2021 Ram 1500 TRX debuts, coming to UAE and GCC
The Ford F-150 Raptor carved a new niche for itself when it came out first, slotting itself in as a performance pickup. Since then, the Raptor has been enjoying a sort of monopoly with no mainstream manufacturer daring to lighten its halo. But after years of teasing and dawdling around, FCA has finally debuted their version of a fast offroading truck, the 702 hp Hellcat V8-powered 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.
While the existing Ram 1500 Rebel was all show and no go, the supercharged Hellcat engine really is overkill, especially for a pickup taking on the V6 turbo-powered 450 hp Raptor. And the price of the RAM is way higher than the Raptor too, at least in the United States. But the 1500 TRX might be a halo model for the TRX range, which may come with a smaller engine to properly take on the Raptor — especially as a Ram spokesperson responded with “not at introduction” when Automobile Magazine asked them about the possibility of a more attainable TRX.
Along with 702 hp, the Hellcat engine also adds 881 Nm of torque to the equation. Paired to the Hellcat engine is the ZF eight-speed transmission share3d with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The power is sent to all four wheels through a part-time 4WD system. The transfer case gets substantial strengthening to handle the extra oomph. A Dana 60 solid axle sits at the rear, complete with an electronic rear locking differential.
To cope with this massive increase in power, the 1500 TRX gets a beefed-up chassis with more high strength steel thrown in to handle the increased stresses. Ram says that only 25% of its chassis is carried over from the regular model, making it more capable to handle abuse off-road. All four wheels get Bilstein Blackhawk E2 adaptive shocks to handle the varying loads on a high-speed off-road run. The springs give the TRX a huge ground clearance of 300 mm. The front and rear travel of the TRX is 330 mm and 355 mm respectively. The TRX can also wade through water up to 812 mm deep.
The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX will go on sale in the United States with a starting price of US$ 69,995 (Dhs 257,105). There is a 1500 TRX Launch Edition which adds Beadlock-capable wheels, Harman Kardon 19-Speaker Audio system, a panoramic sunroof and special paint finish. This edition will be limited to 702 units and will cost US$ 90,315 (AED 331,745) apiece. A fully optioned-up top model will apparently cost US$ 100,835 (Dhs 370,387) in the States. Motoring Middle East reports that the price of the First Edition in the UAE will be Dhs 395,000 with all seven earmarked cars spoken for, while the regular version will come in only one spec at Dhs 380,000, with deliveries starting in March 2021.
The TRX does aim for the Raptor, but with this version, they seem to have gone a little overboard. However, with the possibility of a less-powerful (and less expensive) model coming later, the TRX can be the rival the Ford Raptor deserved.
Update: FCA Middle East has confirmed that the Launch Edition will cost Dhs 395,000 in the UAE, and the well-specced regular version will cost Dhs 375,000.
Comments
Safa
Saying the Rebel is “all show and no go” is a very ignorant statement. Seeing as it has the standard 5.7L Hemi under the hood, RAM never intended for the Rebel to compete on the Raptor’s level. RAM wanted to offer a truck that is more off-road capable than your average F-150 FX-4 or GMC Sierra AT-4. There’s simply nothing like it in the segment, the next level up would be the Raptor, but it is very expensive. So the Rebel serves its purpose just fine in RAM’s truck lineup.
SAMER
this truck is really just to say we shoved the hellcat engine in the ram, in reality, the performance is not justifying the over 25k $ (100 k dhs) difference between the TRX and the raptor because the performance in reality is not that different, the engine size and beefed up chasis and suspension made the TRX 300 kgs heavier than the raptor which will result in crazy fuel economy and close acceleration, the TRX is only half a second faster to 100 km/h
Vivek
Ohh. So u drove the TRX and compared the performance to a Raptor?
Samer
@Vivek Im talking according to official numbers published by the two companies, the raptor will go to 60 mph in 5 seconds, the TRX in 4.5, both have heavy duty suspension that can tackle the hardest terrains, and the interior is a matter of taste and maybe leaning towards the TRX, but it is not justifying the price difference, also keep in mind that turbo charged engines are very easy to tune, and the raptor have been in the market for years and tunes are available for cheap amounts, you can pay 2000 $ in tune and you get same performance as the TRX
Rhitik
I child the Internet – Raptor 0-60 is 5.7 sec , child the showroom both full speced version @ 380K though Raptor has a base version starting @ 270K but i believe TRX will have a version in that range – 702 hp that’s a lot??????????????
Rhitik
If you leave out the engine and compare the rest the TRX and Raptor ( both fully equipped) are the same ( as per showroom ) and the price is also the same at 380K AED , so adding the 6.2L vs 3.5L is a definite steal for that TRX price
SAMER
Im talking about prices in USA, if the stealers (dealers) here mark up the prices that is another story, the raptor is 20k $ cheaper in the us, the raptor should be sold here for around 300k but the dealer sells it for 380, so according to that expect the TRX to be sold for 450 when its initially launched here
RHITIK
The TRX price is @ the dealer in the UAE- I managed to put in a deposit to book one tooo-Cant wait