World’s quickest and most powerful pick-up packs a gob-smacking punch behind the wheel
RAM’s 1500 TRX (amusingly, an abbreviation for Tyrannosaurus Rex) is the biggest, baddest truck on the planet. For pure rambunctious fun, it’s hard to beat a hulking dual-cab 4×4 pick-up that packs a 524kW/881Nm punch and is equipped with chunky 35-inch tyres and bespoke Bilstein Black Hawk shocks. RAM bills the TRX as the “fastest and most powerful mass-produced half-ton pickup truck in the world”, and that’s not too far from the truth.
Price and equipment
The steroidal 2022 RAM 1500 TRX super-truck is a genuine low-volume special, with just 702 examples of the Launch Edition on offer, and all of these were pre-sold within three hours of the vehicle being made available for pre-order in the US.
But RAM says it will build as many units of the regular TRX as customers want, and Brisbane-based importer/converter SCD Performance has been selling and delivering TRXs in Australia since 2021.
The official local importer RAM Trucks Australia, which enlists the Walkinshaw Automotive Group for conversion duties and released the new DT-series RAM on which it is based in mid-2021, had hoped to launch the TRX here by the end of last year.
That’s now been delayed to around mid-2022 and we expect the TRX to be limited to about 250 vehicles and priced up to $200,000. So either way, the TRX will be pricey and rare Down Under.
We road – and off-road – tested the RAM 1500 TRX Launch Edition in the United Arab Emirates, where the vehicle is priced at the equivalent of $143,580 because taxes and duties are much lower and the vehicle doesn’t require right-hand drive conversion in the UAE.
Yes, the TRX is an expensive truck, but it’s a comprehensively equipped full-size 4×4 dual-cab that’s loaded with every imaginable mod-con. Apart from that thumping supercharged V8 (more on this later), standard spec includes fenders that are flared by 203mm to accommodate the TRX’s wider track.
There are seven additional airflow aids to provide optimised cooling and aerodynamics via functional scoops, heat extractors, air curtains and vents.
Complementing the TRX’s massive grunt is a bespoke suspension set-up with class-exclusive Bilstein Black Hawk adaptive dampers, which are claimed to be the most sophisticated ever offered on a production pick-up truck.
Enhanced traction comes from 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tyres developed specifically for the TRX. These are wrapped around gloss-black 18-inch cast aluminium wheels that can be optioned with beadlocks.
The cabin is trimmed in sumptuous black leather, Alcantara and suede with red stitching and TRX logos. The seats are heated and ventilated, and the driver’s seat is eight-way power-adjustable.
The centre console is dominated by a large portrait-style 12-inch touch-screen with Uconnect infotainment and additional info is provided by a 10.1-inch colour head-up display and 7.0-inch colour digital instrument cluster. There’s USB ports galore, as well as an electrical socket in the centre console storage bin.
The TRX is the first RAM truck to get a flat-bottom steering wheel with aluminium shift paddles and Alcantara suede accents. There’s also a driving mode selector and launch control.
A 19-speaker Harman Kardon 900-Watt premium sound system pumps out boomtastic beats, and there’s also an engaging soundtrack from the performance-tuned dual exhaust system, which uses two resonance-free pipes to emit an enthralling growl from the massive five-inch matte-black exhaust outlets.
Safety and technology
The latest DT-series RAM 1500 range is not NCAP-tested but has earned a Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and is the first pick-up in the US to earn this accolade.
The 1500 range is already a robust truck in standard form, but the TRX builds on this with reinforced suspension and strut towers. It also comes armed with six airbags, a surround-view camera and a raft of driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and rear cross-path detection.
An adaptive forward lighting system is also standard, with premium LED smart beam intelligent headlights.
Powertrain and performance
Obviously, the star ingredient in the 2022 RAM 1500 TRX is the familiar 6.2-litre supercharged V8 that features in Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger and Charger, as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
In the TRX it puts out 524kW of power at 6100rpm and a mammoth 881Nm of torque at 4800rm, and these towering outputs are sent to all four wheels via a TorqueFlite 8HP95 eight-speed automatic transmission.
Making sure the engine gets all the clean, cool air it needs, the RAM TRX uses two paths to draw in outside air and routes it to a large, 29-litre air box that filters out dirt, sand, debris and water before they get near the engine. The dual-path system pulls in outside air from a functional scoop in the hood and the upper edge of the grille.
The 1500 TRX is massive in every sense of the word. The behemoth tips the scales at a mind-boggling 2880kg and it measures 5916mm from bumper to bumper and 2235mm across the bows.
Even so, the sheer grunt of the supercharged V8 enables it to whack 100km/h in a claimed 4.5sec. US magazine Car and Driver recorded a 3.7sec sprint to 60mph (96km/h) so it’s clearly not sluggish.
Mashing the throttle results in a sensation that’s not unlike being in Airbus A380 in take-off mode. Adding to the drama is the pronounced supercharger whine that evokes Mad Max-esque imagery.
The TRX is also the first RAM truck to be equipped with Launch Control with Launch Assist, which regulates engine rpm and monitors wheel slip feedback to achieve the fastest getaways from standstill.
The drive mode selector enables you to choose settings that include Sport, Snow, Custom, Mud/Sand, Baja and Rock, with each of these tailoring the four-wheel-drive system, throttle response, transmission, suspension and steering optimally for the terrain.
Fuel economy is obviously not a forte, and you’ll do well to match the claimed 19.6L/100km overall consumption figure quoted for the TRX. As such, you need to keep a watchful eye on the fuel gauge (it moves with alarming rapidity), especially if you’re out in the middle of woop woop.
The TRX isn’t just a hooligan’s delight; there’s utility on offer too, as the big truck has a towing capacity of 3674kg, even if maximum payload kis limited to 594kg.
Driving and comfort
The first surprise with the brutal 2022 RAM 1500 TRX is how comfortable and refined the juggernaut is.
The Hellcat V8 doesn’t bombard your eardrums when you’re mooching around town or cruising on the highway but that obviously changes when you flatten the throttle, in which case you get to bask in the twin aural delights of the supercharger spooling up and the huge twin exhausts spitting out a NASCAR-mimicking soundtrack.
Wind noise doesn’t intrude too much considering the RAM 1500 is roughly as aerodynamic as a garden shed. There’s some noticeable roar from the massive Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres, but there’s no way around that. It’s what you get when you fit your vehicle with rubber of this type.
As alluded to earlier, the TRX’s cabin has a premium ambience as it’s sumptuously trimmed and comprehensively equipped. You don’t feel as though you’re mounted up in a utilitarian workhorse – far from it.
Needless to say, the RAM 1500’s hulking dimensions earn you plenty of road respect, but its gargantuan scale counts against it whenever you need to park the thing in a shopping mall car park or even parallel to the kerb in many instances.
Most parking spots simply weren’t conceived to accommodate a 6m long and almost 2.3m wide vehicle, so you need to be selective in where you attempt to park it.
If you live in one of the narrow inner streets of Newtown in Sydney or Melbourne’s St Kilda, the TRX probably isn’t the best choice. A turning circle of 14.7m doesn’t help.
A relatively large glasshouse makes for good visibility in traffic, but you’re perched so high that you sometimes can’t see even the roof of a car that’s driving alongside. What’s more, the bonnet slopes downward towards the front, so you can’t see where the nose ends from the driver’s seat.
The TRX is far more in its element when you get it clear of the urban jungle. The almost three-tonne RAM effortlessly eats up highway miles, and the large padded surface at the rear of the centre console is a comfortable spot to rest your elbow.
The TRX is far more in its element when you get it clear of the urban jungle. The almost three-tonne RAM effortlessly eats up highway miles, and the large padded surface at the rear of the centre console is a comfortable spot to rest your elbow.
But what you really want to know is how the TRX fares off-road, right?
For the most part, the torque-laden RAM makes easy work of getting over and across whatever stands in its path. The massive grunt of the V8 means you can bully your way up dunes with effortless ease. The knobby Goodyear tyres (325/65R18) also play their part here, clawing into the sand with tenacity.
However, the TRX’s approach and departure angles (30.4 degrees and 25.0 degrees respectively) are nothing to write home about, and the vehicle’s sheer size counts against it in some situations.
Our progress came to a grinding halt when the vehicle beached itself at the front and rear in a narrow V-shaped valley, with the left-rear wheel dangling about a foot off the deck.
However, the TRX was able to drive out under its own steam. All it took was a little bit of digging, engaging the rear axle lock, followed by some steering wheel wriggling while applying judicious doses of throttle.
These size-related limitations are something you need to keep in mind in off-road settings but, on the plus side, the TRX’s bespoke adaptive Bilstein Black Hawk shocks do an incredible job of smoothing out the terrain. Ride quality is exceptionally good.
Scorching performance
For pure wow factor, pub bragging rights and laugh-out-loud fun, the RAM 1500 TRX hits the mark. You get plenty of horsepower and metal for your $200K-plus outlay.
There’s nothing else on the market that offers the TRX’s unique combination of scorching performance and utility.
However, if you don’t need 4.5sec 0-100km/h sprints, then you’d be just as well served by one of the lesser (and substantially cheaper) RAM 1500 models.
How much does the 2022 RAM 1500 TRX Launch Edition cost?Price: $143,580 (in UAE)Available: Mid-2022Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8Output: 524kW/881NmTransmission: Eight-speed automaticFuel: 19.6L/100kmCO2: 506g/km
Safety rating: IIHS Top Safety Pick
Keyword: RAM 1500 TRX 2022 Review