Free from the constraints of responsible road use, our Ram was in its element climbing the mountains of soft sand. To put those core features to proper use, director of vehicle testing Dave VanderWerp made an impromptu visit to the sand dunes of Michigan's Silver Lake State Park-the only place within a couple of time zones of our Ann Arbor HQ where the TRX can be fully unleashed. And with the electronic hiccups having no bearing on performance, this 702-hp pickup on 35-inch tires remains hilariously effective at intimidating just about anything that crosses its path. Treks to Minnesota and throughout Michigan have even helped to boost its average fuel economy from 10 to 11 mpg-a 10 percent increase. F-150, Ramīlessed with relatively normal operation, our TRX has happily continued with its truck duties, towing, hauling, and ferrying as many people and things as we can saddle it with. Pick Up, Throw Down: 2014 Silverado vs.That it took Stellantis this long to (mostly) fix is another matter. It still throws the occasional tantrum-activating the windshield wipers now sometimes puts the touchscreen in nighttime mode and makes the display in the gauge cluster blink-but compared to how buggy this Uconnect system was previously, we'll take it. Reports of system crashes have stopped, as have angry critiques in the logbook.
#RAM TRX REVIEW UPDATE#
Thanks to modern connectivity, an over-the-air software update at 26,000 miles finally- finally-exorcized the worst of the demons that had taken up residence in its 12.0-inch center touchscreen. But as our TRX enters the twilight of its 40,000-mile test, it seems to be doing its best to show us that plenty of good days still lie ahead.Ĭommunication being key in any living arrangement, our big Ram is starting to talk sense.
Its wallet-busting fuel consumption and persistent infotainment system glitches, not so much. Its unhinged bravado and rowdy 3.8-second runs to 60 mph have been great. I know we will.As in any meaningful relationship, our quality time with the Ram 1500 TRX has seen its share of ups and downs.
Let’s all just enjoy that for the moment. So the TRX is the top of the heap for now, the apex predator of trucks. But that’s apparently still a year or more out from now. It’s one of the worst-kept secrets in Detroit that Ford is preparing a V8-engined super Raptor, the off-road cousin of the Ford GT, if you will. But then you have to remember that the Hellcrate engine alone is worth $18k, so add that in and all the trick suspension – the Raptor’s is great, too, but the TRX feels the most plush and strong – and it starts to look more even in value terms. It’s also substantially more than the Raptor, starting at a smidge over $71k compared with $55k. It’s everything the original V8 Raptor wanted to be, but wasn’t.Īnd that’s only to be expected with the Ram team having several years to perfect the TRX against the Ford. The Raptor’s move to a V6 engine really left a hole in the market for a proper V8 off-road truck, a hole that the TRX now fills to the brim and beyond. But it’s still a surprise just how much better it is. The TRX needed to be great to displace the Ford Raptor from its perch as king of the off-road trucks, and it is.
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