The Ram 1500 TRX is a high-performance variant of the fifth-generation
Ram 1500 (DT)
The Ram 1500 (DT) is the fifth generation of the Ram pickup, Ram Pickup, manufactured by the Ram Trucks division of Stellantis. The fifth generation Ram was introduced in January 2018 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mic ...
pickup truck produced by the
Ram Trucks
Ram Trucks (stylized as RAM) is an American brand of light to mid-weight pickup heavy duty trucks and other commercial vehicles, and a division of Stellantis North America (previously Chrysler Group LLC). It was established in a spin-off o ...
division of
Stellantis
Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
. The TRX name was based on the Ram Rebel TRX concept that was shown at the 2016
State Fair of Texas
The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas at historic Fair Park. The fair has taken place every year since 1886 except for varying periods during World War I and World War II as well as 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ...
as an engineering, design and consumer-interest study. Following consumer feedback, the company announced on June 1, 2018, that it would place the truck into production for the 2021 model year. The truck was produced during the 2021 through 2024 model years. The TRX was dropped after the 2024 model year because it cannot be modified to meet tougher automotive emissions standards. The last Ram 1500 TRX was produced on February 16th 2024, The model year was cut short because of RAM launching 2025 trucks 7 months earlier than their usual model year release date.
The TRX competed with
Ford Raptor family of high-performance pickup trucks.
Ram Rebel TRX concept
The non-production modifications of the concept prototype include 37-inch tires mounted on
Mopar
Mopar (a portmanteau of "motor" and "parts") is an American car parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM access ...
18-inch bead-lock wheels featuring body color matched rings, two full size spare wheels and tires in a bed mount configuration also featuring a lockable unit housing a jack, tow strap, and room for more tools. Other production departures include a six inch wider track with extended fenders to cover the wider wheel base, giving the truck an hourglass look when viewed from above, LED clearance lights, a tire rack mounted LED light bar, five inch side exhaust integrated into protective rock rails, skid plates, a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 engine based on the popular
Hellcat featured in
Dodge Chargers,
Challengers, and the
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-sized sport utility vehicles produced by American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody ...
Trackhawk, but detuned for the truck application to 575 horsepower mated to a TorqueFlite
8HP70 transmission and a BorgWarner 44-45 transfer case. The drivetrain features four modes from which to choose: Normal, Wet/Snow, Off-road and Baja. The rear axle is a Dynatrac Pro 60 and the vehicle also features an electronic
axle locker available in all modes. The modified suspension is built onto a stock "DS" Series
Ram
Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to:
* A male sheep
* Random-access memory, computer memory
* Ram Trucks, US, since 2009
** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans
** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks
Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
platform 1500 frame. The link coil based suspension is upgraded with performance springs, 2.5-inch King Racing Shocks and feature a 40% increase in travel to 13" front and rear from the standard 9".
The interior also features multiple deviations from the stock
Ram Rebel 1500 including suede inserts in the seats, "sport-sanctioned lateral support upper bolsters with embroidered logos", six point harnesses, cloth door pulls, a console shifter, a rotary selector for the various drive modes, an anodized steering wheel with accent stitching,
paddle shifters, a tool bag featuring TRX labeling, carbon fiber and red metal inlays, a camera mount near the rearview mirror, and a sport bar to which the six point harnesses mount. The concept also features a non-production shade of "Header Red" that was applied in thirty different coats.
Reception
After the unveiling of the concept at the 2016 Texas State Fair, multiple online media published positive reactions:
"For now, all we can do is dream about owning one of these beasts as it is still just a concept vehicle."
"Ram should use this golden opportunity to put an insane, over-powered off-roading truck into production, because it will surely sell quickly, is relatively easy to build, and would be in a segment that only has one other competitor . . . It's time for Ram to build the TRX."
"Back in the day, Dodge put a Viper engine in a Ram pickup truck . . . since those glory days, there hasn’t been a true high performance truck from the car company with horns. That needs to change, and now is the time."
Production history
In February 2018, Jared Belfour, citing unnamed sources, reported that two Ram Rebel models based on the Ram Rebel TRX concept will be produced. A base version featuring a new version of the naturally aspirated 426 cubic inch (7.0L) HEMI engine and the optional supercharged 6.2L HEMI engine as well as a 2021 release date.
Later that same year in April, also citing unnamed sources, 5th Gen Rams reported that the two engine options will be associated with different names where the "Ram Rebel TR" features the naturally aspirated 426 cid HEMI engine and the "Ram Rebel TRX" features the supercharged 6.2L HEMI engine. Unlike the concept, the supercharged 6.2L HEMI will not be detuned to , but is reported to put out the same 707 horsepower as the engines used in the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats, Charger SRT Hellcats, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
However, the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye was announced in August that same year which featured essentially the same engine from the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon with variations on the air intake dropping the Redeye's horsepower rating to 797 from the Demon's 808 (also, the 2019 non-Redeye Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat features airflow improvements raising its horsepower rating to 717 over the prior year's 707).
The "Hellephant" Mopar crate engine scheduled for 2019 release unveiled at the 2018 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association) Show, a 7.0-liter supercharged , engine. exceeds the characteristics of the Redeye engine, but is also not expected to be part of the production Ram Rebel TRX configuration (when asked, "members of the Mopar team" responded "absolutely not" regarding whether or not the Hellephant engine was being considered for ''any'' street applications, which would necessarily rule out inclusion of the production Ram rebel TRX).
Ram announced the production model TRX Launch Edition on August 17, 2020, to be released as a 2021 model. Differences include a new body based on the
5th generation RAM Pickup, a more powerful non-detuned engine making , a functional hood scoop with integrated clearance lights, and a new interior based around the UConnect 12-inch infotainment system. Launch edition models were limited to 702 units and available in an exclusive Anvil Gray colorway.
Over the 3-year model run, Ram released a
Limited Edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...
Model of the TRX for every model year, sometimes even multiple. Here is the list of them: 2021 - Ram TRX Launch Edition (702 Made) 2022 - Ram TRX Ignition Edition (1,003 Made), Ram TRX Sandblast Edition (1,202) 2023 - Ram TRX Lunar Edition (~1,000 Made), Ram TRX Havoc Edition (~1,500 Made), 2024 - Ram TRX Final Edition (4,000 Made), Ram TRX Special Edition (380? made - same as final edition without the final edition center armrest badging and splash screen). All of these limited edition models (except for the launch and final editions) were released mid-model year. Oddly, the base model TRX is more rare than some of these. There is 1707 total base TRXs made, 664 in 2021, 825 in 2022, 218 in 2023.
Powertrain
All Ram 1500 TRX models were all equipped with a
supercharged
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...
''
Chrysler Hellcat Hemi'', which produces and of torque.
Criticism
The
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 1980, ACEEE's mission is to act as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behav ...
ranked the Ram 1500 TRX the worst-performing mass-market vehicle for 2021, 2022, and 2023 on its score "based on an environmental damage index that reflects the cost to human health from pollution associated with vehicle tailpipe emissions, vehicle manufacturing and disposal, and the production and distribution of auto fuel and electricity."
References
External links
*
{{Ram truck timeline
Dodge concept vehicles
Ram Trucks
2020s cars
Pickup trucks
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars introduced in 2020