The Ram 1500 has been New Zealand’s top-selling large pickup for the past ten years, and Ram Trucks NZ is widening the range’s entry point with the arrival of the 1500 Express Black Edition. Due in showrooms from August 2026 and priced from $124,990 plus on-road costs, it is the most affordable large pickup on the New Zealand market and the newest MY26 addition to the 1500 line-up.
Todd Groves, General Sales Manager of Ram Trucks NZ, says the model reflects the brand’s usual positioning at a new price point. “Ram has always been about strength and attitude, and the Express Black Edition takes that even further. Bringing this model to New Zealand for the first time, at this exceptional price point, along with Ram’s outstanding towing capacity of up to 4,500kg, is a milestone for us, and we can’t wait to see it on Kiwi roads.”
Blacked out from bonnet to wheels
The Express Black Edition earns its name from a blacked-out equipment package fitted as standard: a Mopar sports performance hood, side steps, black mirror caps, black door handles, black badging, black grille, black headlights, black exhaust tips, and black 20-inch wheels, along with a spray-in bed liner. Buyers can choose from six exterior colours: Diamond Black, Granite Crystal, Bright White, Molten Red, Forged Blue, and Silver Zynith, the last arriving later in 2026.
The Hurricane replaces the Hemi
Under the hood, the Express Black Edition runs the same Hurricane twin-turbo, in-line six-cylinder petrol engine and eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to the 1500 Rebel and Laramie Sport, producing 313kW and 635Nm. That is more power and torque than the 5.7-litre V8 Hemi engine it replaced across the range, at 291kW and 556Nm, and Ram says the Hurricane is also the more efficient of the two. A higher-output version of the same engine, producing 403kW and 707Nm, is reserved for the range-topping Limited model.
The move from a naturally aspirated V8 to a smaller-capacity turbocharged six mirrors a broader shift across the ute and pickup segment, where manufacturers are downsizing engine capacity while adding forced induction to meet tightening emissions and fuel-efficiency targets without giving up towing and payload performance. The 3.0-litre Hurricane’s power and torque figures over the outgoing 5.7-litre Hemi make that trade-off explicit in the Ram 1500’s case.
Inside the twin-turbo six
Ram’s own engineering material for the Hurricane points to a deep-skirt cast-aluminium block with a structural aluminium alloy oil pan, cross-bolted steel main bearing caps, and a forged-steel crankshaft and connecting rods, with the cylinder bores deck-plate honed during manufacturing to improve fuel efficiency. Each of the two turbochargers feeds three cylinders rather than the engine relying on one large unit, which Ram says lets both turbos spool faster and deliver boost lower in the rev range. The result is a torque band flat enough to hold at least 90% of peak torque from 2,350rpm through to redline, and Ram states the Hurricane produces more power per litre than the supercharged, alcohol-injected Hemi engine in the Dodge Demon 170.
Towing, payload and running gear
Braked towing capacity is rated at 4,500kg on a 2 5/16-inch ball, or 3,500kg on a 50mm tow ball, with a vehicle payload of 1,014kg and a maximum combined tub and tow ball load of 520kg. Gross vehicle mass is 3,220kg and gross combination mass 7,711kg, figures that put the Express Black Edition on par with the rest of the 1500 range despite sitting at the bottom of the price ladder. The Express Black Edition carries a 98-litre fuel tank, LED headlights, and 20-inch wheels fitted with 275/55/20 tyres, and runs part-time four-wheel drive.
Line-up pricing
Positioned as the accessible end of the range, the Express Black Edition sits below the 1500 Rebel ($159,990), the Laramie Sport with RamBox (currently discounted $15,000 to $149,990 RSP), and the range-topping Limited Night Edition with RamBox ($185,990), giving dealers a full spread from $124,990 through to $185,990 plus on-road costs.
For the aftermarket, the model’s factory-fitted black wheels, black trim, and spray-in bed liner mean less of that work needs to happen after delivery, while the standard tow package and choice of ball sizes leaves plenty of scope for towbar, brake controller, and canopy fitment further down the ownership chain.
Factory-backed right-hand-drive conversion
Ram Trucks Australia is the only factory-backed distributor of Ram trucks in Australia and New Zealand, and has converted more than 35,000 units to right-hand drive to date. Vehicles are imported from the United States in left-hand drive and remanufactured to right-hand drive in Melbourne to factory quality standards, using up to 500 locally engineered parts alongside a number of key components sourced from the original US suppliers. Ram Trucks Australia employs more than 200 factory workers and around 40 engineers to meet demand for Ram pickups across both markets.
That local remanufacturing footprint, and the mix of locally engineered and original US-sourced parts it relies on, is worth noting for the aftermarket and service side of the business as the Ram 1500 fleet on Kiwi roads continues to grow.
