Yahoo Autos Driving the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX on a Racetrack Is Dumb, Ridiculous Fun
A supercharged V-8 making 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. A fast-shifting eight-speed automatic. A 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 12.3 seconds. The Ram 1500 TRX's specs read like a car built for the track. But the TRX isn't a car; it's a 6866-pound pickup truck. Still, we couldn't help but wonder: What the hell is this thing like to drive on a road course?
I had the opportunity to find out first-hand during a recent outing to Connecticut's Lime Rock Park, where we recently assembled some of today's greatest enthusiast cars for our annual Performance Car of the Year test. Though we've never had a pickup truck participate in this event before, the TRX simply had to be there. How couldn't something ridiculous as a 700-hp pickup be involved?
In a test packed full of some of the most tantalizing metal on sale right now, it's hard to expect much on track from the TRX. Sure, it has that engine, but it's still a massive piece of equipment. Measuring over 19 feet long and seven feet wide, it makes the chunky Mustang Shelby GT500 seem svelte. Still, I was curious to know how a truck built to tackle rough terrain at high speed would do on a smooth track through some fast corners. The answer? It depends on your perspective.
It's hard to get past the sheer size of the TRX on track. It feels as if you're piloting a small building with wheels, rather than a vehicle. For a second, I thought I might not be able to clear the pedestrian bridge over the Downhill because of the truck's height. Placing it through a corner isn't easy, since it's hard to tell just how far away those widened fenders are. The tires—35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrains—aren't well-suited for high lateral G-forces, and give in at the mere suggestion of a turn. The brakes? They cease to exist after a lap at speed.
Those things aside, the TRX is as silly as a performance truck can get, and that makes it fun. It's quick, but not as mind-blowingly fast as its closest sibling, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. But it feels absurdly quick because you're sitting so high up. Likewise, this thing is loud. Really loud. Loud enough to generate multiple comments about its volume after leaving the pits at 70-percent throttle.
Because the suspension was designed to take hard impacts from rocks at 70-plus mph, slamming into Lime Rock's curbs was easy, hilarious fun. My only regret is not making eye contact with the corner workers, because I would've really liked to see their reactions. Out of the 10 contestants at PCOTY this year, it was honestly one of the most fun to take lapping, in spite of its lack of pace.
If you're one of the lucky people in line to own a 1500 TRX, I don't recommend you take it to a track. Even if you convince organizers to let you in, you'll roast your brakes and ruin your tires almost instantly. But you'll have a lot of fun doing it.
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