Ram Fans Finally Get Their Wish As The Midsize Truck Returns In 2027

Stellantis CEO confirms Ford Ranger rival is two years away from production

                                        https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/                                    

by Chris Chilton

39 minutes ago

Ram recently righted a major wrong by returning the Hemi V8 to its powertrain lineup, a move that Stellantis believes will help boost the full-size 1500’s sales. But the automaker is preparing to plug an even bigger hole in its range with the launch of a midsize truck two years from now.

The Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma rival debuts in 2027, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa revealed to attendees of the Kepler Cheuvreux Autumn Conference in Paris last week. It will be the first Stellantis midsize truck in the USA since the Dodge Dakota was dropped in 2011 and will help give value-conscious Ram buyers an affordable truck option they might have thought was gone since the 1500 Classic went off sale last year.

Related: Ram Just Killed Their F-150 Lightning And Silverado EV Challenger

“Two weeks ago, it was in our design center in Detroit, and I saw the (truck) itself, not only the sketches and designs but the clay model,” Filosa told the conference audience, per Mopar Insiders. “And it’s just beautiful.”

Finally, A Timeline

Although Ram and Stellantis have dropped multiple hints about the existence of a midsize project in recent years, Filosa’s comments provide us with the first solid idea of a timeframe for the truck’s launch. If it arrives in 2027, the circa-$33,000-plus truck will almost certainly be a MY28.

It will also, according to Mopar Insider’s sources, come only in crew-cab guise and be a proper body-on-frame truck, not a more car-like, but less robust, unibody machine. Ram fans were concerned when Stellantis suggested during its 2021 EV Day presentation that a midsize truck could run on the unibody STLA Large platform used by the current Charger and Charger Daytona.

Some trucks, like the Honda Ridgeline, do employ unibody construction, which tends to deliver a better ride at the expense of a lower tow rating. But to be taken seriously by buyers considering a Ranger, Colorado or Tacoma, a separate chassis was the only way to go. Ram’s still unnamed midsize truck for the US market will likely use some version of the Jeep Wrangler platform and is unrelated to the new Dakota truck (pictured below) now on sale in South America.

More: Ram Shows Off Dakota Nightfall Concept For South America

Don’t expect a growling V8 under the hood either, despite the Hemi’s return elsewhere in Ram’s range. Instead, the truck could use the automaker’s Hurricane inline sixes, which can make up to 540 hp (548 PS) will provide plenty of power for high-spec trims. Entry-level models will likely feature the 270 hp (274 PS) 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Wrangler.