![]() However, there is something strangely gleeful about being in control of something so over the top. Perched way above even the biggest SUVs, gripping the huge steering wheel and surveying the really rather nice interior, everything feels faintly ludicrous. Climb way up into the cabin and the impression of size doesn’t fade one bit. ![]() It weighs the same as two and a quarter GR Yarises or just over three Elise Sport 240 Final Editions. At 5916mm it’s nearly 800mm longer than a Bentayga, 327mm taller and 225mm wider. Maybe it’s not quite as focused as, say, a GT3 RS for its intended purpose, but it definitely has the engineered might of a Nissan GT-R in its own chosen arena of warfare. It has a reinforced frame, five skid-plates, a unique dual-path intake system with incredibly effective filtration of sand, dust and water, and a Jump Detection mode to protect against sudden spikes in power. Baja sends 75 per cent of torque to the rear tyres. It has 13 inches of wheel travel at all four corners, a new front suspension system with aluminium double wishbones, an e-diff at the rear and a four-wheel-drive system offering Auto, Snow, Tow, Baja, Mud, and Sand & Rock modes. But it also features those trick dampers designed to ‘tackle off-road terrain at over 160km/h’. Yes, the TRX is essentially a near-three-ton permanent four-wheel-drive pickup that’s wilfully inefficient. It is very much not the sort of vehicle of which we generally approve, but when you delve into the details you can’t help but be a little bit in awe of Ram’s Hellcat-engined monster. The spec of our car is a little short of extraordinary. The TRX, which is available only as a four-door crew cab, costs from $69,995 (AUD$95,725) in its home market but most will come out at more like $85,000 (AUD$116,250) after options. And in return you get noise from the bowels of Hades, a 0-100km/h time of 4.5sec, 0-160km/h in 10.5sec and enough torque to tow a house, smash over anything in your path or, as mentioned before, launch the TRX into the air like a full-on Trophy truck. But when petrol is on average AUD$1.05 per litre that doesn’t seem so painful. The TRX has a 125-litre tank but it’s rated at 19L/100km (23/L100km for city driving) so you burn through it faster than a fuse on a stick of dynamite. Of course, you’ll have fuelled up before you leave the sealed surfaces behind. ![]() Just the wilderness and a booming V8 soundtrack. Just roll up, meet your friends, check out a map to see what area you’ll explore – and drive. These places are vast (Hungry Valley, for example, is 19,000 acres, and if that feels too restrictive you could always head a little further afield to Johnson Valley and its near-200,000 acres of varied terrain) and – get this – free to use. In the next few hours you’ll be sliding across dry lake beds in Baja mode, leaping this 2880kg monster over yumps that will send it six feet in the air, and generally doing whatever the hell takes your fancy. In a pickup truck with a 516kW 6.2-litre supercharged V8 and tree trunk-sized Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance dampers that soak up so much punishment they should be called Black Magic. They’re heading to one of dozens of OHVR (Off Highway Vehicle Recreation) parks for a kind of off-road trackday.Īnd so are you. The freeways are quiet and, as you point inland, you’re pretty soon sharing the road exclusively with Jeeps with lifted suspension and pickups pulling trailers with motocross bikes or ATV buggies. You are wisely avoiding one of the endless Cars & Coffee events and instead head out of the city. The sun is already taking the chill from the air and another gorgeous day begins in California. One very alien to those of us in Australia at present. To understand the Ram 1500 TRX requires you to capture that feeling and transplant it into a different environment. It hasn’t arrived here yet, but we’re taking it for a drive in the US ahead of the local launch. Orders have opened despite a lack of pricing, though it is expected to cost around $180,000 before on-road costs. Today we’re testing the Ram 1500 TRX, the most powerful Ram on the showroom floor and arriving in Australia. ![]() The pain of paying out several hundred dollars recedes as your adrenaline levels start to gently percolate the fear of mechanical issues is neatly packaged away in a box deep within the recesses of your brain, and very soon you’ll get to feel the freedom of driving as fast as you dare, surrounded by like-minded friends and strangers who nevertheless feel like brothers and sisters in arms. You’ve checked levels and tyres and planned your breakfast stop en route to the circuit. There’s nothing more exciting than waking up early to drive to a trackday. ![]()
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