Ram launches first diesel Power Wagon, TRX returns
Take your pick of monster V8 pick-up: 777hp, or 1,075lb ft of torque...
It was last summer that Ram confirmed, in no uncertain terms, the return of the V8 to its trucks. Never mind that the new Hurricane straight-six was more powerful and more efficient; the customer wanted a Hemi, and so a Hemi the customer was going to get. As Ram’s outspoken CEO Tim Kuniskis put it back in June: “Ram will continue to offer the Hurricane Straight Six Turbo, but we heard loud and clear from consumers: there is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V-8. At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not statisticians or ideologues. Data be damned — we raise our flag and let the Hemi ring free again!” It was enough to make you proud to be American (even if you aren’t).
It wasn’t likely to stop with the 5.7, basically. And here’s the proof: the wild Ram TRX has returned. With more power than ever from the supercharged V8, too, now up to 777hp. As Kuniskis says in Ram’s latest YouTube epic, “it’s Mopar, or no car” for many of its customers. So there we are. 0-60mph now takes just 3.5 seconds, said to make it the fastest petrol-powered production truck in the world. Like an SRT Ram could ever be anything less.
But a near-800hp hellraiser isn’t actually the big news from Ram this New Year. Honours instead go to the debut of the first-ever diesel-engined Power Wagon. It’s a model that has existed since the 1940s, when ex-military trucks were converted for civilian use, though only ever with petrol power. Which seems odd for a pick-up all about hauling, but better late than never. And especially when the diesel unit in question is appropriately Ram spec: a 6.7-litre straight-six Cummins, to be precise, churning out 1,075lb ft. Power is quoted at 430hp, but who the heck needs power when there’s almost twice the pulling power of a Ferrari Amalfi? The Power Truck comes equipped with a new 3.42 rear axle ratio and recalibrated eight-speed auto for quieter, more efficient cruising, and a 31-gallon tank for somewhere around 600 miles of range, ‘ideal for overlanders looking to spend days off the beaten path.’
But it’s the towing of a diesel Power Wagon that surely holds the most appeal, Ram reckoning this truck is capable of lugging along almost 20,000 pounds - call it nine tonnes. Handy if, as in the video footage, there’s a trailer load of ATVs to haul to the nearest national park. Or a nearby disaster to rescue things from. In the bed alone, the Power Wagon can carry ‘almost 3,000 pounds’, or around 1.3 tonnes. So it’s going to be fine for taking barbecue supplies.
Unsurprisingly, the Power Wagon comes equipped with everything needed to take full advantage of its potential. As Ram suggests: ‘You asked, Ram delivered’. The people wanted the ultimate tow truck, so that’s what they’re getting, complete with a 360-camera, tyre pressure monitoring for the trailer and reverse steering control for whatever’s hooked up also. Options include heated, power-folding, power-telescoping trailer mirrors, gooseneck preparation (the sturdier hook in the load bed) and rear air suspension to keep things on an even keel even if the Power Wagon is towing Mount Rushmore.
When untethered, and as the photos suggest, the new Ram is pretty capable purely as an off-road truck. There’s 33.5cm of ground clearance, with the underbody well protected, then with a 26.1-degree approach angle and 26-degree departure angle. Breakover is 20.6 degrees. Safe to say that if you get stuck in a Ram Power Wagon, that’ll be some achievement. In fact, it’ll only be second to rescuing it from wherever it’s ended up…
Elsewhere, the diesel features a lot of the bits that marked out Power Wagons of the past, including the distinctive graphics, ‘an aggressive sport performance hood’, and arch extensions to contain the 34-inch off-road tyres (plus protect the body). Only the Cummins badges will indicate that this is a Power Wagon slightly different to the rest.
“Customers have been telling us for years to put the Cummins in the Power Wagon,” said Kuniskis. “And if our recent product announcements have shown anything, it’s that Ram is giving customers a choice and the trucks they want. Matching the Power Wagon with the Cummins turbo diesel delivers everything our hardcore Ram fans expect: off-road capability with the best diesel in the HD segment. It’s the Power Wagon they’ve been waiting for.” Those who do have a fleet of off-road racing buggies to transport, or nine tonnes of anything else for that matter, will be pleased to know that sales start in the second half of this year, priced from $88,470 - currently £65k. The perfect race car transport, perhaps…
Quieter than expected, more refined than anticipated and actually comfortable for all three of us.
When I test drove their 3.0l, both the standard and Hurricane versions, they felt lighter (as they should) up front but lacked that certain something the V8 delivered and for only marginal fuel economy improvement.
Having rented over 30 cars in the last three years in the US, the V8 Hemi RAM was (for me, at least) one of the best.
I am an engineer and sruff like that makes me sad.
Physics is not that hard. That is primary school stuff.
What is a "pulling power"?
Torque? Torque figures are pointles, it is the torque curve and transmission ratio, that matters.
Oh, and power moves stuff. Torque x rotational speed is power.
As a former Charger SRT 6.4 Hemi owner I would have loved a V8 in this but tbh the straight six twin turbo (420bhp low output version) still feels much faster than it ought it. It pulls well low down and gets a real move on when prodded.
Granted it doesn't sound amazing like a V8 but it does have a whiff of almost BMW sophistication about the engine tone.
I am an engineer and sruff like that makes me sad.
Physics is not that hard. That is primary school stuff.
What is a "pulling power"?
Torque? Torque figures are pointles, it is the torque curve and transmission ratio, that matters.
Oh, and power moves stuff. Torque x rotational speed is power.
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