The Ram 1500 TRX Is a Hellcat-Powered Raptor-Killer

Ram’s Raptor-killer is finally here, and it’s every bit as outrageous as you would expect from the company that produced the Challenger Hellcat Redeye. In fact, the new truck – the 2021 Ram TRX – is going to be a 702-horsepower monster powered by a Hellcat V8.

As reported by Jalopnik, Ram’s new beast faces a monumental task in its attempt to compete with the popular Ford Raptor. The Raptor is a souped-up version of the Ford F-150. The Ram TRX is built on the Ram 1500 platform, but will take its engine used in the existing Hellcat models.

The Hellcat engine, good for 702 horsepower and 650 lbs-ft of torque, will be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The styling matches the performance, with lots of matte black bodywork and a big hood scoop.

The TRX is slated to be quite a bit more intense than the existing Raptor, which churns out 450 horsepower from a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.

The TRX will have a price to match its hellish performance numbers. It starts at $71,690. The Raptor is a much more reasonable $54,000.

The new performance truck joins Ram’s lineup, which already stars the Ram 2500 Power Wagon, a behemoth unto itself with a Hemi V8 making 410 horsepower and 429 lbs-ft of torque. However, the Power Wagon is more of a massive hauling and off-roading master, and is markedly slower than the Raptor.

Thus, that’s where the new TRX steps in. While a $75,000 pickup truck seems like an unattainable extravagance, it appears that there’s enough of an audience for Dodge’s other pricey Hellcat-powered vehicles that it is motivated to keep adding models. The TRX joins the Challenger, Charger, Durango, and Jeep Grand Cherokee in the ranks of vehicles with Hellcat variants.

It remains to be seen whether the TRX can take a bite out of the Raptor’s market share, but it certainly looks like Ram has one-upped Ford in the performance truck market.