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2025 Ram 1500 TRX Sounds Worse Than Ford F-150 Raptor, Hellcat V8 Will Be Dearly Missed

2025 Ram 1500 TRX prototype 18 photos
Photo: Butter Da Insider / edited
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Inline-six engines are usually sweet in terms of their aural qualities. The so-called Hurricane in the Jeep Wagoneer and plusher Grand Wagoneer isn’t exactly the best-sounding I6 of the bunch, and this lump doesn’t sound nice in the Ram TRX either.
Spied in the Detroit area, the heavily camouflaged truck in the featured clip is a prototype of the 2025 Ram 1500 TRX. Over the course of 15 minutes, Butter Da Insider makes a point regarding the noises coming out of the black exhaust finishers.

It's hard to imagine a straight-six engine sounding worse than a V6, but FCA US LLC did exactly that with the Hurricane. Similar to the B58 in the BMW M340i and the S58 in the BMW M3, the Hurricane doesn’t feature a dipstick. As if that wasn’t bad enough, remember that Ram trolled Ford over the 2021 model year F-150 Raptor’s twin-turbo V6.

Back in January 2021, the peeps at Ram challenged the Dearborn-based automaker to pop the hood of the F-150 Raptor. Everyone and their dog knew that it’s a twin-turbo V6 hiding in the engine bay, although few expected the Ford Motor Company to give this generation of the Raptor a better-sounding exhaust than its forerunner. The Raptor is available with a supercharged V8 as well, albeit one with less power and torque than the Hellcat V8 engine.

With the F-150 redesigned for 2024, the Blue Oval further confirmed over 700 horsepower from the Raptor R. How much does the 2025 Ram 1500 TRX have to its name? 500 ponies and change, tops!

2025 Ram 1500 TRX prototype
Photo: Butter Da Insider on YouTube
How the turntables, right? At press time, the Hurricane comes in two states of tune: 420 horsepower and 458 pound-feet (635 Nm) or 510 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm). That’s better than both the 6.4-liter HEMI and 6.2-liter Hellcat, as well as more than the B58 in the M340i and S58 in the M3 Competition. Not bad, right?

But in the Ram 1500 TRX’s case, it’s a clear downgrade from the 2021 through 2024 models. The all-electric REV will take it over from the TRX in terms of high-output shenanigans, with Ram promising 654 horsepower and 620 pound-feet (841 Nm) of torque from two drive units.

Sterling Heights will stop making the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX in January 2024, whereas the 2025 model is believed to premiere in the first quarter of 2024. First deliveries of the inline-six truck are reportedly due in the second quarter of 2024.

In addition to 3.2 fewer liters of displacement and two fewer cylinders, the 2025 Ram 1500 TRX will also downgrade from the 8HP95 automatic transmission to the 8HP75. The latter handles up to 553 pound-feet (750 Nm), which is 53 pound-feet higher than the Hurricane’s peak torque rating.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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