The Ram 1500 TRX certainly looks the part of a sand dune-jumping cactus crusher, but can it actually do such things without the help of aftermarket parts and CGI for YouTube? Um, well, in the history of silly questions...
Under the hood is a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. You know, the powertrain FCA puts in all its mean machine SRT vehicles? That one. The Hellcat engine. And it is just as bananas in a pickup truck. Power is rated at 702 horsepower with 650 pound-feet of torque. Payload capacity is 1,310 pounds with a maximum towing capability of 8,100 pounds.
With the high-torque-capacity eight-speed automatic transmission, the Ram TRX will accelerate to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds or to 100 mph in 10. 5 seconds. Its quarter-mile time is 12.9 seconds at 108 mph. The top speed for the TRX is listed as 118 mph. The Ram 1500 TRX also is the fastest of all the Rams to consume everything in its 33-gallon fuel tank. Requiring 91 octane, EPA-tested fuel economy for the TRX is 10 mpg city, 14 highway, 12 combined mpg. Hooray. But no one is going to buy this truck for its fuel economy.
During a daylong test, Ram allowed invited media to put its new 1500 TRX through all kinds of driving scenarios. Starting from Lake Tahoe, the drive route took us through ski villages hidden in the fir and pine forests of the Sierra Nevada range, along sweeping mountain highways with seemingly infinite overlooks, and bypassed the almost-forgotten mining towns in the desert below. The Ram TRX offers eight on- and off-road drive modes, including a newly calibrated Baja mode.
On the road, the Ram TRX was comfortable to drive in the slow-and-go city commute and no trouble whatsoever during open throttle sessions. The vehicle did everything we asked it to when we asked it to. The signature whine and growl of that supercharged Hemi was the soundtrack of the day.
Off-road fun was to be had at our eventual destination, the Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, Nevada. At the famed off-road racing venue were a few options: an off-road loop, a rock hill climb, a race track, and an acceleration test. All of the above, please.
First was the introductory recon lap around the dirt track to get a feel for its bumps, humps, and off-camber lumps at a school-zone speed. The experience proved to be an emotional cocktail of fright and “Alright!”
Nevertheless, with a pro driver now riding shotgun, we were egged on to go faster during open track time. Okay, fine. Not our truck, right? Booting off the hills and finding a rhythm over the smaller speed bumps at 55 mph was rather glorious. The course didn’t open itself up to higher speeds, but you don’t need to go 65 mph around the corner unless you want to be part of the corner. The Ram TRX certainly held its own while churning the soft dirt in the corners, maintain grip through the straights, and staying in one piece on the hard landings. Straight from the factory, what more do you need?
The three-mile off-road loop was less intense but just as exhilarating since, “Look, ma, no guard rails.” There were moments when the front-facing camera came in handy. We’ve already established that the TRX is a big truck, so naturally, it has a big hood. This might be a challenge for shorter drivers.
To be honest, the TRX’s capability on the mountain course was not necessarily impressive because it was expected. For example, utilizing the Selec-Speed Control feature (think cruise control in 4-low) and controlling speed using the paddle shifters was too easy but, hey, there’s enough stress going around so why not use off-roading as your moment of zen.
As for the acceleration test, the standard launch control feature in the Ram TRX is no different from FCA’s other performance vehicles. Activate the system, mash the brake pedal and hold until 1,200 RPM is reached, then full-throttle on the gas pedal; wait for the symphonic engine calibration, release the brake, and voila! It’s like a video game but more fun. Much more fun.