After being rumored and teased for over four years, the hopped-up high-horsepower 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is finally here to take on the Ford Raptor, and it features a glorious 702-horsepower Hellcat engine tearing through all four wheels.
Usurping the mountain of hype and fanfare for the now-iconic Ford F-150 Raptor—a hotted-up version of the best-selling full-size pickup in America that’s built to go fast on soft surfaces—is not going to be easy. Luckily, the engineers at Ram can dip into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles corporate engine vault and “borrow” Dodge’s Hellcat motor.
The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX features a similar engine setup to that of the Dodge Charger, Challenger, Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee Hellcat models, except now it’s sucking air through a heavily-filtered 29-liter air box. The truck produces 702 horsepower and 650 lbs-ft of torque that’s linked to a ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox. Ram claims it can get from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is some measure quicker than the Raptor.
Speaking of, the current F-150 Raptor’s 450 HP and 510 lbs-ft of torque from a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, paired with a 10-speed auto. While the Ford starts at just under $54,000, the new Ram TRX will start at $71,690 (including destination).
The original TRX concept promised way less power than Hellcat figures initially, with “only” 575 HP from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that was certainly holding back. I’m not sure anyone will complain about the power bump, except maybe the neighbors.
The TRX’s wheels are an inch wider over a standard 1500, and its track six inches wider, filling the pickup’s new styled extended fender flares that make the truck overall 8-inches wider. The front axle also was scooched-up 20mm.
Four-wheel drive is standard, there’s a BorgWarner 48-13 transfer case, a low range of 2.64:1 for low and slow off-roading work if you aren’t into the fast dusty stuff, a 1,310-pound payload and 8,100-pound towing capacity, and five standard skid plates with optional full-length rock rails. The truck will also be available with the standard 1500 selection of options.
The top-trim super truck includes a TRX Launch Edition that jumps up to $90,265 for Anvil Gray paint and every option on the checklist, and Ram confidently announced the trim will not have a production limitation if thousands of you really want one.
