The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT’s 777-horsepower rating grabbed all the headlines. The bigger question was how Ram engineers found another 75 horsepower from the same supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8. During the first drive event at RedBud Motocross in Michigan, I sat down with SRT engineer Dan Stagner, who explained exactly what changed under the hood and why those changes made this the most powerful gasoline-powered pickup ever built.
How This Hellcat Went from 702 to 777 Horsepower
The arrival of the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT comes with an array of small changes that don’t grab headlines quite as well as the fact that it has 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque. For the first time, the Ram 1500 TRX wears the SRT badge and for the first time, the Hellcat name is officially used on this truck. To be specific, the badge on the center console showcases information on the engine with the name Hellcat, which had previously only been used on Dodge products – even though it is widely known as the Hellcat Hemi.
The new TRX also benefits from some tweaks to the suspension and chassis systems to yield better performance in a variety of settings, but really, the big news with this Ram 1500 is that the supercharged Hemi delivers 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque. Both of those numbers represent big increases over the previous TRX at 702 and 650, but when the company first introduced the 2027 TRX, there was no information on how they achieved the extra power.
During the new TRX media first drive event in Michigan, I had a chance to sit down in one of the new supercharged trucks with SRT engineer Dan Stagner, who explained everything that was done to add the extra power for the 2027 model year. He explained that they added more air and more fuel, going to a smaller pulley (3.17-inch) on the 2.4-liter supercharger and increasing the fuel pressure, although they stayed with the same fuel system components, including the pump and injectors. They also added a new dual-path air intake system and they increased the redline from 6,250 to 6,500rpm. When all of those changes were pulled together with a new engine calibration, the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT delivers 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful half-ton truck with a combustion engine to ever be offered from the factory.
The TRX is Crazy Quick on Any Surface
The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT has an official 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds, which is a full second quicker than the official time of the 2024 models. While there have been some revisions to the electrical systems that help this truck get better traction in certain situations, that improvement in low end acceleration comes from the added power and it is easy to notice the improvement in the real world. With the previous TRX, I was able to get down below the official time of 4.5 seconds in the very cold air, but while driving the 2027 model, it was over 100 degrees outside. Combine that heat with the fact that we had been driving these trucks all day, and it came as little surprise that I was unable to get down to 3.5 seconds, but I was able to get several 3.7-second sprints from a stop to 60 on pavement. I am sure that if and when I test this truck in cooler air, and I can let the truck cool down a bit during the testing, there are lower-three-second runs in it.
We didn’t have a chance to test 0-60 times of the new TRX in the dirt, but based on how well it dug in and tore through the loose footing on the off-road course, it is easily one of the quickest trucks from a dig on any surface.
Finally, the new Ram 1500 TRX SRT is quick from a stop and when pushed to its peak, but it is also insanely quick when rolling through the midrange. The TRX makes more horsepower and torque at peak, but it also makes more throughout the rest of the powerband, so it is noticeably stronger than the previous TRX in common driving situations. Not everyone will make hard 0-60 or quarter mile runs, but we have all put the hammer down on the highway to rush around slower-moving traffic. This new TRX will blast past that traffic like no other gas truck in the segment, but like the previous version, this new super-truck has a top speed of 118 miles per hour due to regulations pertaining to tire speed rating.
Baja Mode Makes for Big Fun in the Dirt
The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT offers nine different drive modes, including Auto, Sport, Tow, Snow, Custom, Mud/Sand, Rock, Baja, and Valet. For the street, I found that Sport was the most fun, but when we were tearing around the course at Red Bud Motocross, we were using Baja mode. This mode is designed for high performance and high speed on loose footing, so it was perfect for the dirt course on which we were testing. The course had some whoops, a big uphill climb, a big downhill descent, a couple sharp turns, a couple sweeping turns, one small jump and two big jumps – one of which hurdled the truck more than a hundred feet through the air.
The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX Baja mode sets the front-to-rear power split to 25%/75%, the transmission shifts 68% quicker for improved performance and it softens the Bilstein Blackhawk e2 adaptive dampers to allow this truck to easily eat up every bump on the track. Baja mode also engages the Jump Detection system, which makes big jumps a whole lot more manageable, but we will talk about that shortly.
Baja mode allowed us to push the new TRX to its limits on the dirt track. On the uphill climb and the lead-up to the big jump, we just held the throttle to the floor and let the truck eat – digging into the loose dirt just enough to get up to big speed. The whoops and small jump provided no real test for the suspension and even the 100-foot jump was a breeze, with the Jump Detection system helping to maintain perfect control on the landing.
It has been a few years since I tested the previous Ram 1500 TRX, so it has hard for me to say how well this new TRX SRT really compares to the 2024 models in terms of handling the rough, dirt track, but I can say without question that the new TRX roars around the track like no other truck on the market today. It accelerates hard up to big speeds for a half-ton truck and that speed leads to lots of air time.
TRX Takes to the Skies with Jump Detection
One key aspect of the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT being so much fun on the off-road track is the Jump Detection system. This system uses a variety of inputs including pitch and roll of the vehicle when it detects a situation where all four tires are off of the ground, making the landing as smooth and as controlled as possible.
With an average truck, if you jumped it a hundred feet, it would likely be hard to control on the landing. If the suspension is too soft, it the truck will bottom out (probably breaking a few components) and then bounce around. If the suspension is too stiff, it will prevent bottoming out, but it will still bounce around on the landing. In both of those situations, it is very hard to steer or brake when the truck is bouncing around and it is even harder if the landing breaks things under the truck.
When the new TRX takes to the air, the Jump Detection system uses the Bilstein Blackhawk e2 adaptive dampers to create the ideal landing. If the truck is coming in with the nose down or leaning to one side, the system will adjust the dampers to help level the truck quickly on landing. Also, the dampers are quick enough to adjust on the landing, providing just enough rigidity to absorb the impact without causing the truck to bounce.
The area of the test track where we were making the 100-foot jump was followed by a quick, hard left turn. With most trucks, it would have been impossible to travel that far through the air and slow down enough to make the turn, but the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT Jump Detection system provided such great control that we had more than enough time to easily make it into that next turn.
A Great Ride for the Daily Drive
The 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT is an incredible performance machine on paved surfaces and dirt tracks alike, but at the end of the day, the majority of owners will spend more time driving in traffic than racing of any kind. Thanks once again to the Bilstein Blackhawk e2 adaptive dampers and the beefy off-road tires, the TRX rides like a dream. Now, anyone who is considering a truck like this should expect that the suspension is stiffer than your average half-ton, but when set to Auto or Sport mode, the TRX dampers and the off-road tires work together to do a great job of absorbing the little bumps in the road.
As for handling, the TRX sits very high and the off-road tires have thick sidewalls, so it doesn’t handle quite as well as a truck like the Rumble Bee with low-profile rubber, but it handles great in normal, daily driving. On long, sweeping highway turns and tighter turns on country roads, the TRX performed as well as you would need a big truck to handle. When combined with the ride quality, the new Ram 1500 TRX SRT handling makes this a great option for anyone who wants a big, fast truck for their daily commute. And if you happen to come across a trophy truck course along the way, the new TRX will step in and handle the biggest jumps like a purpose-built racer.
Add in the leather-wrapped heated-and-cooled driver’s seat and the premium infotainment features, and the new TRX offers everything that you could possibly ask for in a daily driver.
The New TRX is Worth the Hype
The bottom line here is that the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT is worth every bit of the hype. The Mopar and go-fast-truck community wanted the TRX back, and while they would have been happy with a re-do of the 2024 model, the 2027 TRX SRT is even more fun to drive in the dirt and it is significantly quicker on any surface thanks to the extra power.
All hail the new king of the half-ton performance truck segment – the TRX SRT is the apex predator in the segment once again.
