NEWS
RAM 1500 TRX COMING TO AUSTRALIA Supercharged 6.2-litre V8, 8-speed auto and bags of style come with a price tag of almost $200,000.
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he full-size pickup truck wars in Australia are heating up, with Ford’s announcement in March that they would be bringing the F-150 in as a factory-backed RHD model countered in June by RAM Trucks Australia announcing the 1500 TRX is coming to the Aussie market. In terms of size, power and presence, the TRX outshines Ford’s Ranger Raptor, with RAM Trucks Australia claiming it’s the fastest, most powerful mass-produced truck in the world. “The TRX sets new benchmarks for extreme performance trucks and confirms the Australian market as a true success story for RAM Trucks,” said Neville Crichton, Chairman of RAM Trucks Australia’s parent company, the Ateco Group.
SUPER POWER Key to the RAM TRX’s performance credentials is its 6.2-litre HEMI V8 engine, which is fitted with a supercharger as standard. This ups the already impressive 232kW/326Nm performance credentials of the naturally aspirated 5.7-litre HEMI used in other RAM 1500 models to new maximums of 523kW at 6,100rpm and 882Nm at 4,800rpm. Top speed is 190km/h and the listed 0-100km/h time is 4.5 seconds, with launch control as standard. The high-performance V8 is matched to a Torqueflite eight-speed automatic (the only transmission offered) and drives all four wheels through a four-wheel drive system with an active 2-speed transfer case with strengthened internals. As the TRX is designed with off-road action in mind, induction to the V8 is split evenly across the grille and a scoop on the bonnet. The latter features a special one-way valve that prevents water being ingested into the engine, while the largest air filter in this class features dual elements that claim to trap four times as much dust as its closest competitor – ideal for high-speed work in deserts and other dry, dusty environments. STRONG BONES Like the rest of the RAM range, the RAM TRX is of body-on-frame construction, but the performance focus of this model has seen substantial changes made, starting with the frame itself, which is made of thicker
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high-strength steel, with fully boxed side rails. Protecting the engine and all the underbody componentry are no less than five skid plates, covering the lower front fascia, front axle, transmission pan, transfer case and fuel tank. An independent front end remains, but the componentry is all new, while at the rear, a Dana 60 solid axle has been fitted as part of a five-link system, with a 3.55 diff ratio and an electronic locker as standard, as well as an axle hop damper. Shock absorbers front and rear are Bilstein Black Hawk e2 units that have been tuned exclusively for the TRX and are also adaptive, delivering what’s claimed to be fast reaction time, unbeatable damping and improved heat dissipation. Suspension travel is significantly greater than that of a regular RAM 1500, with up to 330mm at the rear alone.
