New RAM 1500 TRX: Everything Is Better With A 702bhp HEMI V8

Meet the most powerful and fastest factory-built pickup ever, the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. It may not be as powerful as the 1000bhp Hennessey-tuned Jeep Gladiator, but the 24 of those will be a cool $200,000 each. The Ram costs $69,995 plus fees, so looks like something of a bargain.

And you still have a silly amount of horsepower, courtesy of a 6.2-litre supercharged HEMI V8. It packs 702bhp, and is good for 0-60 in 4.5 seconds despite having the aerodynamic properties of the Michigan factory in which it’s built - and it probably weighs a similar amount too. It’ll dispatch the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds and will hit 118mph. Fuel economy? Don’t be silly.

We’ll presume those figures are for tarmac but, given the serious off-roading you can do, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’ll be just as fast when the asphalt runs out. The 35-inch bespoke Goodyear Territory tyres are your first clue about the Ram’s favourite types of trails, and a two-inch lift and wider fenders are fitted to accommodate them.

TRX models sit on a strengthened frame and boast all-new independent front suspension with adaptive dampers and forged aluminium control arms. Coupled with model-specific rear suspension, there’s 330mm of travel, which is said to be 40 per cent more than any other Ram model. Those rear springs are also pretty handy for practicality, as the TRX offers a near-600kg payload and a 3.6-tonne towing capacity.

A full-time active transfer case and a low-range gearbox allows for rock crawling, while the Ram 1500 TRX also offers impressive approach/departure angles and the ability to wade through 813mm of water. That’s not far off the 900mm depth you get in a Land Rover Defender. We’re also drawn to the ‘Jump Detection’ system, which adjusts a few settings when you’re airborne to give optimum performance when you land and to prevent damage.

The TRX gets exclusive front seats, and a new “performance floor shifter” in place of the rotary knob on the centre console. The latter gives you the four-wheel drive selections, a range of different driving modes (including a Baja mode like the Ford Ranger Raptor) and launch control. Elsewhere, there’s a head-up display, a 12-inch infotainment display and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Is this the beefiest, baddest truck on sale? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.