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PROS ›› Performance on and off-road, great engine note, Wildly Capable CONS ›› Expensive, impractical for almost everyone, laughable fuel economy

There are plenty of reasons why the new 2027 Ram TRX shouldn’t exist. It costs $99,995 before destination and $102,790 after fees, weighs nearly three tons, and drinks fuel at a rate that would put a smile on any oil executive’s face. It’s big enough that finding a parking spot can feel like working through a puzzle, and it lands at a moment when the industry seems fixated on efficiency, electrification, and shrinking everything in sight. None of that reads like the résumé of a car with a future.

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Then there’s the problem inside Ram’s own showroom. The company already sells the excellent RHO, a truck whose 540-horsepower 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six covers much of the TRX’s off-road ground for roughly $26,200 less. So here’s the question that followed me throughout my time behind the wheel: can a 777-horsepower (579-kW) supercharged V8 pickup still justify its existence in 2026, or is the TRX simply a glorious relic from a different era?

Quick Facts

› Model: 2027 Ram SRT TRX

› Price: $99,995 + $2,795 destination

› Dimensions: L 232.9 × W 88.0 × H 80.9 in (5,916 × 2,235 × 2,055 mm)

› Curb Weight: 6,376 lbs (2,892 kg)

› Powertrain: 6.2-liter Supercharged V8, 8-speed automatic 4WD

› Output: 777 hp (579 kW) / 707 lb-ft (958 Nm)

› Fuel Economy: 10 City / 14 Highway / 12 Combined

› On Sale: Now

SWIPE

To find out, we flew to South Bend, Indiana, to experience it in person. Our time with it featured 0-60 sprints, plenty of city and highway driving, and a visit to a very special site. Redbud Motocross has hosted off-road races since the 1970s. Today, it’s seen as one of the most highly regarded motocross tracks in the world. It served as our off-road test bed for the TRX. Suffice it to say, we put this old new dinosaur through its paces.

Styling: Completely Over The Top, And Better Because Of It

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Photos Stephen Rivers / Carscoops

The answer certainly doesn’t reveal itself by looking at the truck.

If anything, the TRX doubles down on everything that made its predecessor memorable. Massive fender flares stretch over 35-inch tires . The hood looks like it belongs on a piece of heavy machinery. The grille and intake system proudly advertise the truck’s intentions long before the engine ever starts.

Ram says the revised cold-air induction system was necessary to support the full 777-hp (579-kW) output of the supercharged V8. Whether most owners will ever use all of that power is debatable, but there’s no denying the visual drama it creates. Then there’s the new dinosaur badge on the tailgate.

According to Ram engineers, the logo went through multiple rounds of revisions, with teams debating everything from the shape of the jaw to the number of visible teeth. That sounds ridiculous until you realize the entire truck is ridiculous. The badge isn’t subtle. Neither is the truck. This becomes an ongoing theme.

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Interior: Luxury Truck, Performance Truck, And Off-Roader All At Once

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The cabin is where the TRX begins to justify its price tag. Real carbon fiber trim appears throughout the interior. Leather, suede, and red stitching cover nearly every surface drivers and passengers regularly touch. The front seats are heated, ventilated, and equipped with massage functions. Rear passengers get heating and ventilation too, while even the fold-down center armrest receives a suede covering.

Read: Ram CEO Says TRX Is Fun, But RHO Does Something Way Better

Aluminum paddle shifters sit behind the steering wheel, and they’re better than they used to be. For whatever reason, Stellantis has long installed half of a paddle shifter, the upper section, in many of its vehicles. Now, the paddle extends down and leaves a little notch in the middle so users can access buttons on the back of the wheel as well. It’s a marked improvement.

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Photos Stephen Rivers / Carscoops

Technology is equally impressive. A 14.5-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment display dominates the dashboard, joined by a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10-inch head-up display. Hands-free Active Driving Assist is available, while physical controls remain plentiful. That’s worth celebrating because Ram resisted the temptation to bury everything inside the touchscreen.

Climate controls remain buttons. Drive modes remain buttons. Auxiliary switches remain buttons. The infotainment system occasionally feels a little slower than expected for a flagship vehicle costing more than six figures, but that’s one of the few genuine complaints worth mentioning. Another is that for those who want it, a front passenger screen isn’t on the menu. That said, I’ve never seen someone use it consistently to begin with.

Otherwise, the cabin successfully walks a difficult line. It feels luxurious without becoming delicate and rugged without feeling cheap.

Driving Impressions: Happily Overstimulated

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The first thing that strikes you isn’t the acceleration. It’s the sound. At low speeds, the 2.4-liter twin-screw supercharger is almost comically loud. Rolling through a neighborhood at 15 mph feels like an event because the TRX constantly reminds you that there’s something unusual happening beneath the hood.

Apply a little more throttle and the soundtrack changes. The supercharger begins to fade into the background as the deep rumble of the V8 takes center stage. Push harder still, and the two sounds merge together. The result is highly engaging.

On the highway, the entire truck is seriously civilized. Ram’s Level 2 hands-free driving assist program works well, too. It’s easy to forget that you’re in something with more power than two Toyota GR Corollas combined.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The RHO is a fantastic truck . It may even be the more rational purchase. Yet no amount of objective analysis can replicate the emotional appeal of a giant supercharged V8 inhaling air and turning gasoline into force and emitting an indecorous noise in the process. That soundtrack matters because it transforms ordinary driving into something memorable.

The performance is equally impressive. During our testing, temperatures approached triple digits. The trucks sat in direct sunlight for hours between runs. Heat soak was unavoidable. Under those conditions, many performance vehicles begin making excuses.

The TRX simply kept delivering.

Repeated acceleration runs consistently landed in the mid-four-second range to 60 mph. Our quickest run stopped the clock at 4.31 seconds with rollout. Considering the conditions, Ram’s claimed figures (3.5 seconds) seem entirely believable. On a cooler day with a fresh truck, seeing something closer to the manufacturer’s numbers feels all but assured. It’s worth pausing for a moment to appreciate what that means.

We’re talking about a pickup truck capable of towing 8,100 pounds (3,674 kg) and carrying 1,220 pounds (553 kg) of payload. This isn’t a stripped-down performance special. It’s a full-size truck that happens to accelerate about as quickly as a Lamborghini Diablo SV. Yet the TRX’s greatest accomplishment may be its durability.

Ram tells Carscoops that it took these trucks to some of the most extreme environments possible for testing. Those sites included Crandon Raceway in Wisconsin, the Imperial sand dunes in California, and perhaps most importantly, Johnson Valley, home to King of the Hammers. The team says it racked up 1,000 miles there to ensure these trucks could handle heavy abuse. Our experience seems to indicate that testing was successful.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

Over roughly four hours of testing, multiple trucks endured repeated launches, high-speed off-road runs, drifts, jumps, and whoops. Drivers cycled in and out. The trucks alternated between hard use and short cooldown periods. None of them flinched.

The forged aluminum front control arms, Dana 60 rear axle, electronic locking differential, full-floating axle shafts, and second-generation Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks absorbed punishment that would quickly expose weaknesses in lesser vehicles. Jump after jump, drift after drift, lap after lap, the trucks simply kept asking for more.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The only issue encountered all day involved repeated launch control uses. After several back-to-back launches, a brake-booster-related soft code triggered a check engine light. Importantly, the truck never appeared to reduce power or alter its behavior. Ram technicians reset the code, the light disappeared, and the truck immediately returned to service.

According to one engineer, the issue was entirely related to the heat and repeated launches. The mechanical brake booster in the truck was simply overheated briefly. Frankly, after everything we subjected these trucks to, that hardly qualifies as a meaningful complaint.

The Highs And Lows Of Suspension Tuning

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

Perhaps the strangest aspect of the TRX is how it handles rough roads. Or more accurately, how it sometimes handles them worse than actual jumps. That sounds ridiculous until you experience it firsthand.

On the off-road course, the suspension seemed almost magical. Impacts that should have unsettled a vehicle this large simply disappeared beneath it. The truck remained composed, predictable, and confidence-inspiring even when speeds climbed. Getting it pointed in the right direction was only challenging due to the inconsistent surface we were on. That’s a feat of engineering all in itself.

Then I’d return to normal roads and occasionally feel sharp impacts from cracked pavement or broken concrete. It’s not uncomfortable. It’s not harsh. It’s simply unexpected. Several times throughout the day, the truck absorbed a jump more gracefully than a damaged section of roadway.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

Part of that likely comes down to suspension tuning . High-speed impacts allow the sophisticated Bilstein dampers more opportunity to work through their travel, while slower-speed road imperfections can create different challenges. Regardless of the explanation, the result feels strange. Then again, context matters. Anyone spending over $100,000 on a TRX understands they’re buying an off-road performance truck. A little extra road texture isn’t likely to surprise them.

What surprised me was how cohesive the chassis feels. Steering isn’t sports-car sharp, nor should it be. It doesn’t feel numb either. Instead, Ram found a balance that feels appropriate for a truck of this size. More importantly, the TRX is predictable.

More: Ram’s New 777 HP Rumble Bee SRT Hits 60 Quicker Than A BMW M3

The front end responds consistently. The rear rotates progressively. Weight transfers occur in ways that build confidence rather than diminish it. Off-road, that translates into a truck that’s remarkably easy to drift and place precisely where you want it. The braking deserves praise as well.

Within the very first few miles, I noticed how easy it was to modulate pedal pressure. The brakes respond naturally, making smooth stops effortless despite the truck’s considerable mass. Even after repeated hard laps and aggressive driving, fade never became an issue. That’s impressive because asking nearly three tons to repeatedly slow down is never an easy task.

Competition: The RHO Exists, And That’s A Problem

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

Or at least it should be. The RHO starts at $73,795 before destination and remains one of the most compelling performance trucks currently available. It delivers impressive capability, excellent dynamics, and a significantly lower price tag.

Ram even recalibrated portions of the truck to account for the lighter nose associated with the Hurricane-powered platform compared with the old V8-equipped TRX. Objectively speaking, the 540-hp inline-six RHO makes a strong argument. If someone approached me seeking the smartest performance-truck purchase, I’d have a difficult time ignoring it.

Then the TRX starts, and Ram engineers rightly point out that the engine note is where the conversation changes. The RHO is capable. The TRX is memorable. One appeals to your brain and your bank account (if only when compared to the TRX). The other appeals directly to your emotions. For many buyers spending six figures on a specialty truck, that distinction matters more than spreadsheets ever will.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The Ford F-150 Raptor also gets a seat at the table here because it’s really the only other competition. Notably, the base Raptor is more correctly a rival to the RHO, so the same arguments against it and for the TRX apply. The additional consideration is that the Raptor costs even more than the RHO.

Of course, the Raptor R exists, and it’s impossible to ignore. It boasts 720 horsepower (536 kW) and starts at $114,420. Once again, you’d pay more for less power. There are plenty of other details that buyers will consider, but most will come down to personal preference rather than outright performance differences. Even then, the delineation will be slight.

A Quick Note On Internal Conflict

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

I’ll admit there’s a small sense of conflict that comes with a truck like the TRX. Vehicles this large are increasingly part of broader conversations about pedestrian safety , and it’s difficult to ignore that reality entirely.

I still believe people should be free to drive what they want, but I’d be lying if I said that thought never crossed my mind while piloting nearly three tons of supercharged pickup down the road. While I enjoyed this pickup, I couldn’t justify owning it unless my personal daily lifestyle required an actual truck.

The reality is that a mistake (which we all inevitably make at times) in something this large is likely to have greater consequences than it would in a smaller vehicle.

Verdict: The Answer To The Question

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

So let’s return to the question from the beginning. Can a 777-horsepower supercharged V8 pickup still justify its existence in 2026? If the answer depends on logic, probably not. And that’s true for a myriad of reasons. The RHO exists and is wildly capable. Fuel is expensive. Parking spaces aren’t getting larger. And truthfully, the world doesn’t need another six-figure performance truck.

But that’s also the wrong way to evaluate the TRX. The best vehicles aren’t always the ones that make the most sense. Sometimes they’re the ones that make us feel something. To that end, and at least in my eyes, Ram couldn’t have picked a better name for this vehicle.

Do you remember the first time you saw the T-Rex in Jurassic Park ? Do you remember how it made you feel? I do. I was five years old. Even now, decades later, I can remember the sense of awe it inspired. Truth be told, dinosaurs still stir those same emotions in me today. Nobody needs dinosaurs. Nobody needs a 777-horsepower (579kW) supercharged pickup either.

But both remind us that sometimes wonder is reason enough. I suspect the TRX will have a similar effect on its owners, whether they’re climbing behind the wheel for the first time or the thousandth. That’s ultimately why it succeeds. Not because it’s practical, efficient, or sensible, but because it makes you feel something every time you drive it.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

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This is the online version of STAT’s weekly email newsletter Health Care Inc. Sign up here .

Hello to all friends, new and old. We are officially launching a series called Out of Pocket, Out Reach, which explores the different ways the employer-based health insurance system is crumbling. I want to hear from you: how your job-based coverage is affecting you or your business, whether you love it or hate it, and everything in between. Don’t be shy: bob.herman@statnews.com .

U.S. workers and businesses are getting soaked

There’s a very high likelihood that you, dear reader, get your health insurance from your job or the job of a loved one. There’s also a very high likelihood your earnings have suffered over time, quietly behind the scenes. It’s arguably never been worse than now, and it isn’t likely to get better.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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The team behind Elder Scrolls Online is one of many that's been impacted by ruthless cuts being made by Xbox at the moment. Purportedly up to half of the devs behind Bethesda's MMO have lost their jobs, and a former designer on the fantasy sandbox has been quick to point out the game's unsung glories.

In the wake of the redundancies, Andrew Young, a senior content designer on Elder Scrolls Online who worked on the online RPG from 2012 through to 2024, vented his frustrations on Twitter. "I'm just so angry today," he says. "People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence."

He adds that fans may never realize just how integral Elder Scrolls Online was to Bethesda. "Talking to people today and realizing there’s really no one left and no changing it now makes my heart ache," he says. "For the people, our game, who we were as a team and a studio. This is a serious loss, and I don’t think people know how much."

I’m just so angry today. People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence. The team deserved much better. July 6, 2026

No specifics are given, but my mind immediately jumped to Blades and Legends , two free mobile spin-offs that came out in the 2010s. The former was all about constantly getting into swordfights, while the latter was a digital card game. Both have since been unceremoniously closed, and Young could be talking about other projects within the umbrella of Bathesda's parent company ZeniMax, either.

Elder Scrolls Online has been a reliable money-spinner, bringing in upwards of $2 billion across its lifetime to date. Those are decent earnings, especially when it comes to the currently over-saturated live-service and MMO market. The game adopted a new updated schedule in 2025, moving from yearly changes to a more seasonal approach, with Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk due to finish tomorrow, July 8.

Hopefully, this all helps those impacted by the job losses - which are expected to total 3,200 across Xbox and Microsoft by the end of the year - to find new opportunities. And maybe a little more respect will be put on Tamriel's Second Era as well.

Hitman and 007 First Light dev IO Interactive regains "full ownership" of its mysterious online RPG project after Xbox reportedly pulled funding

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VIENNA — China’s test this week of a submarine-launched ballistic missile follows a growing trend of nuclear powers hollowing out the integrity of nuclear weapons-free zones such as the South Pacific, analysts say.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy launched a ballistic missile from a submarine off its coast on Monday, which subsequently flew southeast over the Pacific for about 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), according to a map released by the Taiwan National Security Council, before splashing down near the island nations of Nauru and Tuvalu.

Both archipelago countries are part of the South Pacific Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, which was established by the Treaty of Rarotonga in 1986 and prohibits the stationing and testing of nuclear weapons on islands or in waters of the South Pacific, as well as threatening the countries in the region with the use of these weapons.

China, as well as Russia, the U.S., U.K., and France, have signed onto protocols committing them to the treaty.

The #PRC tested a JL2 #SLBM flying over the #Philippines moments ago. It’s a provocation that destabilizes the #IndoPacific . #China just proved itself again to be a bully on the block. pic.twitter.com/dOUbLBclmh

— Joseph Wu (@josephwutw) July 6, 2026

A missile test doesn’t technically violate the text of the treaty, so long as the missile is not nuclear-tipped. In the case of the Chinese test, the rocket was carrying a dummy warhead for testing purposes. However, southern Pacific nations were quick to accuse China of violating the spirit of the zone, which goes beyond the core legal definition.

New Zealand’s foreign minister said the test “goes against the object and intent of that treaty,” referring to Rarotonga. Australia publicly raised similar concerns.

“We have seen a growing trend of nuclear weapons-armed states exerting pressure on nuclear weapons free zones for their geostrategic interests,” said Olamide Samuel, a network and engagement specialist at the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network. “We’ve seen it with the U.S. pressuring the U.K. over Diego Garcia, the island in the Indian Ocean; with Russia pushing Kazakhstan to allow missile testing; and now with China conducting a missile test in the South Pacific.”

China has called the test routine. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that “the launch activity was conducted safely, systematically, and professionally throughout,” and urged other countries not to “over-interpret it.” Beijing had given several hours of early notice to key governments in the region.

Tensions have been high over the spirit of Rarotonga since 2021, with China having repeatedly called out the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal between Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. as violating the treaty, to which Australia is a party. Under the AUKUS deal, Australia will receive up to eight nuclear submarines along with highly-enriched uranium for their onboard reactors.

“China has been quite public in voicing its support for nuclear weapons free zones, most recently indicating support for Southeast Asia’s. And then they turn around and do this,” said Samuel.

China’s action, combined with pressures from the U.S., Australia and other regional players, may lead to a “slow spiral” and a “race to the bare minimum” of what the treaty demands, he said, rather than furthering more aspirational, peace-oriented goals.

Aside from the South Pacific NWFZ, similar structures exist across Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Central Asia, plus Mongolia. Antarctica, outer space and the ocean floor are similarly off-limits for the stationing of nukes, as agreed by the international community.

China last fired a ballistic missile into the Pacific in September 2024. The U.S. conducted a comparable ballistic missile test in March of this year, though its missile splashed down in a part of the Pacific Ocean not covered by any nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties.