Dodge Ram 1500 TRX – Hellcat powered off road pickup truck, this is going to be good

When you think of pickup trucks that have a ton of attitude and can go anywhere, you think Ford, and you think Raptor. For some time, the blue oval has seen little or no competition in the factory monster truck department. Too bad the f150 only has a twin turbo V6, and the smaller Ranger a four cylinder diesel. Yeah, where is that honkin´ American V8? It seems that Ford has listened to the people, but Dodge is one step ahead, releasing a ridiculous 700 hp supercharged Ram. Please let it come to Europe.

The famous hellcat engine. 6.2 L, 692 hp, and 881 Nm. Now available in, almost, every vehicle from Dodge. People seem to forget the Journey and the Grand Caravan, but if any car company would put a huge v8 in a people’s carrier, it would be Dodge. The engine itself has been revised with a new airbox to allow for a big hood scoop that stands for 50 % of the air sucked into the engine. The engine also breathes through bigger air filters to keep the sand and dust outside the engine. A new oil pan and an alternator that has been mounted higher up helps achieve a wading depth of 89 cm.

As is standard procedure with making a truck ready to go off the beaten track, almost everything have been changed. Chassis strengthening? Off course. Competition level suspension? You bet. The TRX is more than 20 cm wider than the standard 1500 and the front axle has moved forward. All this to ensure that those 35 inch off road tires move freely. 

The most impressive thing is the towing capacity, which the Raptor has had problems with. 3600 kg is unprecedented. The TRX reaches 100 in 4.5 seconds, but with a powerful v8, it must surely have a higher top speed than 190 km/h.

Sales numbers speak for themselves. Orders are full. The Ram 1500 TRX is a hit. Raptor, you got some work cut out.