RAPTOR FIGHTING TRX LAUNCHES, WITH OZ DELIVERIES ON THE CARDS
RAM TRX DEBUTS WITH UNRIVALLED PACE AND POWER ... FOR A PICKUP.
RAM Trucks USA has dropped the covers on its Supercharged Hemi V8 -powered 1500 TRX, with RAM Australia eager for it to arrive as the flagship offering of the 1500 range. The powerplant giving the TRX the title of “most powerful mass-produced truck in the world” is the venerable supercharged 6.2-litre offering rated at 523kw and 881Nm and said to help the TRX hit 60mph (96.5km/h) from zero in just
4.5 seconds. The HEMI puts its power through an eight-speed automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive.
Clean, cool air is fed into the V8 by a new dual-path induction system, which utilises two paths to draw in air – via the hood scoop and via the front grille.
“The entire Ram TRX intake system is engineered to minimise power-robbing air restrictions while ensuring only clean, cool air reaches the engine,” the RAM Trucks USA press statement reads. “Industry-standard testing shows that the Ram TRX far exceeds any competitor in the amount of time it can ingest dirty air and debris before performance is diminished.”
A wider stance than the rest of the 1500 range – eight inches wider, in fact – means the TRX had to undergo changes to compensate, including stretched composite flares and fender wells, a six-inch increase in track width, and wider wheels wrapped with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory 325/65/R18 All-terrains – 18-inch beadlock-ready wheels are available too.
Even the RAM badging is bigger than its 1500 stablemates, with the TRX also receiving unique skid plates (five in total) and steel bumpers.
The Raptor-fighting TRX – built and tested (including rockcrawling in Moab, Utah) to handle tough off-road conditions with a smattering of high-strength steel and aluminium – runs an independent front suspension setup with new front upper and lower control arms. The rear suspension employs active damping, a five-link coil rear end and a Dana 60 axle, to increase rear wheel travel by more than 40 per cent compared to the rest of the 1500 line-up. Utilising a Borgwarner 48-13 full-time active transfer case, the TRX features a low range of 2.64:1.
The off-road specs are equally impressive, with an approach angle of 30.2 degrees, breakover angle of 21.9 degrees, departure angle of 23.5 degrees, a ground clearance of 11.8 inches (299.7mm), and a water-fording depth of 32 inches (812.8mm). It also boasts a towing capacity of 8100lb (3674kg) and a 1310lb (594kg) payload.
Three dynamic off-road modes are preconfigured into the software – Mud/sand, Rock, and Baja – which modulates the four-wheel drive system, throttle response, transmission, paddle shifters, and suspension and steering, depending on the terrain.
A nifty feature of the TRX is Jump Detection, which senses when the truck is airborne and prevents driveline damage by adjusting a number of driveline outputs including engine speed, torque, gear selection, transfer case torque split and damping rates.
RAM Trucks Australia is currently evaluating the ball-tearing pickup for a local launch while Brisbane-based Ram and Dodge specialists SCD Remanufactured Vehicles says it will have the TRX on loacl soil by the end of 2020. The TRX won’t be cheap and we’re tipping a price around the $200,000 mark.