BY ROGER WOOD | GENERAL SALES MANAGER | RC CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM | 15+ YEARS SERVING WEST VIRGINIA

2026 RAM 1500 Big Horn in West Virginia: 17 In Stock, The HEMI V8 Is Back — Why Tri-State Families Drive to Newell for This Truck

I have been selling trucks on Washington Street in Newell for over fifteen years, and I cannot remember the last time I had this conversation so often: the HEMI V8 is back in the RAM 1500. Stellantis pulled the 5.7-liter HEMI from the 2025 lineup, and the phones did not stop ringing from customers asking when it would return. The answer is now. The 2026 RAM 1500 brings the HEMI back alongside the 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo and the 3.6L Pentastar V6, and right now at RC Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM we have seventeen new RAM 1500 trucks in stock — the largest RAM 1500 selection in Hancock County.

The Big Horn trim sits in the sweet spot of the RAM 1500 lineup. It is the truck I recommend more than any other to families and small business owners in the tri-state area because it gives you the features that matter — chrome bumpers, LED headlamps, Uconnect touchscreen, cloth seating that cleans up after a day on a job site — without pushing into luxury-trim pricing. With current Stellantis incentives stacked on top of our RC Assistance Discount, we are seeing meaningful savings off MSRP on select Big Horn 4×4 units. Verify current inventory, pricing, and available incentives at gorcauto.com — inventory and pricing update daily.

Three Engine Choices: Pick the Powertrain That Matches Your Life

The 2026 RAM 1500 gives you three distinct engine options, and each one serves a different customer. Here is how I explain them to buyers who sit across from my desk:

The 5.7L HEMI V8 produces 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque. This is the engine that built the RAM 1500’s reputation. It is the one our customers along Route 2 and Tomlinson Run Road have been asking for since Stellantis pulled it from the 2025 model. If you tow a boat to the lake on weekends, pull a utility trailer to job sites during the week, and want a V8 exhaust note that sounds like a truck should sound, this is your engine.

The 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo inline-six is the performance option at 420 horsepower and 469 lb-ft of torque — more power than the HEMI with better fuel economy. If you want the most capable RAM 1500 for towing up to 11,610 pounds and do not care about the V8 badge, this is the smarter technical choice. Sean Broadbent on our RAM team can walk you through the real-world towing differences between the Hurricane and the HEMI on the grades we deal with here in the Northern Panhandle.

The 3.6L Pentastar V6 with eTorque produces 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft with mild hybrid assist. This is the entry point — lowest purchase price, solid daily-driver fuel economy, and enough capability for a family that tows occasionally and hauls mulch and lumber on weekends. It handles Route 2 commuting between Chester and Weirton without complaint.

What Does the Savings Stack Actually Look Like on a RAM 1500 Big Horn?

I believe in showing the math, not hiding it. The savings on a RAM 1500 Big Horn come from multiple layers working together: Stellantis Retail Bonus Cash, National Select Inventory Bonus Cash, Sales Event discounts, and our RC Assistance Dealer Discount. Not every unit qualifies for every incentive — it depends on the specific VIN, the current month’s program calendar, and whether you are financing through Chrysler Capital. The savings vary by configuration and the incentives Stellantis has active at time of purchase, which is why I always tell customers to call Steve Harrington in our finance office for a deal sheet on the exact truck they want. Steve structures every deal individually because a blanket number would not be honest.

What I can tell you is this: with seventeen 1500s on the lot right now across Big Horn, Express, and Rebel trims, we have the inventory depth to match you with the right truck at the right price. When a dealer has two units, you take what is there. When a dealer has seventeen, you choose the configuration, the color, and the package level that fits — and that competition between units on our own lot works in your favor. Call Steve at 304-714-2632 for current pricing on any specific VIN in our live RAM 1500 inventory.

Is the RAM 1500 Big Horn a Good Truck?

I am not going to give you a marketing answer. I am going to give you a fifteen-year answer. The RAM 1500 has been the truck I have watched customers buy, drive for seven years, trade in, and buy again — more than any other vehicle on this lot. The Big Horn specifically outsells every other RAM 1500 trim at RC Auto Group because it delivers the features tri-state families actually use without the features they do not. The coil-spring rear suspension — which is unique to RAM in the half-ton segment — makes the ride quality noticeably better than the leaf-spring competitors, and that matters when your truck is also your family vehicle driving kids to school on frost-heaved roads in Hancock County every morning. CARFAX shows RC Auto Group at 4.8 stars from 87 verified reviews, and a significant number of those reviews mention repeat purchases. That is the answer to whether the Big Horn is a good truck — people keep coming back for another one.

What Is the Difference Between RAM 1500 Big Horn and Laramie?

This question comes up in almost every Big Horn conversation, so let me lay it out directly. The Laramie adds leather seating, a premium Alpine audio system, power-adjustable pedals, a larger standard touchscreen, and additional chrome exterior trim. Those are real upgrades if interior luxury matters to you. But the price jump from Big Horn to Laramie is typically $8,000 to $12,000 depending on options, and here is what does not change between the two trims: the frame, the suspension, the drivetrain, the towing capacity, and the 4×4 system. The truck underneath is the same truck. If you use your 1500 as a work-and-family vehicle and the inside is going to see muddy boots, dog hair, and car seats, the Big Horn’s cloth interior and standard feature set do the job without paying a premium you will not recoup at trade-in. If you want the leather and the premium audio, the Laramie earns its price — but understand that you are paying for comfort, not capability.

How Much Can a RAM 1500 Tow?

The maximum towing capacity for the 2026 RAM 1500 is 11,610 pounds when properly equipped with the 3.0L Hurricane engine and the right axle ratio. The 5.7L HEMI V8 configuration tows up to approximately 11,500 pounds, and the 3.6L Pentastar V6 is rated for around 7,760 pounds. The Big Horn 4×4 Crew Cab with the 5’7″ bed delivers maximum payload capacity of approximately 1,910 pounds in the Big Horn trim. For the majority of tri-state buyers pulling a 16-foot enclosed trailer, a bass boat, a utility trailer loaded with landscaping equipment, or a small camper, any of the three engines handles the job. Sean Broadbent or I can calculate exact towing ratings for the specific VIN and configuration you are considering — the numbers vary by cab size, bed length, axle ratio, and engine. Call us at 304-714-2632 before you buy elsewhere.

What Engine Options Are Available in the 2026 RAM 1500?

This is the question I am most excited to answer in 2026 because the answer changed in the best possible way. Stellantis brought the 5.7L HEMI V8 back after removing it from the 2025 model year. That means the 2026 RAM 1500 now offers three engine choices: the returning 5.7L HEMI V8 at 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, the 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo inline-six at 420 horsepower and 469 lb-ft, and the standard 3.6L Pentastar V6 with eTorque mild hybrid at 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft. All three pair with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The HEMI’s return is significant for our market because it is the engine our repeat buyers know and trust — the one they learned to maintain, the one their mechanics understand, and the one that has towed everything from hay bales to pontoon boats across Hancock County for two decades.

The Team That Stands Behind Every RAM 1500 We Sell

Rich Fagley, our owner, built RC Auto Group as Hancock County’s only locally owned new-car dealer. That distinction matters because it means service decisions, trade-in appraisals, and warranty goodwill repairs happen at the discretion of a person who lives in this community — not a corporate office three states away. Rick Maddock leads our service department with a team of eight Mopar-trained and ASE-certified technicians. For RAM 1500 owners, the service relationship is straightforward: we are ten minutes from anywhere along the Route 2 corridor between Chester and Weirton. Over a five-year ownership period with routine maintenance visits, that proximity saves you real hours compared to driving to a regional dealer. Our parts department under Rick Henry at 304-714-3269 stocks Genuine Mopar parts for the RAM 1500 platform, and Jaime Lowe handles service scheduling at 304-714-4052.

See the Full RAM Lineup — or Call Before You Drive In

We are located at 845 Washington Street, Newell, WV 26050 — ten minutes from the Pennsylvania state line, twenty-five minutes from East Liverpool, Ohio, and accessible from Pittsburgh’s South Hills via I-79 to Route 18 south. With seventeen RAM 1500 trucks on the lot, we also carry RAM 2500 heavy-duty trucks for buyers who need three-quarter-ton capability, and our Jeep Compass inventory is the largest in the region for families looking at SUVs. Call Sean Broadbent or me at 304-714-2632 for a walk-through of any specific VIN. Finance questions go to Steve Harrington at the same number.

Seventeen RAM 1500 trucks on one lot in Newell, West Virginia, with the HEMI V8 back in the lineup — that alignment does not happen every month. When it does, the buyers who are paying attention move first.