important.
“ how often do you bury your right foot the second that light turns green? “
Depends on how heavily my vehicle is loaded.
In my Honda Fit, if I have the AC on and 4 people in the car, then I’m flooring it every time.
There are metered highway onramps in some places where you most definitely will do a 0-60 run from time to time.
Or on rural secondary highways where the speed limit is 80-90km/h. Once the light turns green, you’re pretty much doing a 0-60 run in that situation as well.
I think you struck a nerve (positively) with this one. You got a lot of comments, and for good reason. Because you are right. Normal traffic does NOT accelerate that quickly. I’m a car guy. I like power. Fast cars. All of it. That said, noone, NEEDS, anything that goes 0-60 quicker than 8 seconds. Years ago when I was a kid, the “rule of thumb” was that anything that could get to 60 in 10 seconds or less, was plenty quick.
I don’t believe my ’94 F250XLT with all it’s 170hp could do 0-60 in 8 seconds. But it has the torque to get the haulin done. I am sure this V6 Mopar has more torque than my old brick on wheels…not that I would replace mine for this model.
If I want to go under 5 seconds I switch to my German sh#tbox. If I want to go off road with comfort I go to my Yota Runner.
While not a Mopar fan, they designed this truck for a specific purpose. It’s an everyday pickup. Vehicles are not always swiss army knives. They are built for a purpose. Motor Trend forgets this concept.
THANK YOU! So tired of jaded auto journos telling me anything over 5 seconds to 60 is slow as they pop out of the supercar de jour or some idiotically overpowered EV.
Motor Trend built its brand on 0-60 times. Of course they’re going to say that.
As the driver of a ’64 VW bus that would not even -get- to 60 MPH, I agree that 0-60 is a meaningless metric. For the several years I owned it, 54 MPH was absolute top speed pedal to the metal bending the floorboard. I loved that bus, and wish I still had it, slow as it was.
MotorTrend’s journalism has really tanked lately. Too many inaccuracies. Now I mostly avoid them now and if read something I take it with a handful of salt
My 1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator was one of the quickest small/medium pickup trucks in it’s day, with a whopping 181hp while most of the competition had less than 150. It does 0-60 in about 10 seconds and I can tell you, that isn’t slow. I’ve never had an issue keeping with traffic even when towing 4000lbs.
Much slower than that is my 62 Austin Healey Sprite with 56hp. It’s a light weight car and has an advertised 0-60 of 16.5 seconds. With that power, I do have to wind it out and some drivers pull away from me, but it’s never been an issue.
One of my biggest automotive regrets was not buying a 1990 MJ Eliminator when I was in college in ’96. Red, manual, 2wd with the light bar. Was such a sweet ride! But at $4500 at the time I just didn’t think I could afford it.
I think part of the problem is that journalists are frequently exposed to the newest, shiniest, fastest, most powerful vehicles that money can buy, and measure everything else against the newest, shiniest, fastest, most powerful vehicle they have experienced as part of their job.
If I get out of a Rimac Nevera and into a Ford Maverick my first impression is going to be “man, this thing is slow,” but that is missing the point entirely. Do we lambast the Nevera for its woefully short (checks notes) zero-foot bed? Do we highlight how it’s negligible ground clearance makes it an awful choice for that Moab trip, and how it’s possibly the worst car ever designed because of this? Do we point out how many cars cost less than $2.2m yet still offer more than 2 paltry seats?
Of course not. Cars are made to do different jobs and should be measured against how well they do that job. Modern trucks are made (or at least advertised) to be a multi-tool that you can use for everything: daily commute, dropping the kids at baseball practice, taking the wife to a fancy dinner, and occasionally hauling 25 tonnes of crushed rock up a steep and rocky mountain trail to the edge of an active volcano whilst maintaining perfect road manners and cocooning the driver in pleasant semi-luxury.
Excellently stated
This…
Most normal drivers aren’t going to mash the go fast pedal to the floor at every traffic light and don’t push the limits of the performance curve for their vehicle. For most people that 8 to 10 second time is plenty quick. The more important time is how short the stopping distance is due to the number of people that will look you in the eye and pull out in front of you. Those drivers are the real rolling roadblock.
I love auto journalists. They’ve given me many great stories most of my life. Unfortunately most of them believe that with a few breaks they could have challenged Juan Manuel Fangio. If Family Sedan A is a half second quicker at the drag strip than Family Sedan B, that’s all that matters.
My Kia Soul does 0-60 in 8.5 seconds. I have never really felt like a roadblock, it keeps up with normal traffic just fine.
Same with my Fit
I mean, there are times when I’d like to pass somebody, and I don’t take the chance because the “Soul” actually lacks soul. But passing times are different from 0-60 I know. That damn CVT which gives it such good fuel economy really saps any pep that might otherwise be there.
0-60 times arent important for anything other than fun. Except that one time when that guy had to outrun a tornado, and that was just that one time.
Granted,i like to occasionally rip off a solid ought sixty errvry now and again in my old turbo vo-vo, just to wake up the piston squirters a bit and give the hot underbelly of explosion-land a warm bath.
But that is rare, as i am a bit of a mileage nerd (avg 30k miles/yr/car), and a single 0-60 run kills like 0.5mpg off the tank average, even after a half tank’s worth of data set, so i dont do it that often.
So tell me again how 0-60 times in units other than integers are even remotely important in the real world? They are not. A human not-racecar-driver cannot tell the difference b/w 7.1 and 8.1 seconds 0-60 while they are actively driving, paying attn to the road, not colliding with objects, caring about the longevity of their engine, etc. Prove me wrong.
It aint a race! besides, have you ever clocked how long it takes to leave your driveway properly and back into your work parking spot like a boss? Its like a full minute of your commute. More if you suck at it.
Torch- keep up the relevant-to-the-real-world takes. We are weird beings, and you shine a military-grade informercial photon-cannon spotlight on that reality.
Plus, they buried the lede here, it’s as fast a friggin’ Miata! just twice as expensive, less fun and will honestly probably do less total life time work/hauling than the miata, as the mx5 faithful have a penchant for seeing just what it can DO. Most RAMs sold are really just to hide someone who has a DUI. Ha. Funny b/c its true
“0-60 times arent important for anything other than fun”
I disagree. I think they’re a good data point that show the ‘best’ a given vehicle can do. And it’s an indication that it will still be ‘okay’ when you have it loaded with stuff and people.