Photo: @catchmeoffroad on Instagram
Remember when the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet 454 SS were all the rage? The times have changed, though, and hot-rodded pickups are now gone in favor of dune bashers such as the Raptor. The peeps at Ram, however, have the hottest truck right now in the guise of the TRX.
As it’s also the case with Dodge and Jeep, the secret of the off-road truck to rule all off-road trucks is the Hellcat engine. 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) spin 9-inch-wide wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodyear Territory All-Terrain tires designed exclusively for this fellow.
Despite the chunky and knobbly rubber shoes, the sheer torque of the supercharged HEMI V8 helps the TRX accelerate like nobody’s business. Ram quotes 4.5 seconds to 60 mph (97 km/h), meaning that the half-ton rig is quicker than the Mazda MX-5 Miata and only one-tenth slower than the Porsche Cayman S. As some would say, it’s the bee’s knees.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has also engineered a TRX-specific Launch Control system, designed to manage tire slip as much as possible for consistent acceleration performance off the line. Speed sensors are also featured, and their role is to minimize driveline-damaging wheel hop.
These electronic nannies, however, have their limitations. @catchmeoffroad on Instagram has uploaded a video of the TRX launching in a parking lot with Launch Control, and in addition to the visceral exhaust note of that wonderful supercharged engine, you can also hear a chirp of wheel spin from those Goodyears. That means “traction not found” in layman’s terms, but still, the truck hunkers down immediately and takes off like a bat out of hell.
Imagine being beat in the quarter-mile by an off-road truck, and now remember how long does it take for the TRX to cover 440 yards from a standing start. Ram quotes 12.9 seconds at 108 mph (174 km/h), meaning that Ram has delivered a faster strip slayer than the Ford Mustang EcoBoost.
Despite the chunky and knobbly rubber shoes, the sheer torque of the supercharged HEMI V8 helps the TRX accelerate like nobody’s business. Ram quotes 4.5 seconds to 60 mph (97 km/h), meaning that the half-ton rig is quicker than the Mazda MX-5 Miata and only one-tenth slower than the Porsche Cayman S. As some would say, it’s the bee’s knees.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has also engineered a TRX-specific Launch Control system, designed to manage tire slip as much as possible for consistent acceleration performance off the line. Speed sensors are also featured, and their role is to minimize driveline-damaging wheel hop.
These electronic nannies, however, have their limitations. @catchmeoffroad on Instagram has uploaded a video of the TRX launching in a parking lot with Launch Control, and in addition to the visceral exhaust note of that wonderful supercharged engine, you can also hear a chirp of wheel spin from those Goodyears. That means “traction not found” in layman’s terms, but still, the truck hunkers down immediately and takes off like a bat out of hell.
Imagine being beat in the quarter-mile by an off-road truck, and now remember how long does it take for the TRX to cover 440 yards from a standing start. Ram quotes 12.9 seconds at 108 mph (174 km/h), meaning that Ram has delivered a faster strip slayer than the Ford Mustang EcoBoost.
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