THE RAM 1500 TRX: A BEAST IN STREET CLOTHING
The RAM 1500 TRX is FCA’s entry into the Battle of the Pickup Truck Monsters. It’s not just the Silverado vs. F150 vs. RAM 1500 battles, either. While the F150 Raptor is already on the road, the Silverado ZRX is still in dress rehearsals. We can’t call the TRD Tundra anything more than a sticker car, even when sold as the Tundra TRD Pro. That leaves us with today’s topic, the RAM 1500 TRX.
Is it a RAM 1500 TRX or a predator T-Rex? Yes.
And above all else, it doesn’t eat its young like some in the animal world. In the case of the RAM 1500 TRX, it eats its old. Hear us out: They tell us that oil, petroleum and gasoline are fossil fuels made from decomposing plants and animals found in the Earth’s crust. Since these are likely the result of long-departed dinosaurs and other animals from prehistoric times, and since the TRX needs petroleum fuel to run, you can see how the RAM 1500 TRX is consuming its forefathers. Yes, we know it’s a stretch but trust us at Mark Elias Media for this once!
What is the RAM 1500 TRX?
The new RAM 1500 TRX is the latest member of the RAM lineup but one of the most powerful and fastest pickup trucks on the road today. A Hellcat-powered half-tonner, the TRX is now the boss in these pickup wars until Ford and GM step up their game. The RAM 1500 TRX is powered by the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 found inside the Challenger and Charger Hellcat models.
This mill makes 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. It is matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. A fuel-sipper, this is not. Instead, figure this beast does its best Super Big Gulping to the tune of 12 mpg combined, with 10 city/14 highway. Bilstein remote-reservoir dampers and an electronic locking differential round out the package…almost. Add in the 35-inch beadlock-capable wheels and you have quite the off-road-ready dune buster, ready to take on the Baja 1000 or the Dakar Rally! As equipped, the RAM 1500 TRX can haul up to 8,100 pounds. Of course, it can “haul the mail,” too. But you knew that.
INTERIOR DECORATING
With enough black leather to make a biker crowd proud, the TRX displays an understated yet subtly aggressive look that manages to inject just enough sportiness into the mix. Well-bolstered seats keep the driver and front passenger firmly in place, although we don’t suspect you’ll take the RAM TRX to the track for a day of corner-cutting. Still, they offer a comfortable ride that matches what you’ll get from the Bilstein shocks at all four corners. There’s a leather and microsuede-covered steering wheel with a flat-bottomed lower quadrant. A pair of paddle shifters take the place of a row-it-yourself shift lever, which is okay since the TorqueFlite 8HP95 8-speed gearbox will shift faster than you are humanly capable of doing.
A huge armrest sits between us in the front, but it’s large enough to swallow a laptop and some camera gear if pressed. A builder’s plate with the RAM’s sequence number holds sway on the lid if anyone doubts its provenance.
The second row features limo-like legroom and seats that flip up for extra storage. It’s a good thing, too, because the RAM 1500 TRX is only available in crew cab configuration with a relatively small 5-foot 7-inch box.
If the sound from the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 weren’t enough, our test vehicle was equipped with a 12.0-inch Uconnect 4 system featuring a 19-speaker Harman Kardon 900-watt audio system complete with SiriusXM Radio as well as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone connectivity.
How does it look?
With wild add-on bodywork details like hood scoops flared fenders and the widest stance from a standard half-ton pickup truck, the RAM 1500 TRX is pretty intimidating in its own right. Blacked-out grille trim adds to the intimidation, as do the black cladding that stretches around the vehicle. It’s a badass vehicle.
Behind the wheel.
Hit the starter and the supercharged HEMI roars from its slumber. It whirs to life thanks to the Roots-style supercharger atop the big V8. Once underway, a grumble manages to work its way into the interior despite the well-insulated cabin. But in many ways, it’s still music to our ears.
Under normal conditions, the TRX acts like a docile (!) run-of-the-mill pickup truck. But stomp on the skinny pedal, and you unleash the beast in what can best be described as a Jekyll and Hyde fashion. This monster rears back, pushing us into the seats like a dropkick to the chest by a WWE wrestler. When it finally realizes what you want from it, it thrusts itself forward, ticking off 0-to-60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The RAM TRX tops out at 118 mph, thanks to an electronic governor. Why? We are clueless as to the reasons.
Especially when this brute with the heart of a Devil is yearning to breathe freely!
