During its 40,000-mile test, our 702-hp Ram pickup appeared to be equal parts workhorse and toy.
Wrap-Up of the 40,000-Mile Journey
The Ram 1500 TRX is the type of car that made many of us at C/D fall in love with automobiles in the first place. The supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in the massive Ram offered us 702 reasons to test it for 40,000 miles—it’s the most powerful car we’ve ever evaluated for a lengthy period. The fact that it’s also the Ram 1500’s equivalent to the powerful Ford F-150 Raptor cemented the deal: we wanted one. What impresses us after a year of cohabitation is not just the ridiculousness that the TRX brings to anything it does, but also how much it was able to accomplish during its stay.
In the TRX’s logbook, testing director Dave VanderWerp wrote: “It’s a Hellcat with a back seat the size of a Mercedes S-class and a 3.5-ton truck with suspension that allows for huge jumps into the air. It’s also still handy as a pickup. Incredible.” It’s also a great source of amusement on any terrain, in our opinion. With 650 pound-feet of torque, full-time four-wheel drive, and a finely tuned ZF eight-speed automatic, our TRX rocketed to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds with a launch control set.
The quarter-mile took an unbelievable 12.4 seconds at 110 mph, with the V-8’s blower moaning the entire time. After our test, those timings had increased to 3.7 and 12.3 seconds, respectively, making it even easier for this monster to startle some powerful performance vehicles at stoplights, like our long-term Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing sedan.
Given the truck’s 6781-pound weight and long-travel suspension, we were not surprised (13.0 inches of front- and 14.0 inches of rear-wheel travel, courtesy of a beefy all-coil suspension and adaptive Bilstein dampers with external reservoirs). The lane-clogging 88.0-inch width and nearly 20-foot length of this monstrous Ram made it overkill for woodland routes. “The TRX is likely to induce claustrophobia in city traffic,” one user said after nearly being caught in a parking garage.
However, when we let free on the vast dunes of Michigan’s Silver Lake State Park—the one area we traveled where the TRX didn’t seem excessively overpowered—it channeled its inner trophy truck with the assistance of its 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires (see “Kicking Tires”). The $7750 TRX Level 2 Equipment Group (head-up display, a 19-speaker Harman/Kardon radio, and heated and ventilated front and back seats, among other niceties) pushed the starting price to $75,175 even higher.
A set of $1895 18w Beadlock-capable rims, the $995 Comprehensive Safety Group with adaptive cruise, $995 Mopar rocker rails, and a $695 basket weave tonneau cover were available as options. The ultimate price was $91,030, which is still $18,115 less than Ford’s new 700-hp F-150 Raptor R.
Then there’s the astonishing quantity of premium fuel utilized by the TRX throughout its stint—3689 gallons totaling $16,218. We got 11 mpg overall, which was 1 mpg less than the EPA’s combined estimate. Only the gentlest of throttle foot could squeeze out 400 miles between fill-ups of the 33.0-gallon tank, based on the 13 mpg we saw on our 75-mph highway test. Even if petrol is less than $5 per gallon, sustaining the TRX’s drinking habit is equivalent to a second car payment.
Despite its modest (for a half-ton truck) payload and towing capacities of 1310 and 8100 pounds, respectively, this truck’s broad skill set kept it in constant demand, whether as a base camp in Northern Michigan with a rooftop tent installed or as a hauler of everything from firewood to snowmobile trailers. On road travels to Florida and Virginia, the TRX’s crew-cab design with 45.2 inches of back legroom and Ram’s upmarket interior provided luxurious accommodations.
It even lapped the 4.1-mile Grand Course at Virginia International Raceway, which we did simply for fun. And it was entertaining until the brakes became spongy on the first lap. Nonetheless, our truck’s track-outline sticker was an unmistakable flex next to the off-road-vehicle permits on its rear window.
The TRX’s gung-ho appeal did, however, wear thin at times. Its exhaust noise reverberates through neighboring structures and may be droning at high speeds, causing some drivers to want an active system with a quiet option. Others were put off by its harsh ride for a desert runner, but the hard setup gives the TRX more stability on back roads than you’d anticipate. We were all in agreement that twisting the steering wheel required more effort than it should have. The 12.0-inch Uconnect touchscreen was universally disliked.
It was plagued by malfunctions, froze up often, lost Bluetooth connections, and overall acted possessed. Although the dealer attempted to resolve the issue under warranty by replacing the entire display unit, it wasn’t until 26,200 miles that an over-the-air upgrade eliminated the majority of the system’s faults.
Noises from the TRX’s suspension were another source of annoyance, which the dealer fixed by adjusting the mountings for the front anti-roll bar links and the rear Panhard rod. However, clunks from the drivetrain remained at stop-and-go speeds while changing between drive and reverse. Other TRX owners’ reports imply that this is a recognized issue, yet various dealers discovered nothing wrong with our rig. Although a Stellantis service advisory describes a remedy that involves fitting a new boot filled with fresh grease to the TRX’s driveshaft, components were still on back order when our truck left, so we couldn’t test their efficacy.
In comparison, the seven routine oil changes and tire rotations ordered by our truck’s computer, which cost an average of $194 each, were simple.
The TRX eventually made some of us happy that our test was only a short-term affair, not a serious marriage. As versatile as this vehicle is, it is not sensible. Nonetheless, the efficacy with which technology blurs the border between work and pleasure captivated many of us. “The TRX’s alpha attitude is enticing,” senior assistant editor Eric Stafford observed. “However, I doubt anything like that will be available in ten years.” Unfortunately, he is probably correct. We’re delighted we took advantage of the opportunity.
Raves and rants
The Ram sounds better and generates bigger responses than the Raptor, but it’s more exhausting to drive. —Stafford, Eric
I like the exhaust tone, but at $91K, you should buy an active exhaust to silence it. —Beard, David
This monster drinks like a freshman during hell week. —Colwell, K.C.
I’m surprised that the connecting rods don’t flex in response to the amount of gasoline entering the cylinders. —Beard, David
Having an infotainment system with so many glitches is no way to spend 40 hours behind the wheel. Darin Johnson’s
The TRX garners as much attention in rural America as an exotic sports car. —Stafford, Eric
When did Uconnect become so bad? It frequently crashes. —Gregory Fink
The V-8 sounds so good when it’s working hard that the $200 fill-ups are nearly worth it. —VanderWerp, Dave
It irritates me that $91K gets you not just this truck, but also all these faults that the dealer can’t seem to address. Christi VanSyckle’s
This insane vehicle is my absolute favorite. I want to maintain this equipment now that the touchscreen is functional again. —Carlos L.
This thing rides so stiffly that you forget it has coils on the back. —Stafford, Eric
Service Schedule
Long-term testing begins on October 15, 2021, at 151 miles.
On December 7, 2021, at 5695 miles, the dealer changed the oil, rotated the tires, and retorques the insufficiently adjusted front anti-roll bar links and rear track bar. A software update has resolved the CarPlay issue. $155
January 31, 2022, 11,199 miles: Dealer conducts oil change, tire rotation, and cabin air filter replacement. $213
3 February 2022 11,287 miles: For the winter, we put BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. $1476
24 February 2022 After 12,671 kilometers, the dealer orders a replacement touch-screen. $0
We replaced the Goodyear Wrangler tires on March 24, 2022, at a distance of 16,316 kilometers. $0
March 30, 2022, 16,752 miles: The dealer changes the oil and spins the tires. The touchscreen is being replaced as part of the warranty. $150
April 20, 2022, The dealer diagnoses drive-line noise at 18,403 miles. Nothing wrong was discovered. $0
May 24, 2022, 24,752 miles: Dealer conducts oil change, tire rotation, and cabin air filter replacement. $180
June 16, 2022, 26,200 miles: An over-the-air update resolves the touchscreen issue. $0
July 14, 2022, 31,420 miles: Dealer conducts oil change, tire rotation, and engine air filter replacement. $307
August 31, 2022, 36,257 miles: Dealer conducts oil change, tire rotation, and cabin air filter replacement. $233
15 September 2022 37,725 miles: Dealer fails to diagnose driveline clunk once more. $0
23rd of September, 2022 38,140 miles: Two nail punctures are repaired by a local tire shop. $31
11 October 2022 40,122 miles: I took it to the dealer for a check engine light. The TRX required a new right-side catalytic converter as well as two oxygen sensors. The driveline clunk is addressed in a service bulletin. Parts have been ordered. $0
25th of October, 2022 41,796 miles: Oil change and tire rotation performed by the dealer. Catalyst and O2 sensors were replaced, however, driveline components are still on backorder. $121
7 November 2022 Long-term test concludes at 41,853 miles. Accountants are skeptical of our newly discovered excess in the gasoline budget.
Tire Kicking
As much fun as it was to slide our TRX about in the snow, the stock LT325/65R-18 Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires didn’t perform as well in the white stuff as we’d like. Unfortunately, our quest for a straight winter-weather replacement came up empty, so we tried out a pair of 35X12.5R-18LT BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s. They came with a tread pattern filled with biting edges that helped the KO2 earn the three-peak mountain snowflake insignia lacking from the Goodyear’s sidewalls for $1476 from Tire Rack.
Drivers noted improved grip and confidence in snow and slush with the BFGs, as well as a minor improvement in the TRX’s road manners. When new, the KO2s offered 0.69 g of traction vs 0.66 g for the Wranglers, but they increased the TRX’s 70-mph stopping distance from 195 to 208 feet (the Goodyears’ stats improved to 0.69 g and 190 feet after 40,000 miles). The BFGs were also quieter on the road, which was essential to some. While both tires contributed to interior sound readings of 70 decibels at 70 mph, the hum of the Wranglers’ chunkier lugs caused “road-noise tinnitus” in several drivers, especially near the conclusion of our test, when our 70-mph measurement jumped to 71 decibels.