Raptor-fighting TRX launches, with Australian deliveries on the cards

RAM Trucks USA dropped the covers on its HEMI-powered 1500 TRX in 2020, with RAM Australia saying at the time it was eager for it to arrive as the flagship offering of the 1500 range.

A local arrival now seems one step closer to reality, with expressions of interest for the 1500 TRX now available on the Ram Trucks Australia website - "We're working closely with our colleagues in the US to bring the TRX to Australia in 2021," it says.

By jotting down details, punters can now receive up-to-date information when it comes to light,

UPDATE, May 2023: Ram 1500 TRX v Ranger Raptor

🤼‍♂️ Australia’s most outrageous utes face off in a rock-spraying, fuel gargling celebration of excess. Strap in, it’s about to get noisy!

14

STORY CONTINUES: 1500 TRX launches in America

The HEMI V8 giving the TRX the title of "most powerful mass-produced truck in the world" is the venerable supercharged 6.2-litre offering rated at 523kW and 881Nm and said to help the TRX hit 60mph (97km/h) from zero in just 4.5 seconds. The HEMI runs through a TorqueFlite 8HP95 eight-speed automatic transmission.

Clean, cool air is fed into the V8 by a new dual-path induction system, which utilises two paths to draw in air - via the hood scoop, and via the front grille.

14

"The entire Ram TRX intake system is engineered to minimise power-robbing air restrictions while ensuring only clean, cool air reaches the engine," the RAM Trucks USA press statement reads.

"Industry-standard testing shows that the Ram TRX far exceeds any competitor in the amount of time it can ingest dirty air and debris before performance is diminished."

A wider stance than the rest of the 1500 range - eight inches wider, in fact - means the TRX had to undergo changes to compensate, including stretched composite flares and fender wells, a six-inch increase in track width, and wider wheels wrapped with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory 325/65/R18 All-Terrains. 18-inch beadlock-ready wheels are available.

14

Even the RAM badging is bigger than its 1500 stablemates, with the TRX also receiving unique skid plates (five in total) and steel bumpers.

The Raptor-fighting TRX - built and tested (including rock-crawling in Moab, Utah) to handle tough off-road conditions with a smattering of high-strength steel and aluminium - runs an independent front suspension set-up with new front upper and lower control arms.

The rear suspension employs active damping, a five-link coil system and a Dana 60 rear axle, to increase rear wheel travel by more than 40 per cent compared to the rest of the 1500 line-up.

14

Utilising a BorgWarner 48-13 full-time active transfer case, the TRX features a low range of 2.64:1.
The off-road specs are equally impressive, with an approach angle of 30.2 degrees, breakover angle of 21.9 degrees, departure angle of 23.5 degrees, a ground clearance of 11.8 inches (299.7mm), and a water-fording depth of 32 inches (812.8mm).

It also boasts a towing capacity of 8100lb (3674kg) and a 1310lb (594kg) payload capacity.

Three dynamic off-road modes are pre-configured into the software - Mud/Sand, Rock, and Baja - which modulates the four-wheel-drive system, throttle response, transmission, paddle shifters, suspension and steering, depending on the terrain.

14

Another nifty feature of the TRX is Jump Detection, which senses when the vehicle is airborne and prevents driveline damage by modifying a number of driveline components including engine speed, torque, gear selection, transfer case torque split and damping rates.

The 1500 TRX is expected to arrive locally late in 2021, with an estimated $200K price tag.