2021 RAM 1500 TRX
Since 2010, there has been a swear jar of sorts in the office. Every time someone either uttered the phrase “Raptor Killer” or tried to shove it into a story, another dollar was headed for the jar. Dollar after dollar, the office pot was filled, with a moratorium on the usage of the phrase until such a moment in time that a competing vehicle emerged as a legitimate contender. That time appears to have arrived, because until now there wasn’t a truck on the market that was worthy of an utterance of the phrase. After seeing the TRX for the first time and combing through the specs, we just tossed the jar into the trash and ordered pizza for the whole staff.
So, what gives the ’21 Ram 1500 TRX the go-ahead as the only truck on the market that can justifiably be mentioned in the same breath as a Raptor?
Overview
OK, let’s get the high points of the truck’s impressive specs out of the way before we dig in. The important things to know are that the TRX comes standard with a supercharged 6.2L Hemi V-8 (think Hellcat, but don’t call it that) with 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque backed by an eight-speed ZF 8HP95 TorqueFlite automatic transmission that’s mated to a full-time all-wheel-drive BorgWarner 48-13 T-case with low range. Ram estimates 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, with 100 miles per hour taking just 10.5 seconds and the quarter-mile entering the rearview in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph, all while on its way to a 118-mph top speed. Meanwhile, the current Raptor makes do with “just” 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque from a turbocharged 3.5L EcoBoost V-6.
The TRX is 8 inches wider than a standard Ram 1500, at
