Buyers keen to get their hands on the hottest truck in town can officially place an order in Australia.
Ateco is accepting expressions of interest for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX ahead of its arrival Down Under, and CarExpert understands dealers have started accepting deposits from customers keen to secure a place in the queue.
If you can’t wait, a Queensland-based company is currently converting the TRX to right-hand drive using a different method to Ateco Australia.
Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s not likely to leave much change from $170,000 or $180,000 when it arrives.
That buys you a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine with 520kW of power and 881Nm of torque, along with a sophisticated off-road suspension system and all-wheel drive setup.
Thanks to its bent-eight heart, the TRX will sprint to 97km/h (60mph) in just 4.5 seconds, and push on to 160km/h in just 10.5 seconds from standstill.
The quarter-mile is dispatched in 12.9 seconds, and flat out you’ll be doing just under 200km/h.
The F-150 Raptor is 1.2 seconds slower to 60mph – it’s not even close in the traffic light sprint.
Ram says a new dual-path air induction system has been fitted to keep the TRX’s beating heart cool, even during high-speed running through desert.
Not only is it capable of gulping down huge volumes of air on the run, it’s hooked up to a unique air filter system designed to stand up to all the dust, dirt, and sand you can throw at it.
All that grunt is put to all four wheels through an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission, hooked up to a constantly-variable all-wheel drive system with upgraded internals.
The ladder frame underpinning the TRX is made of thicker high-strength steel than the standard Ram 1500, with fully-boxed side rails. The idea is no matter how hard you bash, crash, and abuse your TRX off-road, the frame will be able to hold up.
There are five skid plates under the skin, and the major mounting points, axle centre sections, suspension cross members, and steering hardware are made of aluminium, as are the tailgate, bonnet, and doors.
The front suspension is fully independent, and both axles are home to active dampers.
They’re remote-reservoir Bilstein units, developed to stand up to the rigours of high-speed off-road running – and to match the Fox Shocks used on the F-150 Raptor, which have proven capable of handling jumps and Baja-style abuse.
There’s a Dana 60 rear axle with floating shafts, and an electronic locking rear differential. You also get a new full-time active transfer case, which shuffles torque between the axles depending on where there’s traction.
The list of expensive, uprated components goes on. 35-inch tyres and 18-inch alloy wheels are standard, behind which hide 15-inch disc brakes on all four wheels.
