2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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2021 Ram TRX to be revealed this summer

The wait for the 2021 Ram TRX will soon be over, FCA confirmed Thursday with a social media teaser. The much-anticipated, Hellcat-powered Raptor slayer will be revealed this summer.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ram teased the unveiling on Twitter with a short video of the truck kicking up a massive desert dust cloud overlaid with the TRX badge and the caption, "It’s not a mirage." Make sure you enable sound, because the clip has audio, and you can hear the beating heart of the TRX — the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that powers FCA's Dodge Hellcat and Jeep Trackhawk models.  The engine sound in the clip lends credibility to a previous spy video purporting to show a group of TRX prototypes testing in Michigan's Silver Lake Sand Dunes.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The link in the tweet leads to a microsite which replays the same short clip but offers no additional information, which tracks with the slow-drip approach Ram has taken with teasing out its new truck. Much of what we know (or believe to be true) has come from unconfirmed sources and spy shots, but Ram has acknowledged that the Hellcat powerplant will make more than 700 horsepower, rather than the 500-some-odd figure originally expected.  From the above shots, we can tell the TRX will sport bulging box flares (a la Raptor) front and rear. The hood appears to be equally bulging, good for highlighting the supercharged V8 underneath. The front bumper is similar to that of the Ram 1500 Rebel's with more raised sections in front of the tires to provide more clearance. Ram 1500 TRX View 18 Photos We get a solid look under the body, too. Still present are the extra beefy suspension control arms front and rear. Skid plates seem to line the whole underside down the middle. The tires were Goodyear Wrangler all-terrains, though it was difficult to make out the actual size. Previous spy photos have revealed remote-reservoir shocks. The wheels at each end are six-lug units, so it seems Ram isn't playing with a heavy-duty axle like a previous prototype suggested. Whatever the case may be, we should be no more than a couple of months away from getting the official details on Ram's new Raptor competitor.  Related Video:    

The 2021 F-150 elevates Ford's bed game

The new 2021 Ford F-150 is ushering in a new era of pickup capability, but there's more to it than the introduction of the PowerBoost hybrid. While that new powertrain is certainly the truck's headlining element, the supporting electrical architecture enables a level of utility that hasn't been offered in past consumer half-tons. The true party trick is Ford's new "Pro Power Onboard" feature, which is essentially a built-in generator that provides juice for the 2021 F-150's rather robust in-bed power station. This system is available even on gasoline-engine models, but its utility is maximized with the electrified powertrain. ICE models equipped with the option max out at 2.0 kilowatts, while the PowerBoost hybrid can be had with either a 2.4- or a whopping 7.2-kilowatt inverter.  The idea here is that the F-150 can essentially stand in for a high-output portable generator. In a worksite example provided by Ford, a PowerBoost model with the 7.2-kW upgrade and a single tank of fuel could provide 32 hours of power for an 1,800-watt compound miter saw, a 1,000W circular saw, a 1,200W battery charger, a 1,200W hammer drill, and a 1,000W air compressor with hundreds of watts to spare for lighting and other accessories. But even without the Pro Power Onboard option, Ford's new bed setup enables more versatility than in previous models. The new Tailgate Work Surface option adds a flat work area with integrated rulers, recesses for pencils or small tools, and even a stand for a personal device.  Ford is neither the first to offer an auxiliary power outlet in a half-ton pickup bed, nor was Ford the first to introduce a more feature-rich tailgate. GMC's MultiPro tailgate was a major innovation on that front, and while it is geared mostly toward improving the cargo utility of the bed, it can also be customized with 12-volt power and even an accessory speaker system. The Ram 1500 is also offered with both a multi-function tailgate and AC power in the bed, though the latter option is limited to models with the RamBox cargo package.  As half-ton pickups approach levels of towing and hauling capability that begin to blur lines with heavy-duty offerings, it's clear that automakers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves without stepping on their own bigger trucks' toes. These new bed and tailgate innovations may yet be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to full-size pickup versatility. Related Video:    

2022 Ram 1500 adds G/T model to Rebel and Laramie trims

The 2022 Ram 1500 lineup is expanding with a new G/T trim that offers a few small performance upgrades and some items borrowed from the Earth-eating TRX. Don’t get too excited, though, because this package is paired exclusively with the 5.7-liter V8 eTorque engine — no superchargers here. Available with either the Rebel or Laramie trims, the G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake to improve performance. Both are yanked out of the Mopar catalog, so those changes are ones you could actually do yourself. The rest is a touch more exclusive. For starters, Ram includes paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever (no turn dial), unique bucket seats with high bolsters and a metal pedal kit. Those are bits you get on the TRX now, so itÂ’s great to see the lower level Rams benefitting from the monster performance truck.  On the tech front, Ram includes its Performance Pages in the infotainment system. Measuring 0-60 mph times and G-forces in a regular Ram pickup seems a little silly, but now you can do both of those things and take advantage of a myriad of other capabilities afforded by those Performance Pages. You can tell the G/T models apart from others by looking for the big G/T decals on the rear fenders. All G/Ts additionally gain a unique “sport performance hood.” Lastly, you get Mopar all-season floor mats. Pricing for the Rebel G/T starts at $57,070, while the Laramie G/T starts at $57,175, both including their $1,695 destination fees. Ram says the G/T models will go on sale in the third quarter of 2021. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.