2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT First Drive: The Apex Predator Your Kids Will Love

Over the last decade-plus, I’ve driven just about every Stellantis-brand product blessed with a Hellcat V8 under the hood. Challengers and Chargers in various tune and lurid hues of paint; the SRT-flavored Durango and the Jeep they call Trackhawk; even the original version of Ram’s 1500 truck with the dino on the back. If I looked hard enough, I could probably even find a keychain doodad that mimics the Hellcat’s growling exhaust, given to me on a launch program.

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They’re all great. Rowdy, loud, evocative, and hard to miss for anyone within a radius of a few city blocks. Hellcat-powered cars are, in other words, a whole vibe.

And without spoiling the review, this Hellcat-endowed 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT – the first time the Rexy has gotten an SRT badge – is every bit as hilarious as its forebearers. The question for me this time around, with my world now revolving around #DadLife and two small kids, is whether a Hellcat truck can also do good work in the school run, soccer game, and airport shuttle service that make up my day-to-day. Can a T-Rex make a good family hauler? I had one holiday weekend to figure it out.

Built For Dirt And Desert

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Just one look at the new TRX and you’ll know that it’s a vehicle meant to fly across a rocky desert or climb through the mud. The truck comes from the factory with an impressive suite of off-road equipment.

The 35-inch knobby all-terrain tires are mounted to 18-inch wheels, capped in wide, fared fenders to allow for better travel. There’s a max of 11.8 inches of ground clearance (a little less than the standard Ford F-150 Raptor R, it must be noted), and approach, departure, and breakover angles of 31.0, 25.2, and 21.8 degrees, respectively. She’ll climb like a billy goat.

Exterior Dimensions

The adaptive Bilstein shocks, front and rear, allow for incredible performance across a variety of rugged terrains. And front and rear suspension components like the Dana 60 solid axle out back are built to take a beating (if you feel like jumping stuff, even).

The TRX has a proper low range for digging out of whatever you’ve gotten stuck in, and a multi-modal drive mode system with settings for everything from sport driving to towing. Of course, because of the limitations of my test, I stuck to paved surfaces and all-out speed attacks, but I’m confident that this truck can be a beast off-road.

You Don’t Need Baja Mode To Have A Good Time

The good news is that I can give a firsthand account of the Ram on a good road, and the headline is that it’s almost as impressive as a sports car as it is a truck. Of course, the powertrain, that supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8, is absolutely merciless. Making 777 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque, routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the TRX pulls incredibly hard even from higher gears on the freeway. You just know the guys at SRT aren’t backing down from any of the performance figures – like a factory-estimated 3.5-second 0-60 time – when they install a dedicated hard button to activate launch control.

Push the gas pedal to the floor, and the Ram hauls you back in your seat just as tightly as any Challenger this side of a Demon, accompanied by a heavy symphony of exhaust rush and supercharger whine.

Performance Specifications

More impressive than the power, however, is the fact that the truck feels rather flat when cornering on my normal twisty-road drive route. You’re not going to confuse the experience with wheeling a Lamborghini Temerario, but as far as sport trucks go, the on-pavement experience is exceptional. There’s some roll through the tall suspension, but a whole lot less than I’d expected, and those big knobby tires do a great job putting power to the road. If you’re willing to saw at the wheel a bit, you can take this T-Rex to your local canyon and give chase to just about anything.

School Run Spec

Seyth Miersma | TopSpeed

My kids love that part, too. Strapped firmly into their booster seats in the ample rear quarters, both boys (but especially my maniacal five-year-old) like nothing better than feeling a few g-forces as I drive pretty hard out of quick corners, and demo launch control on empty straights.

Of course, when I drive through downtown like a sane person, they also appreciate a good podcast through the 19-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo. In fact, there’s not much more kids or adults could ask for in terms of feature availability in this $107,020-as tested example. Cushy front seats are heated, cooled, and offer massage functions that I like enough to turn on for every trip. My boys are on booster seats, but adult passengers in the back of the crew cab will enjoy, not just heaps of legroom, but heated and cooled chairs, as well.

Seyth Miersma | TopSpeed

The infotainment system, via an optional 14.4-inch, vertically oriented screen, is impressive. I noticed some lag in loading the baked-in TomTom navigation software, which is weird. But wireless Apple CarPlay, dual wireless phone chargers, and a slew of places to plug your other stuff in.

Interior Dimensions

And despite a host of bright red accents and stitching, and big TRX badges scattered around, the mostly black cabin is actually reasonably restrained for this genre. Much like the exterior styling, which is more staid than shouty (well, except for the dinosaur logo), the cabin is pretty grown-up.

The biggest downside for the kids, and potentially for drivers shorter than my 6-foot-5 size, is the big step up and down to get into or out of the TRX. This thing is way up high, and powered running boards might help shorter shoppers.

That Other Dinosaur Truck From Across Town…

Seyth Miersma | TopSpeed

This new uber Ram and Ford’s Raptor Rare both supertrucks, no question. And chest-puffing spec sheet line items aside, the most compelling advantage the Ram offers is a roughly $10,000 price advantage over the Ford dino. That the TRX SRT has a big bump in power and torque over the Ford isn’t immaterial, but neither are the Raptor R’s lower curb weight, bigger standard tires, and improved off-road specs. A proper comparison drive is needed to really make the choice, but cold, hard cash speaks for itself.

I prefer the soundtrack offered by that familiar, but never friendly, Hellcat motor over the also-imposing growl of the Predator V8, but I know my MOPAR history is an influence there. Suffice it to say that both trucks are wicked.

So, Does It Dad?

Seyth Miersma | TopSpeed

Yeah guys, this’ll do as a family wagon if you’re lucky enough to have the funds and kid yourself enough to embrace the wonderful absurdity of driving a supertruck. The TRX SRT chugs 93 Octane, strains to fit in some parking garages, and might piss off the neighbors on cold morning starts. Like I said, a vibe.

But over a long weekend, the TRX also hauled my kids, luggage, and the detritus of suburban life, just as capably as it devoured free on-ramps. Ten years ago, having a Hellcat meant burnouts and thrill rides; today, for me, it also means daycare pickup and youth sports. Somehow, Ram has built a truck that can do both without feeling compromised.

The most ridiculous “family” truck on sale today? Perhaps. But that’s exactly why it’s so much fun.