It makes no sense. That’s the only word for it. The new 2027 Ram 1500 TRX costs nearly $100k. It weighs almost three tons. It chugs gas like a thirsty giant. The industry wants small, efficient electric cars. The TRX wants nothing to do with any of that.
Then there’s the internal family feud.
Ram sells the RHO. It’s excellent. A twin-turbo six-cylinder pumping 540 horses for about $26k less. Why buy the TRX? Can a 777- horsepower supercharged V8 still justify itself in 2026 or is it just a loud relic from a simpler time?
We flew to South Bend Indiana to find out. Specifically Redbud Motocross. A legendary off-road track that has hosted races since the seventies. This is where we abused the dinosaur.
Loud By Design
Look at it. Really look.
It doubles down on every crazy detail the last one had. Huge fender flares cover 35-inch tires. That hood looks like industrial equipment. The grille screams intent before the key turns. Ram claims the big intake is needed for the power. Maybe. But it also creates visual chaos. And then there’s the tailgate badge.
A T-Rex.
Engineers argued over its jawline and teeth count. Sounds absurd until you remember the whole truck is absurd. Neither is subtle.
Luxury Meets Off-Road Rage
The interior saves the price tag.
Real carbon fiber. Suede leather red stitching everywhere your hands touch. Front seats heat vent and massage. Even the armrest gets the treatment. Behind the wheel are aluminum paddle shifters. Better ones than Stellantis used to put in. They extend further now letting you reach the buttons behind the wheel properly. Finally.
The tech stack is heavy too.
A 14.5-inch infotainment screen sits next to a 12.3-digital cluster and a 10-foot head-up display. Hands-free driving assist is optional. But here’s the best part physical buttons exist.
Climate control is a button. Drive mode is a button. Auxiliary switches are buttons.
“Physical controls remain plentiful. That is worth celebrating because Ram resisted the temptation bury everything inside touchscreen.”
The screen lags sometimes. It’s annoying. For a flagship over six figures it should snap. And if you wanted a front passenger screen? Sorry not available. Who even uses those anyway.
Otherwise the cabin walks the line. Luxury without fragility. Ruggedness without feeling cheap.
The Sound of Money Burning
First impression. It isn’t acceleration. It’s noise.
The 2.4-liter supercharger is comically loud at low speeds. Creeping through a neighborhood feels like an event. You can’t ignore it. The truck screams its existence at every intersection.
Step on the throttle harder. The whine fades. The deep V8 rumble takes over. Push further. The sounds merge. It is engaging. Highly engaging.
On the highway it’s civilized. The level two driving assist works. You almost forget you are sitting in a machine with more power than two Corollas combined.
But here’s the thing.
The RHO is smarter. It might even be more capable. But spreadsheets don’t make your heart pound. No logic can replicate the feeling of a supercharger whining while a V8 turns gasoline into brute force. That sound turns driving into memory.
We tested this in triple-digit heat. Direct sunlight for hours.
Most cars melt. Or fade. The TRX didn’t care.
Zero to sixty? Mid-fours. Our best was 4.31. Ram claims 3.5. Believeable. On a cool day it probably hits that number easily.
Consider what you are buying. A truck that tows 8,100 lbs. Carries 1,220 lbs payload. Accelerates like a Lamborghini Diablo SV. It doesn’t strip parts to do it. It just does it.
We put them through hell. Crandon. Imperial Sand Dunes. King of the Hammers at Johnson Valley. Ram drove these things for 1,000 mile test loops.
Our session included drifts jumps launches and whoops. Four hours of hard use. None of them flinced. The forged aluminum arms. The Bilstein shocks. They just kept asking for more.
One minor hiccup. Launch control abuse triggered a soft check-engine code. Heat issue in the brake booster. Technicians reset it. Back on track. No power loss. After everything else? Barely a whisper.
The Suspension Quirk
The suspension does something strange.
It eats off-road jumps for breakfast. Impacts disappear. The truck stays composed at high speed. You trust it.
But drive back onto a cracked suburban street.
Bang.
It feels sharper there than on dirt. Not harsh. Just unexpected. Sometimes a jump lands smoother than a pothole. It comes down to how the dampers process energy. Fast hits get processed well. Slow jabs get translated directly to your spine.
It feels odd. But who spends $100k expecting a Lexus ride? The chassis itself is cohesive though. Steering isn’t sporty but it isn’t numb either. It predicts how weight transfers. Easy to drift. Easy to place precisely.
And the brakes? Fantastic. Pedal modulation is smooth. No fade despite the weight. That is impressive for something that nearly tips three tons.
Why Buy The Wrong One
The RHO exists. That should kill the TRX.
Starting around $74k before destination fees the RHO is fantastic. Lighter nose recalibrated for dynamics. 540 hp of smart efficiency. If I wanted the rational performance truck I would buy the RHO. I probably would.
But then the TRX fires up.
The argument changes from capability to emotion. The RHO appeals to the brain. The TRX appeals to the lizard part. For six-figure buyers that feeling matters more than MPG.
The Ford F-150 Thunder Edition is the other option. Base models compete with the RHO. The Thunder R?
It has 720 hp. Costs $114k+.
So you pay more for less horsepower than the Ram.
“There are plenty of other details buyers will consider but most will come down to preference rather performance difference.”
Even then the difference is thin.
A Heavy Guilt Trip
There is conflict in driving this beast.
We talk about pedestrian safety. We talk about car size inflation. I believe people should drive what they want. But piloting three tons of V8 power through a city? You think about the consequences of mistakes.
They are bigger here. More deadly.
I loved driving it. I wouldn’t buy one though unless my job actually required a truck. The utility doesn’t match the excess for daily use.
Final Thought
Can it exist? Logically? No.
The RHO is there. Fuel is pricey. Parking is tight. The world doesn’t need another $100k truck.
But the TRX isn’t logical.
It is Jurassic Park in a pickup bed. I was five when I first saw the T-Rex. I still feel that rush decades later.
