After four long years, the production-spec 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has finally arrived. The truck is as impressive as it seemed back then in concept form if not more so. This performance off-road truck has all the ingredients to make a perfect recipe - there’s a mighty V-8 Hellcat mill under the hood that makes over 700 horses, an advanced four-wheel-drive system, a strong suspension system that’s good enough to hit triple-digit speeds off-road, and a luxurious cabin that can put even premium sedans to shame.

With a price tag of $70,000, this isn’t exactly an inexpensive truck, and it kind of missed a full onslaught on the F-150 Raptor, which is available in the fully-loaded spec at the TRX’s base price point. Can it dethrone the apex predator, or will both the trucks be able to co-exist in peace?

What Powers The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX

The supercharger is a twin-screw unit that has a maximum speed of 14,600 rpm and can regulate boost pressure up to 11 psi. The engine is mated to an eight-speed, high-torque-capacity TorqueFlite 8HP95 transmission, the same updated one that we recently saw in the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat as well.

Thanks to this powerful engine-supercharger-transmission combo, the Ram 1500 TRX takes just 4.5 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark from a standstill and goes all the way up to 118 mph before losing breath. Launch Control aids perfect straight-line launches, which allows this beast to complete a quarter-mile run in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph. No wonder Ram went on boast that the 1500 TRX is officially the “Quickest, Fastest and Most Powerful Mass-produced Truck in the World”.

Drive Modes

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is offered with multiple drive modes. The different selectable drive modes control the throttle response, four-wheel-drive system, transmission, suspension, and the electric power steering. The drive modes even include three off-road dynamic modes:

-* Sport

-* Snow

-* Auto

-* Tow

-* Custom

-* Mud/Sand

-* Rock

-* Baja

Since the truck is a performance off-roader, Ram has offered something known as Jump Detection. This function derives wheel-speed and ride-height data from the sensors and accelerometers at each corner to identify when the vehicle is airborne and acts to prevent driveline-damaging power spikes. Coupled with the off-road dynamic drive modes, this will be immensely helpful and give a lot of confidence to take it fast on rough terrains.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Suspension System

The TRX also features an electronic locking rear differential and a BorgWarner full-time active transfer case. The Ram truck’s final drive ratio is 3.55:1 whereas the low-range four-wheel-drive ratio is rated at 2.64:1. Do the math and you’ll ascertain a crawl ratio of 44:1 here.

The final drive ratio isn’t the lowest, which means rock crawling won’t be as easy as it is in the F-150 Raptor, but it won’t make much of a difference unless you are taking it for hardcore off-road crawling. However, Ram should’ve offered a feature like the Ford’s Trail Control, that is essentially a cruise control system for low-traction and rugged off-road terrains, to make up for the higher final drive ratio. But, again, we’re just nitpicking and it won’t matter most of the time.

Apart from this, the 2021 TRX is also equipped with new front and rear 2.5-inch Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks. These truly make it a desert runner as they provide better reaction time and vent out the heat faster. The company says it’ll help traverse over harsh terrains even with speeds greater than 100 mph. The TRX has a front-wheel travel range of 13 inches and a rear-wheel travel range of 14 inches.

How Is The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX On The Outside?

As mentioned earlier, it will be available only in a single body style - crew cab with a 5.7 feet cargo bed. Looks are subjective, so we’ll leave it up to you decide if it looks good or bad, but it certainly has a very strong road presence. The 2021 TRX is built on Ram’s Free-flow design philosophy that not only serves for the aesthetics but also aids performance. It features bold RAM lettering on the grille and a massive scoop on the hood, both of which help with the airflow into the engine.

Since the truck features a huge V-8 mill under the hood, Ram has paid special attention to its breathing capabilities. Ram has said that 50-percent of air intake to the engine will be through the massive hood scoop, whereas the other 50-percent airflow will be through the grille. A dual-path air induction system with a 92 mm throttle body and the segment’s largest air filter is present as well. The mill is capable of 2.38 liters of air intake revolution. There’s a 29-liter airbox to filter out the dirt and sand and avoid it from getting into the engine. To give it a rough look, the TRX is devoid of any chrome bling on the outside and features stuff like marker lights near the hood scoop, a skid plate underneath, etc.

Full-LED Adaptive Front-lighting System in all-black headlamps is offered on the TRX. Thanks to the integrated composite fender flares, the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is around eight inches wider than the standard 1500. It also features 15-inch brakes at the front, which are the segment-best. To top it all, namesake graphics and badges will be present all around the body, however, most of them are optional and priced exorbitantly high. It must also be noted that the truck doesn’t feature a MultiFunction Tailgate. Instead, there’s a simple power tailgate in place.

Apart from all this, there are four oversized two hooks in the front and the rear and dual five-inch exhaust outlets. There are a lot of functional accessories on offer, that will even make the truck look tougher than it already is. This includes off-road side steps, factory-installed rock rails, a bed-mounted spare-tire carrier that can accommodate up to 37-inch tire, and a rambar. Ram will offer the 2021 1500 TRX in seven different shades, plus one exclusive for the Launch Edition:

-* Flame Red

-* Hydro Blue

-* Granite Crystal

-* Billet Silver

-* Diamond Black Crystal

-* Bright White

-* Ignition Orange (late availability)

-* Anvil Grey (Launch Edition)

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Dimensions, Angles, and Weight

The wheelbase measures 145.1 inches and the ground clearance, with the skid plate, is rated at 11.8 inches. Speaking of the track width, the TRX’s front track width measures 74.5 inches and rear track width measures 74.1 inches. This is roughly six inches wider than the standard Ram 1500.

As for the angles, the Ram TRX’s approach angle is a healthy 30.2 degrees and the departure angle is 23.5 degrees. For a truck that is 233 inches long, a wheelbase of 145.1 inches seemed on the shorter side, but perhaps that was done intentionally to keep the breakover angle on par with the Raptor. It is rated at 21.9 degrees. The TRX also boasts of a water wading depth of 32 inches. The TRX is also pretty heavy, weighing in at 6,350 pounds. To put things into perspective, the F-150 Raptor weighs 5,697 pounds in the SuperCrew body style.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX dimensions

How Is The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX On The Inside?

On the inside, the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX feels very premium and luxurious; so much so that even got us questioning if the Ram 1500 TRX's cabin is too luxurious for off-roading? Starting from the cockpit, there’s a new SRT-signature, flat-bottom, leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters. It can be had with suede and carbon-fiber accents. It also features paddle shifters. An instrument cluster with a multi-information display sits behind it, more of which can be found in the ‘Technology’ sub-section.

The seats are heavily bolstered to keep you in place when you take this beast hard around the corners. The automaker is offering the truck with three different options to choose from cloth and vinyl, leather and suede, leather and suede with red and carbon fiber accents. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to offer suede on an off-roader since it is tough to maintain and is a dirt-magnet. But, it could find buyers. You can have ventilated seats, power-adjustable seats, etc. as an option. Ram also offers the TRX with a dual-pane panoramic sunroof.

Ram has skipped the rotary knob gear shifter in favor of a conventional floor-mounted gear shifter. In place of the rotary knob, the truck features a control panel that has Ram TRX-specific transfer case switches (4WD High/Low, Axle Lock, etc.) along with Drive Mode selector and Launch Control button.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Technology

A future upgrade to the UConnect 5 could be offered as well to support wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You can also find wireless charging dock and five USBs, including Type A and C ports below the center console. The truck comes with a 10-speaker sound system as standard, but a 19-speaker, 900-Watt Harman-Kardon audio system can be had as an option.

Coming to the instrument cluster’s MID, Ram has configured this seven-inch LCD display to throw up drive related info and performance pages that can be monitored and recorded. It displays stuff like:

-* Reaction time

-* Quarter-mile time

-* 0-60 and 0-62 mph acceleration times

-* Dyno page

-* G-Force meter

A new color Head-Up Display is also available that can be customized with five different contents as per your needs. If you don’t the standard rearview mirror, you can also opt for a digital rearview mirror with a 9.2-inch-wide LCD monitor, something similar to the Land Rover Defender. A forward-facing camera is available as optional as part of the 360-degree camera system. Then, there’s also Trailer Reverse Steer Control that’s similar to Ford’s Pro-Trailer Backup Assist. This optional feature makes use of a dial to point the trailer in the desired direction while the system controls the steering wheel.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Competition

Ford F-150 Raptor

The TRX was touted as the Raptor-killer, but I feel Ram has put the TRX on a level above in terms of specs, features, and most importantly, the pricing. So, it leaves the F-150 Raptor in a safe zone, but you can expect a lot of customers to get lured to the Ram. Nevertheless, customers in this niche now have a strong contender apart from the Raptor to choose form.

The F-150 Raptor has a strong road presence and is fairly well-equipped on the inside, but definitely not as much as the TRX. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoostmill that dishes out 450 horses and 510 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all the wheels via a ten-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. The truck is loaded to the gills in terms of off-road equipment and tech features, such as:

-* Trail Control

-* Off-road FOX Racing shocks

-* Long-travel suspension

-* Terrain-management system

-* 4.10 front Axle with Torsen Differential

-* Torque-On-Demand Transfer Case

The F-150 Raptor starts at $53,455 for the Regular Cab and $56,440 for the SuperCrew. The build tops out at $75,840 before equipping it with the additional aftermarket accessories.

Read our full review on the Ford F-150 Raptor

2021 Ram TRX 1500 Launch Edition

Although the Ram TRX is sold in a single trim with a lot of customizable options. However, the company introduced a Launch Edition limited to 702 examples. This package is priced at over $20,000 more than the standard TRX, but despite this, all the copies of the special edition were officially sold out within three hours after the bookings opened. The Launch Edition essentially comprises of two different packages - TRX Launch Edition Package and TRX Level 2 Equipment Group. It is available only in one shade – exclusive Anvil Grey color.

TRX Launch Edition Package

-* TRX Exterior Graphics

-* TRX Hood Graphics

-* 18" x 9.0" Beadlock-Capable Alum Wheels by Mopar

-* 19 Speaker Harman Kardon Premium Sound System

-* 4-Adjustable Cargo Tie-Down Hooks

-* Adaptive Cruise Control

-* Deployable Bed-Step

-* Dual-Pane Panoramic Sunroof

-* Heads-Up Display

-* Lane Keep Assist

-* Leather and Carbon Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel

-* LED CHMSL Lamp

-* Pedestrian Emergency Braking

-* Pick-Up Box Lighting

-* Real Carbon Fiber Interior Accents

-* Rear- View Auto-Dimming Digital Display Mirror

-* Spray-In Bedliner

-* "TRX Launch Edition" Console Badge

-* "TRX" Red Interior Accents

TRX Level 2 Equipment Group

-* Body-Color Door Handles

-* Wrapped Driver and Passenger Assist Handles

-* Front Door Accent Lighting

-* Full-Length Premium Upgraded Floor-Console

-* Heated Front Seats

-* Heated Steering Wheel

-* Instrument-Panel LED Ambient-Light Piping

-* Leather and Suede Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel

-* Leather-Trimmed Bucket Seats

-* Luxury Front Door-Trim Panel

-* Pick-Up Box Lighting

-* 8-Way Power Driver and Passenger Seats

-* Power Adjustable Pedals with Memory Function

-* Premium Wrapped Instrument- Panel Bezel

-* Rain-Sensitive Windshield Wipers

-* Rear-Door Accent-Lighting

-* Rear Under-Seat Storage Compartment

-* Rear Window Defroster

-* Sun-Visors with Illuminated Vanity-Mirrors

-* Universal Garage-Door Opener

-* Blind-Spot and Cross-Path Detection

-* Driver-Seat Memory

-* Exterior Mirrors with Memory

-* Heated Second-Row Seats

-* ParkSense Front and Rear Park-Assist with Stop

-* Driver-Seat/Radio/Mirrors/Pedals Memory Pre-Sets

-* Remote-Proximity Keyless –Entry

-* Remote-Start System

-* Remote Tailgate-Release

-* Rear 60 / 40 Folding Split Recline Seat

-* Surround-View Camera

-* Trailer Brake-Control

-* Ventilated Front Seats

-* Ventilated Rear Seats

-* Wireless Charging-Pad

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Safety Features And Optional Accessories

Stuff like a rear backup camera, electronic stability control with electronic roll mitigation, and six standard airbags are offered as standard. You can further opt for features like Available features include Blind-spot Monitoring, adaptive cruise control, Ready Alert Braking, and Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning-Plus. Mind you, the Ram 1500 was the first full-size pickup truck to earn a Top Safety Pick + rating from the IIHS. So, the TRX will be equally competent in that aspect.

Ram has also announced that the 2021 1500 TRX will be available with more than 100 Mopar-exclusive accessories like off-road lights, Beadlock-capable wheel rings, and so on, right from launch. Multiple packages like Advance Safety Group, Technology Group, Carbon Fiber Package, etc., are available apart from two TRX Equipment Groups that feature a lot of goodies.

Final Thoughts

The 2021 Ram TRX is a terrific package and looks very impressive from what is on offer. The price with all the additional accessories and packages may tick people off, but you’re not a budget, the TRX is one of the best half-ton truck you can buy today. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX will be built at the company’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan, and bookings are already open. The TRX is expected to reach the dealerships in early 2021.

Overview and Backstory

Ram was one of the first automakers to venture into the performance pickup truck niche. It started the trend almost 15 years back when it launched the Ram SRT-10 with the Dodge Viper's V-10 mill. However, the market was not mature enough to handle it, thus sending it off the production line within three years from its inception. But, this laid the foundation of the niche segment which saw many automakers develop hardcore performance trucks. First came the Ford Raptor in 2010, later the Chevy Colorado ZR2, and they were fairly successful in those days. Now, Ram has decided to give it another shot and re-enter the market with the Rebel TRX.

Back in September 2016, Ram released the Rebel TRX Concept at the State Fair of Texas. The concept was based on the Ram 1500 Rebel and came with a ton of off-roading equipment, a wide body, and a powerful mill under the hood.

Even a drive mode selector was seen here beside the steering wheel.

Post this concept reveal, there wasn’t a lot of hustle from Ram until the 2019 Ram 1500’s reveal where there was an Easter egg in the official press photos. The touchscreen system of the 1500 Rebel showed the time ‘7:07’ which indicated that the upcoming TRX will not be a detuned version of the Hellcat mill. Then, a couple of years later, the truck was seen dune bashing at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan, along with 10 FCA vehicles and a Ford Raptor in attendance. Now, finally, the truck is revealed and it doesn't look too different from the concept. It doesn't feature 707 horses in the production form, but 702 horses is not a bummer either.

FAQ

Q: How Much Can the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Tow?

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX come tow up to 8,100 pounds and haul up to 1,310 pounds.

Q: How Much Does The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Cost?

The automaker has announced a starting price of $69,995 plus a $1,695 destination charge for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. The Launch Edition is priced at $90,315 plus destination.

Ram is also offering a three-year/36,000-mile basic limited warranty on the TRX, and a five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty on the powertrain.