Ram 1500 TRX named MotorTrend Truck of the Year



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Besides the raw horsepower and speed of the 1500 TRX – it’s capable of going from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, making it the fastest pickup truck ever tested by MotorTrend – the judges also noted the high level of interior quality of the truck and relatively refined road driving performance.

The TRX is truly designed to excel off-road. With its large wheels and tires, the truck body rolls almost a foot off the ground. That’s two inches more ground clearance than the standard Ram 1500 AWD truck.

The TRX’s suspension system has been specially designed to handle difficult terrain at speeds over 100 miles per hour. The 1500 TRX includes a computerized ‘jump detection system’, which recognizes when it is in flight and automatically controls engine power so that the transmission and engine components are not damaged when the truck falls back into the ground. , creating brutal tension. The system also provides the best possible performance when the tires meet the ground again, according to Fiat Chrysler. Special air filtration systems protect the engine from dust and dirt raised during off-road driving.

Even when towing a large camping trailer, the TRX went from zero to 60 mph faster than some of the other trucks in the competition while not towing anything.

One of the criteria for the MotorTrend award is value. The TRX won despite a starting price of over $ 70,000. The judges considered the performance and characteristics of the truck, as well as the quality of its interior, compared to that of Audi and Mercedes-Benz cars, to be worth it.

A problem, they noted, was the fuel economy of the truck. The TRX gets 14 miles per gallon estimated by the EPA for highway driving and only 10 mpg for city driving.

The TRX’s biggest contest, the high-performance Ford Raptor pickup, was not a contender for the MotorTrend award. To be eligible for the Truck of the Year award, a pickup truck must either be a brand new model or be significantly redesigned for the new model year. The Ford Raptor was last redesigned for the 2018 model year.

While the MotorTrend jury was impressed with the Ram 1500 TRX's off-road performance, they also appreciated its handling on the asphalt.

With its big supercharged V8 engine, the Ram TRX significantly outperforms the Raptor, which features a turbocharged 450 horsepower V6. However, Ford recently began production of a redesigned version of the F-150 pickup on which the Raptor is based. A redesigned Raptor is also expected to be revealed shortly.

Besides the TRX, other finalists for this year’s award were the Ford Super Duty, Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Frontier and Nissan Titan. The new F-150 was not included because it wasn’t ready on time, a MotorTrend spokesperson said.

The trucks were subjected to instrumented tests, the results being measured by monitors connected to a computer. Then MotorTrend staff members drove all of the contestants and met to discuss their impressions and vote for the winner.

MotorTrend gave similar awards for Car of the Year, which was won by the Mercedes E-Class this year, and SUV of the Year, which went to the Land Rover Defender.

The vehicles were judged on six criteria: safety, efficiency, value, design advancement, engineering excellence and performance of the intended function, MotorTrend said.

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