2021 Ram TRX

Specs: 6.2 Liter Supercharged V8 from Thor

702 HP / 650 ft-lbs TQ

0-60: 3.9 Seconds!!!

MPG: LOL (8.8 trying really, really hard). (7.6 driving normally)

Price as Tested: $91,455

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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi

So, I’m trying to do a ‘The Great, Good, Bad and Ugly’ of every vehicle I get…but some vehicles are so revolutionary that it supersedes that type of review. Some vehicles are so out of this world, so shocking…so unbelievable that even trying seems disingenuous to me. So this is not my normal review….because this is not a normal vehicle. This is not a normal truck. This is not a normal Ram. This is the TRX.

For about 11 years now…there is one pickup truck that held the performance truck segment all of it’s own. That truck is the Ford Raptor. The Raptor is a truck that is unencumbered by bean counters, the Raptor is a truck that feels like it was made by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts and with no compromise. It’s a hilarious, fantastic, jumpy truck that makes you feel like you are 5 years old everytime you drive it. So, one would assume, that every full size truck manufacturer would be clamoring to make their own variant. Weirdly enough…that is not the case. The Raptor has held this corner of the truck world by its lonesome for over a decade. Not anymore.

The lovable gearheads over at Ram and SRT didn’t just take the fight to Ford…they took cues from the Terminator films and launched an extermination campaign. Nothing was left off the table with the TRX and it shows!

If you attempt to compare the numbers it looks like the TRX just created ‘nother category in and of itself!

• 250 more horsepower

• 140 more torque

• 1.3 Seconds faster to 60 mph

• 1.8 Seconds faster in the 1/4 mile

So let’s stop talking about the Raptor at this point because it’s just not in the same category anymore. Let’s break down the TRX further.

The TRX is not about all power over everything else, from the Ram’s interior to it’s ride quality to it’s handling…all of it is first rate. The Ram’s interior is not just good for a truck. The Ram’s interior is good for a freakin’ Lexus. The leather is soft, the seats are comfortable, the infotainment is superb (unlike a Lexus), the fit and finish is impeccable and the quality of the materials will make a Mercedes C-Class look like a 90’s Hyundai. It is one of the best interiors ever fitted to an American made car. It’s up there with the likes of the new Navigator and the Continental….and trust me that is high praise.

Okay how about refinement you ask? Not a shake, quiver or rumble except for that magnificent engine…it’s buttery smooth just puttering around town and frankly serene is most scenarios. Put the TRX into ‘Auto’ mode and you can drive with two fingers gently resting on the steering wheel, adaptive cruise control keeping pace with traffic, your vented seats cooling your beehind and the panoramic roof letting in that Spring Sun as you listen to the 19 speaker Harmon Kardon sound system play your favorite song. It’s driving heaven.

Obviously…when the opportunity arises…press the TRX button the dash. Select Sport mode…check your mirrors for anything with a lightbar….if none is seen:

--Adjust yourself in your seat accordingly

—Crack your knuckles and your neck

—Grab the steering wheel with both hands

—Plant your right foot to the floor board

…what happens next mechanical fury:

It’s jaw dropping. It’s hilarious. It’s shouldn’t be possible. This Ram TRX shouldn’t even exist. It shouldn’t drive this well. This easily. It shouldn’t be this comfortable. This fast. Handle this well. Be this refined.

The Ram TRX just shouldn’t be. But it is…it is here. It is truly outstanding. I love this truck.