Ram is now ready to battle the Ford F-150 Raptor with the arrival of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX – a 702-hp beast.
Fiat-Chrysler gave us a preview of the TRX as a concept in 2016 and now four years later the Ram TRX 1500 arrives with the same supercharged Hellcat engine as the Dodge Challenger and Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 6.2-liter V8 generates 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. You’ll notice that’s down five horsepower, which is because the engineers decided to go with a high-mounted air induction system that uses more exhaust pipe.
With all that power on tap, the Ram 1500 TRX can reach 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and 100 mph in 10.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 118 mph. There’s also a launch control system and Sport mode, in addition to the Auto and Tow and Snow modes.
While the TRX’s accelerations times put it in sports car territory, this truck is all about what happens when the paved road ends. There’s a two inch lift over the standard 1500. To help it tackle the dunes, the TRX gets a beefier suspension with 2.5-inch remote-reservoir Bilstein Black Hawk E2 shocks with active damping. Longer, forged-aluminum front upper and lower control arms provide over 13 inches of wheel travel at the front and there’s a Dana 60 rear axle with a five-link setup that also allows for over 13 inches of wheel travel at the rear.
There are also additional drive modes for when you want to have fun in the dirt. Rock mode spilts the torque evenly between the front and rear axles and adjusts the locking rear axle. The Mud and Sand mode spilts the torque 45 percent in the front and 55 in the rear and adjusts the throttle. Lastly there’s Baja mode with a 25/75 torque split.
The Ram 1500 TRX rides on Goodyear Wrangler Territory 325/65R18 All-Terrain 35-inch tires with 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. The TRX has a maximum payload of 1,310 pounds and can tow up to 8,100 pounds.
The Ram 1500 TRX also has a more commanding presence on the road than the standard 1500, since its track has been increased by 6 inches and its body is 8 inches wider.
Ram has also announced a special Launch Edition, with 702 units all painted in Anvil Gray, which starts at $92,010, including the destination fees. The standard 1500 TRX starts at $71,690.
