2023 Ram 1500 TRX review (2024)

• Doors and Seats

  

  NA

• Engine

  

  NA

• Engine Power

  

  523kW, 882Nm

• Fuel

  

  Petrol 19.6L/100KM

• Transmission

  

  NA

• Warranty

  

  NA

• Ancap Safety

  

  NA

You call that a ute? Meet the apex predator of the petrol-powered pick-up world.

Despite weighing more than three tonnes, the 2023 Ram 1500 TRX does the 0 to 100km/h dash in a real-world 4.5 seconds, according to our precision timing equipment (matching the company's performance claim).

It goes through so much fossil fuel, if you listen carefully you can hear the ice melt on the north and south poles.

Except, of course, the subtle squeaking of icebergs is easily drowned out by the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 – with outputs of 523kW and 882Nm – and the epic sports exhaust that sounds like a V8 Supercar.

The Ram 1500 TRX also turns more heads than a Ferrari, and has a similarly long waiting list, despite the $10,000 price rise announced at the start of 2023.

There is another price for all this fame. If you shell out $209,950 plus on-road costs for one of these (add another $10,000 for the sunroof), you will need to develop a lot of patience, because this thing is a bloke magnet.

Tradies and suits know what it is, and they're keen to get a closer look – and have a lengthy chat about it. So it's a good thing, then, the Ram 1500 TRX has performance on its side to make up for all the lost time.

About 250 examples of the Ram 1500 TRX have been delivered in Australia to date, and another 300 are on the way. Depending on the choice of colour – and whether the optional $10,000 sunroof is selected –wait times currently range from three to six months.

Following our preview drive last year, we got reacquainted to find out what the fuss was all about.

As with the Ram 1500 Limited on which most of the interior appointments are based, the TRX comes with the works – plus premium sports leather seats, sports steering wheel with shift paddles, and suede trim highlights.

The instrument cluster includes a 7.0-inch digital display, and a vertical 12-inch infotainment screen dominates the centre of the dashboard.

For added convenience, one-touch (up or down) power window switches in the doors, extendable sun visors, and rear privacy glass with a back-window opening are standard.

Both front seats have eight-way electric adjustment; the driver's seat has memory settings.

The width of the cabin and the generous rear legroom make the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Nissan Patrol feel cosy by comparison.

The centre console is huge, and there are handy pockets in the doors and under the main cabin controls to stow large smartphones, big drink bottles, and fat wallets. Many of the storage pockets have rubber inserts to better secure loose items.

There is dual zone air-conditioning plus five USB-A charge ports, four USB-C sockets, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Plus there is a 12V power socket in the middle of the dash.

Rear legroom is bigger than a Holden Caprice (and the aforementioned four-wheel drive alternatives).

Helpfully, the back bench folds upward to create a large, flat load area – if you're carrying something bulky that's valuable or fragile and don't want to put it in the tray.

The conversion from left- to right-hand drive by the former Holden Special Vehicles engineering firm, the Walkinshaw Automotive Group – who remanufactures US pick-ups for Ram Trucks Australia, Chevrolet and, soon, Toyota – is so good we almost forgot to mention it.

Unlike the independent chop shops that local fans of US pick-ups have been forced to endure for decades, Ram Trucks Australia and the Walkinshaw Automotive Group have brought a level of quality never seen before on converted vehicles.

You're hard-pressed to pick the difference between a left-hand-drive version and the remanufactured right-hand-drive version (apart from the obvious, the position of the steering wheel). The tell-tale signs: extra repeater lamps in the mirror scalps and front fenders, and a wedge in the driver's side mirror.

The investment to engineer more than 500 unique parts for right-hand-drive examples of the Ram 1500 costs in excess of $10 million – before the specially tooled parts are made or the first example is built.

The biggest costs are the factory-quality dashboard – done by the same firm that used to make Toyota Camry dashboards in Australia – and right-hand-drive steering hardware which, at some considerable cost, is tooled by the original steering supplier in the US.

These two engineering investments alone – in the dash and the steering – blow the chop shops out of the water, and are key among the reasons the vehicles delivered by Ram Trucks Australia have US factory backing.

Before Ram Trucks Australia came along, independent vehicle importers and converters were making dashboards out of fibreglass and balsa wood, and cobbled together steering systems by any means possible, even if the outcome was of dubious quality.

Unlike the chop shops, Ram Trucks Australia – and General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), which sells the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – have validated their conversions with local crash lab tests, and have the complete backing and co-operation of their respective US factories.

The upcoming Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra, also due to be converted locally to factory quality and safety standards, are also intended to meet or exceed the same benchmarks.

The arrival of the four main US pick-up brands in local showrooms – with direct factory backing – will put a massive dent in the trade of unapproved conversions by smaller independent operators, who don't have access to forensic engineering data or warranty support from head office.

The 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio is awesome with plenty of volume and bass without distortion, and the vertical 12-inch infotainment screen is easy to navigate.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is embedded satellite navigation.

AM and FM radio bands are standard (AM is particularly helpful for receiving emergency alerts over the radio in regional areas where FM and mobile phone signals don't reach), but digital radio is not available.

Ram's Uconnect infotainment platform is related to the system found in Jeeps and other recent vehicles from of the Stellantis automotive group. The TRX also has a range of performance screens to monitor the vehicle's vital signs.

Given the Ram 1500 TRX is as big and heavy as a light truck, it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) for crash tests, and therefore is not eligible to be assessed for a star safety rating.

Standard safety equipment includes six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, radar cruise control, blind-zone warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance, a 360-degree surround-view camera, and front and rear parking sensors.

Dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and height-adjustable brake and accelerator pedals are also standard.

Conspicuous by its absence: speed-sign recognition. Given the temptation of a 700-horsepower supercharged V8, this might be deemed a handy feature.

The Ram 1500 TRX will seem like a power of money for people who don't understand the appeal of such a monstrous vehicle – in the same way most buyers don't see the value in a $200,000 electric vehicle.

So, it's horses for courses, then.

It is worth taking some time out to explain why there is such a canyon between the Ram 1500 TRX list price in the United States of $US80,000 and the Australian RRP of $AU209,950 plus on-road costs.

The $US80,000 base price for the Ram 1500 TRX in the US excludes sales tax, so adding $US8000 in round numbers delivers a starting point of $US88,000 before dealer delivery and registration fees. At today's exchange rates, that's $AU132,000.

However, that's a stripped-out Ram 1500 TRX missing some features fitted as standard in Australia. The like-for-like price for a Ram 1500 TRX in the US is closer to $AU150,000.

Then there is the engineering investment in excess of $AU10 million to recoup – plus the cost of about 500 unique, locally developed parts to be installed – and you end up with $AU209,950 before on-road costs by the time it reaches showrooms.

When the Ram 1500 TRX arrived in Australia last year it was listed from $199,950 plus on-road costs.

But with a queue of customers around the block, limited vehicle availability, and rising logistics costs, Ram Trucks Australia increased the price of the Ram 1500 TRX from 1 January 2023 by $10,000.

While it could be argued only people rich enough to afford a Ram 1500 TRX – and who have an appetite for such a vehicle – can determine whether or not this is good value, there are a few elements of the value equation where the vehicle falls short.

Its warranty is only three years/100,000km, even though the industry norm is five years/unlimited kilometres. The service intervals are short at six months/10,000km, even though the industry norm is 12 months/15,000km.

And Ram Trucks Australia currently has no capped-price servicing program, so each visit for routine maintenance will come down to your negotiation skills and the patience to shop around.

Ram says the 1500 TRX can do the 0 to 100km/h dash in 4.5 seconds – so we tested the claim.

When we attached the VBox satellite timing device (using an external antenna for extra accuracy, rather than relying on a reading through the windscreen), the Ram 1500 TRX delivered back-to-back 4.5-second 0 to 100km/h times like it was brushing its teeth (4.49 and 4.51 were the first two runs, so we headed home).

The eight-speed auto – paired to full-time four-wheel drive – slams through the gears without being too abrupt. The supercharged 6.2-litre V8 sounds like it is barely raising a sweat.

This level of acceleration is an impressive effort for a three-tonne vehicle. It's heavier than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series or Nissan Patrol and yet is quicker than a Holden Commodore V8.

The emergency braking distance was passable for such a heavy vehicle on all-terrain tyres (completing a stop from 100km/h in 47 metres, about 10 per cent more room than what is required for a Toyota HiLux SR5 or Ford Ranger XLT).

The brake discs are like pizza trays (378mm x 30mm front, 375mm x 22mm rear) and deliver a good pedal feel, though it's worth noting you can't drive the Ram 1500 TRX like a HSV Maloo – or a Toyota HiLux.

Repeated heavy brake use delivers a soft pedal (as you might expect for a vehicle this heavy), so it's worth giving yourself extra room when coming to a stop, especially if you're new to US pick-ups.

The Ram 1500 TRX is not required to wear a fuel-rating label – or be tested according to the federal government's Green Vehicle Guide –because it is not in the same category as passenger cars, SUVs, utes and vans.

The Ram 1500 TRX is classed as a “heavy duty” vehicle, the same as the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500, meaning the company does not need to disclose a fuel consumption average.

On paper, the Ram 1500 TRX identifies as a light truck, even though it can be driven on a car licence.

We reckon it is a glaring omission that one of the thirstiest vehicles in the ute segment is exempt from such scrutiny.

During our preview drive last year, the Ram 1500 TRX returned a fuel consumption average of 17.5L/100km with mostly open road driving.

On our 150km test loop that includes suburban, inter-urban and freeway driving, fuel use ranged between 17 and 20L/100km (and settled on 18.8L/100km), though that did include two 0 to 100km/h test runs.

For context, a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid sips 5L/100km in the real world, a Ford Ranger Raptor twin-turbo V6 petrol consumes about 11L/100km in a best-case scenario, and old-school HSV Maloo and Ford Falcon V8 utes drank about 15 to 20L/100km when driven enthusiastically.

While the Ram 1500 TRX's supercharged V8 gets the headlines, and is what most blokes want to talk about, the way it handles the bump-and-grind of daily life deserves equal attention.

The Bilstein remote-reservoir shock absorber package delivers a magic-carpet ride, while at the same time allows for 330mm of travel front and rear when the going gets tough off-road.

The cushy 325/65 R18 all-terrain tyres (or 35s in off-road parlance) deliver decent grip in the dry, but their nobbly tread makes them dicey in the wet. The same criticism can be levelled at the BF Goodrich tyres on the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Also worth noting: this might be stating the obvious, but the Ram 1500 TRX is huge. The turning circle of almost 15 metres means you will get a lot of practice at three-point turns.

And you will get your daily step-count up, too, as you park out front of popular fast food chains and walk into the store instead of trying to negotiate a drive-thru.

Other items from our notebook: the driver's side mirror has an odd wedge so it can clear the door-skin when folded, which restricts the view slightly.

Wide-view mirrors on both sides would be a big advantage (rather than the 1:1-aspect mirror on the driver's door). These are idiosyncrasies buyers will learn to live with, or find a workaround for.

Chances are, for the buyers of these vehicles, all is forgiven as soon as they floor the throttle.

It might look like a buffed gym junkie, but the Ram 1500 TRX has split personalities – including a softer side. It's loud, brash and raw, yet delivers a luxurious experience inside the cabin.

With a real-world 0 to 100km/h time of 4.5 seconds, there really is nothing quite like the Ram 1500 TRX in the full-size US pick-up segment.

Except for one vehicle: the electric Ford F-150 Lightning. Which, ahem, is quicker.