Although there are more and more off-road trucks and off-road packages being offered on pickups these days, to this point there’s really never been any true competition to the Ford Raptor. At this point, the Ram Rebel TRX truck is still just a concept, but after a recent chat with Ram/Jeep Head Mike Manley during the LA Auto Show, it sounds like this is a truck they are interested in building, and it would definitely give Ford’s off-roader a serious run for its money.
As we noted in the 6 Things to Know About Ram Rebel TRX Concept Truck story shortly after Ram unveiled the truck at the Texas State Fair in September, there’s a lot to like about this truck. Aside from the supercharged 6.2L HEMI engine, 575 hp rating, and claimed 100-mph-plus off-road speed capability, the TRX also offers legit off-road features. King coilover shocks are found up front to soak up the bumps, while Ram’s five-link rear suspension (borrowed from the Power Wagon) aids with the 13 inches of rear suspension travel. Ram even installed a meaty Dynatrac Pro 60 rear axle with a 35-spline 1.5-inch axle shaft. Ram also fitted beefy 37-inch Toyo Open County mud-terrain tires on the truck for added ground clearance.
The racing harness seat belts and sexy side exhaust ports built into the rocker rails may not make it to production if the truck every gets built, but we could live with that. As we noted in our chat with Manley in LA, he said this would be an important truck for the brand and that the company was looking at the financials to see if it makes sense. We hope they find a way to make it work, because the Ram Rebel TRX is one truck we want to get the chance to drive someday!
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