The Ram TRX was a ridiculous car. Who truly wants a 702-horsepower, 6,000+ pound efficiency off-road pickup that will get slightly below 11 mpg? No one, after all, however we cherished all of it the identical for its ridiculous and ostentatious energy. You would possibly assume the TRX identify was invented only for simply that car — however unbeknownst to many, the trim truly appeared years in the past on a long-dead pickup, the Dodge Dakota.
Dodge used to play within the midsize pickup area for years in opposition to the likes of the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. By the time the third era Dakota got here round 2005 mannequin yr, the truck was distinctive in that it was the one mid-size truck (in addition to the Dakota’s demon-spawn badge job, the Mitsubishi Raider) that supplied a V8 engine choice.
While that was cool, consumers who needed one thing they might take over a little bit of tough terrain might need needed one thing extra. In 2006, Dodge launched two trims that might go up in opposition to the likes of Chevy’s Colorado Z71 and Nissan’s Frontier Desert Runner known as the TRX.
The Dakota TRX may very well be had in two flavors. Those simply wanting off-road seems might go for the TRX. This was a package deal that may very well be added to Dakota SL, SLT and Laramie trims, however solely in 4×2 Club or Quad Cab configurations. The TRX acquired you Goodyear Wrangler off-road tires wrapped round 16-inch aluminum wheels, restricted slip differential, tow hooks and massive TRX decals on the mattress so individuals wouldn’t neglect what you’re driving.
If you truly needed to enterprise off-road you needed to spring for the TRX4 Off-Road. This was solely out there on Dakota SLT and Laramie 4×4 Club and Quad Cab configurations.
Springing for the TRX4 acquired you distinctive five-spoke, 16-inch wheels, painted shocks, BF Goodrich off-road tires, a one-inch trip top enhance, skid plates, tow hooks, TRX4 mattress decals and all-weather slush flooring mats within the inside. You might additionally choice the TRX4 with the 4.7-liter, 302-horsepower V8.
Of course, you needed to pay to play. The off-road goodies and the V8 engine made the truck dear; Motor Trend examined one in 2008, and it wore an as-tested value of $34,360. At that MSRP, a Dodge Ram 1500 made extra sense because it was extra highly effective with its 5.7-liter Hemi V8, roomier and extra succesful.
The Dakota itself was dropped in 2011, however the TRX trim lived on briefly as a trim of the redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram 1500; it was changed by the Outdoorsman trim two years later. Despite the cool issue of the monster that was the Ram TRX, it’s fascinating that Ram determined to tug a nameplate out of mothballs from such a secular package deal that began life on a long-gone midsize pickup to make use of on one of the crucial highly effective pickups to ever go on sale.
Source: jalopnik.com