The automotive industry is notorious for unveiling mouth-watering concept cars that get the public all hot and bothered and then not following through on them. One such concept was the Ram Rebel TRX, a performance-enhanced off-road pickup that the truck brand promised would do 100 miles per hour in the real world off-roading, not just on a flat track.
After four long years, the automaker made good on its promise with the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, a crew cab truck that is looking to dethrone the Ford Raptor as the high-performance pickup of choice. But how does it stack up?
While test drives in Baja are in order once the trucks hit showrooms before the end of the year, the specs are wild. In terms of speed, the TRX packs a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 engine (the Hellcat for those who are keeping track), which puts out a certifiably insane 702 horsepower for a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.5 seconds, 0 to 100 mph time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 118 mph.
In Car and Driver’s comparison, the Ford Raptor’s smaller 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 puts out a much lower 450 horsepower and thus a slightly slower 0 to 60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. In terms of torque, the TRX also beats out the Raptor in a score of 650 lb.-ft. to 510, respectively.
We’ll readily admit that truck ads are unrealistic, rose-colored, dust-covered portrayals of what you, the normal buyer, will probably ever do should you shell out for one. On the other hand, I think this footage of the TRX drifting up walls in the desert single-handedly made up for the lack of summer action blockbusters:
The only problem with loading up a truck with that much power — not to mention luxe amenities like a Harman Kardon audio setup and a brand-new head-up display — is that it’s going to cost you, to the tune of $71,690, the starting price with destination fees.
The Raptor on the other hand, which is available in more styles (both a SuperCab and SuperCrew), starts at $58,135 for the similarly sized crew cab model.
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