ram and roush had their first babySeveral weeks ago, Roush Performance announced that it was developing something in collaboration with Ram. Since the company is best known for producing factory modified performance vehicles for Ford, the news was treated as lightly scandalous. But that has not prevented their newfound partnership from bearing fruit.The Ram 1500 Direct Connection has formally debuted and is, according to Roush, is "a purpose-built pickup engineered to deliver premium off-road capability, aggressive styling, and the confidence to take on every adventure."That's the sales pitch. But we know that automotive marketing is largely meaningless without the hardware to back it up. Thankfully, Roush has provided that as part of the Direct Connection demo reel that went up on Monday.ram and roush had their first babyThe pickup starts its life out as a 2027 Ram 1500 Big Horn 4x4 crew cab, equipped with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and the 3.92 final-drive ratio. From there, it appears as though the truck gets some OEM upgrades by way of the optional (Level 2) tech and comfort bundles. This adds things like heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate controls, an upgraded sound system, 400W inverter, 12-inch touchscreen, navigation, more connectivity services, and other features.AdvertisementAdvertisementRam also saw fit to give the pickup the ventilated Sport Performance hood, skid plates, electronic-locking rear differential, a trailer-brake controller, 360-degree camera system (handy for rock crawling), upgraded leather upholstery, some running boards, and a few other items designed to tempt would-be buyers.ram and roush had their first babyRoush doesn't really come into play until it's time to focus on the suspension. Here, the company saw fit to install twin-tube hydraulic dampers that were custom tuned for the vehicle. While the truck technically comes with the Night Edition appearance package, the customary 20-inch wheels have been abandoned in favor of a smaller set of Roush-designed units that can accommodate 33-inch General Grabber A/TX rubber.These pair nicely with the Roush-made fender flares, as those tires make the pickup a little wider. The company also attempted to further improve ventilation with a custom grille and larger hood vents.ram and roush had their first babyEverything else seems to focus entirely on curb appeal. There are unique LEDs (including some amber off-road indicator lights) spread across the exterior and some decals to help identify the truck as a Roush custom model. The same goes for the interior thanks to some Roush-labeled placards and custom floor mats.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Night Edition package already removes any chrome that the truck could have come with and works nicely with the color-matched bumpers and conspicuously red tow hooks. It makes the truck look slightly racy, without going too far. But opinions on the vehicle's soundtrack might differ, depending on how you have it dialed in.The Direct Connection receives an entirely new Roush Performance active cat-back exhaust system with selectable modes. Options would appear to include everything from neighborhood friendly to eardrum destroying soundscapes - and just about everything in between.ram and roush had their first babyPaint choices include Ram's Bright White, Forged Blue Metallic, Granite Crystal Metallic, Diamond Black Crystal Pearlcoat and Molten Red Pearlcoat (pictured).While Roush sells plenty of performance parts, this is a factory built custom available from Ram dealerships. That means you'll be opening your wallet instead of your toolbox. But you'll need to open it fairly wide to purchase the 2027 Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe pickup has a starting retail MSRP of $78,960, which is basically what you'd pay for the Ram RHO (pictured below) after a few optional upgrades. While your author is hardly the resident truck guy, the RHO offers basically everything most people could possibly want from a performance focused off-road pickup and then some. However, that model comes exclusively with the 3.0-liter twin-turbo Hurricane High-Output inline-six engine that offers 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque.ram and roush had their first babyFunctionally, this doesn't pose much of a problem when you're launching the truck off a hill or sliding through a muddy corner. But your ears will notice the absent V8, which was everyone's biggest criticism of the RHO when it replaced the TRX.Since nobody said anything about upgrading the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (which delivers 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque), we have to assume that makes the Direct Connect sort of a diet version of those more extreme off-road trucks. But the plan was always to build a pickup that was equally well suited to the highway commute as it was driving up a rocky incline.The big issue with this is effectively what the Ram 1500 Rebel was always trying to be. Now that the Rebel can also be optioned with the same V8 motor, in addition to the standard tuned 3.0-liter twin turbo, there could be a lot of market overlap with the Direct Connection. Both models come with similar paint schemes and the Rebel can be optioned with a lot of the same equipment at a lower price point. The RHO is likewise shockingly nice to drive on paved roads at highway speeds, potentially making the Roush-built model an even tougher sell.ram and roush had their first babyOur guess is that the Direct Connection exists to appeal to those wanting to show off that they have a custom truck and solidify the budding relationship between Ram and Roush. We saw this before with the Nissan Frontier PRO-4X R. Like the Ram model, the Frontier engine was left stock so that the collaborative effort could focus on suspension components and visual touches.AdvertisementAdvertisementOne imagines that a big part of these vehicles is having customers that buy into the badging. Most customers will probably never push any of the aforementioned off-road vehicles anywhere close to their limits, so any performance advantages are largely irrelevant. Would something like the Rebel work just as well for the average customer? Absolutely it would. But it isn't going to come with all the slick Roush badging. The other aspect is the tuner mindset.Roush may have its aftermarket parts aimed squarely on Ford customers right now. However, it might not be long before Ram starts getting the same treatment and there will be people buying the Direct Connect today so that they can install Roush approved intakes and superchargers tomorrow.ram and roush had their first baby[Images: Roush Performance]