2026 Ram TRX Is a V-8 Hellcat-Powered Truck Worth Waiting For

Illustration by Avarvarii|Car and DriverWhat It Is When the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX first roared onto the scene for the 2021 model year, it immediately usurped the 450-hp Ford’s F-150 Raptor as the fiercest off-road pickup money could buy. To fight fire with fire, Ford cooked up its own 700-hp V-8 supertruck (a.k.a. the F-150 Raptor R), leapfrogging Ram’s top dog when output rose to 720 ponies. Before Ram could one-up its chief rival with a mightier TRX, its parent company pulled the plug on V-8 engines. The Hellcat-powered pickup went extinct soon after and was effectively replaced with the Ram 1500 RHO, which looks equally formidable, but its 540-hp twin-turbo straight-six notably lacks the primordial roar of its predecessor’s supercharged 6.2-liter mill. It looked like Ford’s rowdiest Raptor would rule the realm unchallenged, until the man blamed for the V-8’s demise resigned and eight-cylinder evangelist Tim Kuniskis returned from a short-lived retirement to head up Ram. The Hemi V-8 was reintroduced on the Ram 1500, and like clockwork, a resurrected TRX was also confirmed. Why It MattersIn America, people who love pickup trucks are incredibly loyal. But when you mess with a famous recipe like Ram did when it stopped selling V-8 variants—while rivals from Ford and Chevy stayed the course—it alienated its fan base, and falling sales showed that. Kuniskis admitted as such in a commercial where he apologized to customers, saying Ram got it wrong, and now it’s going to fix it. While the mainstream V-8’s return is most important to that mission, reintroducing a halo model like the TRX is the cherry on top and gives Ram fans something to root for, especially if the new Hellcat-powered truck can reclaim horsepower bragging rights from its nemesis, the F-150 Raptor. PlatformWhile the TRX has been dead for over a year, its beefed-up body-on-frame chassis has continued to support the RHO. That should make reanimating the monster truck a pretty easy procedure. Apart from some tweaks to make the platform more rigid to handle any newfound power, the TRX’s return should feel almost like it never left. Of course, there will surely be some visual changes to align it with the rest of Ram’s recently refreshed lineup.Marc Urbano|Car and DriverThe previous TRX, seen here, was capable of some impressive theatrics.PowertrainThe new TRX will pack the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 (dubbed the Hellcat) as it did before. However, we expect Ram will find a way to squeeze more ponies out of the pushrod 16-valve iron-block engine. While the last TRX had 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, we’ve seen several more powerful versions of the Hellcat. A detuned version of the 797-hp Redeye might make the most sense, but whatever engine ends up under the TRX’s bulging hood, it should beat the Raptor R’s 720-hp bogey. CompetitionThe Ford F-150 Raptor R is currently the TRX’s only real competition. While you can buy V-8-powered off-road trucks such as the Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 and GMC Sierra 1500 AT4, the horsepower gap is huge, so those trucks aren’t on the same level. The 1000-hp GMC Hummer EV SUT is similarly powerful and capable as the TRX, but its electric powertrain means it and the TRX are probably being cross-shopped by only a handful of people. What Might Go WrongConsidering the federal government’s recent moves to remove limits on tailpipe emissions and other deregulation initiatives, it seems like fuel-thirsty V-8s have a new lease on life. That should provide a long leash for the eight-cylinder engines that Ram is exhuming, which should also help the brand’s bottom line. However, parent company Stellantis is still working to fix its financial woes, which poses the only existential threat to the new TRX. Estimated Arrival and PriceWhen the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX was last on sale, it started at just over $98K, and the Final Edition had a $119,620 initial ask. When the new version reaches showrooms, it will definitely have a six-figure price tag. We think it could even start somewhere between the $110,000 and $120,000 mark. For reference, the current Ford F-150 Raptor R starts at just over $112K. Ram has yet to officially reveal the new TRX, but we expect that will happen sometime before the end of this year, and the trucks should go on sale as 2026 models.See all of the cars worth waiting forMore on V-8-Powered Rams