Ram brings ringer to Truck Rodeo
BEE CAVE, Texas – It feels funny on the tongue to say “2020 Truck Rodeo.”
Somehow, in this most calamitous year, about 20 auto writers and 13 manufacturers managed to scrape together three dozen SUVs and trucks and pound them through a demanding off-road course at the Star Hill Ranch and to them race through surrounding Hill Country roads.
To the best of my knowledge, the Texas Auto Writers’ Truck Rodeo was the only live, get-your-hands-onthe-wheel, talk-to-the-folks-whobuilt-it automotive event in the United States since March. It will be a while before the results are announced because, well, that’s how elections go in 2020. Let’s just talk a little about what it was like.
Several vehicles not yet in showrooms or on the airwaves were on hand. Of those, without doubt, the one that will generate the most buzz was Ram’s 1500 TRX, powered by a 702-hp, supercharged HEMI® V-8. That it goes from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, hits 100 in 10.5 seconds, and runs the ¼-mile in 12.9 seconds is even not the important part.
Aiming at what many, including this Texas auto writer, consider the best pickup ever, Ram set out to “dominate” the Ford Raptor, said chief engineer Jeff Roselli.
That’s a tall order. Yet, after a spirited spin through the hill country and a run through a challenging rock-filled, water-fording, big-hill, off-road course, one is to allow the possibility that the TRX is better.
One cannot be sure until one tests the TRX over a 100-mph, Baja course. The Raptor loves to take flight. It lands like a Baryshnikov landing a grande jeté. The TRX, Roselli maintains, does it better smoother and stronger.
“It’s the fastest off-road vehicle in the world,” he said. “It’s the most technologically advanced pickup ever.”
Predator thinks in flight
He might be right. The TRX knows when you’re in the air, knows your pitch and yaw, and, within 200 milliseconds, precharges each shock for what engineers call a plush landing. And then do it again. And again.
In exchange for a chance to drive the TRX on the highway and through the off-road course, journalists had to promise not to share driving impressions before Nov. 30 when, one supposes, Ran will announce TRX to the world with a grand fanfare on the air, the internet, the sides of barns. Otherwise, this section would be much longer.
With 13 inches of wheel travel at each corner and five-coil springs over 2.5-inch Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks, the TRX is set up to deliver superior ride, handling, and comfort whether taking the kids to soccer practice or racing across dunes, something Ram test engineers did for thousands of hours.
A computer network tells each shock’s dual electronic proportional valves how to adjust for optimal rebound and damping. A long list of design and materials components work to protect the system for durability.
The same network uses wheelspeed and ride-height sensors and accelerometers at each corner to detect a jump. To protect the driveline, it modifies engine speed and torque, gear selection, transfer case torque split, and other suspension components to optimal settings.
You too, can fly through the air like Evil Knievel and make a perfect landing.
Driving passion
Roselli accompanied me on the off-road course, sitting in the right rear seat for social distancing. I
made a crack about us doing a “Driving Miss Daisy” thing. His reaction was typical for a top-flight, executive engineer. “Uh-huh.”
I later mentioned that I still can work a slide rule and he began to warm up.
At the end of a somewhat scary but informative journey, I asked one of those vacuous, vague, and writerly questions I was sure would irritate him.
“Why does this truck feel so tight?”
“What do you mean, ‘tight.’” “Everything,” I replied. “From the switchgear to the gauges to the steering.” I also mentioned some ride-and-drive things that we can’t yet discuss.
His answer was the epitome of precision and clarity.
“To begin with, we started with the frame of a half-ton Ram and upgraded it from there,” he said. “For example, we took the bushings from a three-quarter-ton and built every corner as strong and durable as we could.”
That Ram 1500 frame is the genesis of Ram’s market-share surge. It was the first to employ modern, lightweight, high-tensile steel, which makes for better safety and handling. It was the first to use splayed front rails to absorb energy in frontal collisions. A half-dozen engineering innovations to make for a quieter and safer cabin and a smoother ride.
Roselli’s team built on that, designing it bolt-by-bolt to be what Ram says is the “Apex Predator” of the truck world. They strengthened the frame and designed an all-new front suspension made of high-strength aluminum, and control arms built with forged, highstrength steel. The TRX is wider and, with 11.8 inches of clearance, taller than a conventional Ram.
Spring lengths are what one might find on a commercial vehicle. There are 15-inch discs at each corner. A BorgWarner 48-13 transfer case received upgraded internals. A Dana 60 rear axle with floating shafts, rear electronic locking differential, and 35-inch tires are all standard, as are five skid plates.
Start at the beginning
Roselli, who led the new Wrangler development and ramrodded the Cherokee SRT team, said that from start to finish, TRX development, by itself, took more than three years but that is just part of the picture. Electrical and mechanical technologies in the Ram tool chest for more than five years were further developed for the TRX.
Other TRX innovations are new not just to Ram, but to the industry.
For example, a dual-path air induction system makes sure the monster HEMI® always has clean, cool air. A 29-inch air box filters out dirt, sand, debris, and water long before it reaches the engine. Air comes in via the grille comes as well through functional scoops in the hood. A pair of heavy-duty filters provide 198.4 square inches of filtering space and are designed for quick field cleaning.
From radiator to exhaust pipe, the list of ways Ram engineers strengthened and nurtured the performance of this machine seems endless. It is certainly longer than the time we have to discuss them today.
“We think there is now a significant development gap between us and the competition,” he said. “Both electronically and mechanically, TRX is stronger.”
Best. Cabin. Ever
Again, I can’t tell you why, but I’m pretty sure Roselli is right.
What I can tell you is that when you open the door and sit in the driver’s seat, the TRX has the best interior of any pickup in the solar system. The centerpiece is a 12-inch configurable screen that can show all the on- and off-road driver modes available, and each of those can be modified for individual taste.
Typical for Ram, seats are comfortable and supportive, premium materials are used throughout, and fit and finish are above average.
Driving alone on the open highway, I was able to enjoy the 19-speaker, 900-watt, HarmonKardon sound system.
Bottom line
Priced from around $60,000 to nearly $90,000, the TRX is in the sweet spot for specialty pickups. A $70,000 launch edition sold out in one day.
Ram executives said they will not limit the production of the TRX. Once again, I can’t tell you why, but I’m betting they sell a ton of ‘em.
If this isn’t the official 2020 Truck of the Year, somebody needs to call the FBI.