Running footage (with audio of the 702-horsepower 6.2-liter Supercharged HEMI V-8 engine!) and b-roll of the Ram 1500 TRX pickup truck. This automaker video also includes insight from the design and production team at Ram on powertrain, engineering, interior and exterior design, and durability testing for the 1500 TRX.
Mike Koval, head of Ram brand, provides an overview of the all-new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
Dan Stagner, TRX vehicle integration manager, talks about the powertrain for the all-new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
Jeff Roselli, TRX model responsible, talks about the engineering for the all-new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
Interior Design With Ryan Nagode
Ryan Nagode, chief designer and head of Ram Truck interior design, discusses the interior features of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
Mark Trostle, head of Ram Truck exterior design, talks about the design features of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
Dan Stagner, TRX vehicle integration manager, discusses the durability testing that the all-new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX endured to help exceed customer demands.
[ENGINE REVVING]
[INTENSE MUSIC]
MIKE KOVAL: TRX is big to both the brand as well as the segment because quietly, Ram has established itself as an off road leader in America with products such as the Ram Power Wagon and Rebel, while also allowing our customers to add offroad packages to every trim level. But we've continuously challenged ourselves to exceed our customer's requests for even more. TRX will cement Ram as the premier off road brand in America.
What makes TRX superior to every other high performance truck on the market is that there truly is no competition. It shatters all paradigms. It's truly transformative. It was designed and engineered bolt by bolt to be the quickest, fastest, most powerful, and most capable offroad pickup truck to ever roll off the assembly line.
Now the performance stats speak for themselves-- 702 horsepower, 650 pound feet of torque, 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds. But not to be forgotten that the TRX is tailor-made from the Ram 1500. So not only would offer premiere road capability, but it will also offer segment-leading luxury and technology, as well.
Because our brand is solely focused on building trucks, since the Ram truck brand became a standalone brand, the fact is we've had the name in our stable for quite some time and we've just been waiting for the right time to use it. Our fans and customers have had quite a bit of fun regarding the name, and they've reminded us that the T-Rex was the apex predator in the Jurassic era. So it feels right bringing in the apex predator to market should carry that name and establish its supremacy in the marketplace.
DAN STAGNER: The Ram 1500 TRX is equipped with a 6.2 liter supercharged Hemi. The similarities between the Dodge Hellcat engine and our 6.2 supercharged for the TRX are vast. We continue to use the cast iron block, the forged steel crank, and the aluminum heads of the base engine. We've modified only the things that we had to adapt to this application.
We changed the oil pan to a deep some truck oil pan that keeps the pickup tube in the oil in all circumstances. High G corners in the baja environment, especially. The alternator was also moved higher on the adaptation of the front end such that we could get a 32 inch water fording depth.
To prepare the powertrain for extreme desert enthusiast, we took a holistic approach, understanding what the customers expected with customer surveys, data acquisitions, and a lot of hands-on real world testing. The air backs for the 15 under TRX is specifically designed for bar environment. It is separate from the engine, hovering above the engine so it never-- it doesn't follow the vibrations of the engine.
It has to 8 by 12 inch air filters that capture four times the dirt of our closest competitor. In addition, it has two airflow entries-- one through the functional hood scoop and one, from Ram air from the front of the grille. So it always gets cool clean air to the supercharged Hemi.
JEFF ROSELLI: What differentiates the Ram 1500 TRX from a standard Ram 1500 under the skin is just about everything. We start with a strengthened frame made of upgauged upyielded materials all developed to withstand the rigors of everything we can throw at this truck. To that frame, we built longer forged aluminum control arms up front, longer stamp steel control arms out back with our five link suspension, taller springs, and our Bilstein adaptive dampers. This vehicle is really made to face any obstacle it comes across without demanding any compromises of the driver.
The rear axle on the Ram 1500 TRX is basically set up to take a direct missile strike. It is essentially me, my weight, tacked on to a standard Ram 1500 axle. The Dana 60 has got a 10 inch ring gear, massive floating axle shafts. Essentially, it is design that has proven itself in durability to be able to survive anything both a punishing customer and a daily driver can throw at it.
What we've achieved with the Ram 1500 TRX is a suspension setup that allows us to tie the vehicle down to the pavement when the customer wants to drive hard on terra firma, but also allowed travel and plushness over any undulating terrain, over dunes, over rocks, through rivers. This suspension setup has what it takes to overcome all obstacles.
RYAN NAGODE: The TRX, we were able to bring in a bunch of new driver-focused technologies. First off is our brand new HUD or head up display, which allows the customer to see really, a full color 10.1 inch display that seamlessly floating out on the hood of the truck. It offers a simple standard advanced modes as basically modes that you can get into right when you jump in the truck, but then you can actually go in and select a custom mode, which allows users to have between two to five different types of settings displayed in that cluster.
With our new UConnect touch screen for the 12 inch on Ram TRX, we're really able to kind of utilize this space. TRX obviously gave us this opportunity to combine both performance, offroad pages, and then incorporate our eight drive modes, as well as valet into a really nice seamless approach. You can use swipe left and right to kind of go through those different screens.
This is the halo product for rim as well as in FCA products in general. We developed three different interiors within TRX. We start off with our TR standard interior, which is our vinyl cloth interior. A little bit no frills in that sense, meant to get dirty.
Then you step up to our TR2 price class. Really, this is where it opens the door for all of the content that we'd bring into the vehicle. With this price class, you can bring in your heads up display, you can bring in your digital rearview mirror, you can bring in carbon fiber. Also, our TRX red accent color package.
There's a whole host of features and a lot of them are standard features. I love the fact that we were able to bring in a flat bottom performance steering wheel, but not just that, we were able to bring first time for Ram, paddle shifters for the steering wheel, which is a really, really nice feature.
On top of that, we've been able to bring in our center console mounted floor shifter, which is a really nice feature. We've displaced the rotary shifter, brought it down to the center console, and actually gone in and added drive modes and a few other things like launch control to that area where the rotary shifter used to be.
Little details like red behind the speaker grills to give a little bit of that accent color popping through with our Harman Kardon 19 speaker system, I think, is a pretty cool detail. Also, the center console badge, where we kind of go in and bring in the VIN number of the vehicle, our horsepower, boost ratings. Those are just little jewelry type aspects so which I think you just you fall in love with these details. And I think that's really what helped sell-- sell a vehicle.
MARK TROSTLE: Form always follows function in performance vehicles. The TRX off road obviously is the epitome of that. So definitely, you know, the performance aspect, making sure that the vehicle has all the attributes functionally and aesthetically that we can incorporate into them.
Designing the TRX versus the Ram 1500, just the inherent proportion, the track, the wheelbase changes, the size of the tire all helped create the proportion of the vehicle that created this outstanding package-- something that really is going to stand out on the road beyond what the Ram 1500 already does.
One of the most impactful things of the TRX is the proportion of the face. The vehicles 8 inches wider, 88 inches wide overall. We take in a lot of air through the grille. The hood with the intake, we take another 50% of the air in through that upper grille, as well, so it's that-- that proportion that the face of that vehicle has, but it's also functional.
One of the things that I personally like about the Ram TRX is that typically, a truck, a relatively flat body side to it, especially if you're looking at it into a top view, the TRX has such wide fenders, both front and rear, that the vehicle takes on a completely different type of stance to it. One of the coolest parts about the face of the TRX to me is the air curtain design.
You can stand at the front of the vehicle next to the headlamp or right behind the front wheel looking forward, you can see the air curtain and the fact that it's actually open all the way to the front and rear. There's nothing like that out there. And I think that's just a great testament to that form and function working together.
You look at the rear of the vehicle, it still has that wide stance that the face had. Its complemented by five inch exhaust tips through the bumper. We have tow hooks on all four corners of the vehicle. We have a Ram Mopar step assist, as well. And then obviously, we have our optional wheel with Beadlock capabilities. I think Ram TRX buyers are going to be very happy with the fact that the vehicle stands out as much as it was on the road compared to other trucks that are out there. There's nothing like it. And it has an incredible presence to it.
DAN STAGNER: The durability of the Ram 1500 TRX required everything that we do on the standard Ram 1500 plus the additional high speed off road element. The extreme offroad cycle is a new cycle specifically developed for this truck. It includes a brand new facility on our proving grounds to punish the truck as a customer would in the real world. Similar to the base Ram 1500, we subject the vehicle to all environments, including cold, hot, high altitude, and in our case, all high speed off road on desert driving.
We took the vehicle to Glamis, California, spent times in the hot heat of Southern California doing dune climbs and dune running, bull running. Spent time at the dunes in Michigan, as well, for a different experience.
In this truck, we also have a rock mode. So we wanted to make sure that we were excellent for the four wheel experience. Took the truck to sites in Michigan as well as in Moab, Utah, pushing the truck through with a standard Jeep or off road truck would see in the most extreme rock climbing conditions. We put the Ram 1500 TRX through as many off road situations as we could to make sure that it exceeds the customer's expectations.
The 2025 Kia K5 has been revealed with light styling changes and a slimmer powertrain line-up. It features new lights front and rear with other detail exterior changes. It drops the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, leaving just the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder as the main engine for the sedan. But those …
The 2025 Kia Carnival gets a light styling refresh and a significant powertrain change. It will now be available with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder hybrid that makes 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. It's paired with a six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive, and the same basic powertrain is already …
Cadillac has taken the opportunity to reveal the refreshed 2025 CT5 sedan on home turf, at the 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It gets some styling tweaks to put forward a more aggressive face, and features some improved and updated technology. Most of the visual changes occur …
The 2024 GMC Acadia has been fully redesigned and is significantly larger than its predecessor. The wheelbase is a huge 10.2 inches longer than before. It's backed up by a new powertrain for the whole line-up: a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. Maximum towing …
Both the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor and Raptor R get upgrades in the refresh. In addition to some fresh design, Ford is bringing new Dual Live Valve Fox shocks to the picture for 2024, which will be paired with the 37-inch tire package that also includes Recaro seats and a …
There’s a new tailgate in town, and Ford is calling it the Pro Access Tailgate. The big party trick on display here with the Pro Access Tailgate is the middle portion of the gate that swings out like a single barn door. The point of a sideways-swinging tailgate is the …
The STX trim of the 2024 Ford F-150 gets a few small changes for the truck’s refresh. For one, it gains bright yellow accents as standard equipment. You’ll see the yellow trim both outside and inside the truck. However, if you prefer to not have the bright yellow everywhere, Ford …
The 2024 Jeep Gladiator is refreshed with a re-styled seven-slot grille and a bunch of new wheel designs. It has an upgraded interior, borrowing the horizontal 12.3-inch touchscreen from the Wrangler’s refresh and bringing Uconnect 5 along with it. Another big quality of life improvement are new 12-way power front …
There’s never been a Mustang quite like this: the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD. This monster of a Mustang was engineered and developed between both Ford and Multimatic (alongside the GT3 racecar) as a super-secret project that began in 2021. The GTD is packing an improved version of the 5.2-liter supercharged …
Mini is calling this fancy, round screen the “Mini Interaction Unit.” The super-thin screen itself is a perfect circle and measures 9.4 inches in diameter. The software it’s using is called Mini Operating System 9. It’s vibrant, colorful, modern and full of pleasant surprises. What you see on screen is …
Mini designed a ton of new sounds to go with the upcoming Cooper and Countryman EVs. Depending on the mode you’re in, you’ll get totally different sound experiences. For example, “Timeless” mode will give you a blend of noises from the classic Mini and the latest JCW GP. Meanwhile, “Balance” …
Mini just revealed the interior design of its 2025 Cooper. The changes and updates are everywhere, as this new Mini shares practically nothing with the outgoing model. Its new centerpiece is a massive, circular display that appears to be showing off new infotainment system software. All of your vital information …
BMW has a long-standing tradition of unveiling a concept at the annual Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance, and this year's is a head-turner. Called Concept Touring Coupé, it's a Z4-based shooting brake with a silhouette reminiscent of the "Clown Shoe" Z3 Coupe released in 1998. If the idea of a modern …
