Ram may be sending off its supercharged V8-powered 1500 TRX with a Final Edition, but it looks like the American brand’s apex pickup truck is getting an encore.
A facelifted 1500 TRX has been caught testing on public roads in Michigan, and a video published by Car and Driver reveals it has one massive change over the current model.
All seems normal until the super ute takes off from an intersection, revealing the unmistakable note of a six-cylinder petrol engine.
The engine that is expected to replace the current TRX’s cracking 6.2-litre supercharged V8 is Stellantis’ new Hurricane 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol inline-six cylinder.
This engine is currently available in the North American-market Jeep Grand Wagoneer L, where it makes 380kW of power and 677Nm of torque.
Car and Driver reports the Hurricane six could produce as much as 410kW of power in the new TRX.
That’s quite a step down from the outgoing supercharged V8, which pumps out 523kW and 882Nm, and it can’t match the Ford F-150 Raptor R’s supercharged 5.2-litre V8 which produces 522kW and 868Nm.
It would, however, outpunch the Ford F-150 Raptor, which produces 340kW and 690Nm from its twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6.
A lower-output version of the Hurricane six will reportedly replace the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engine in lesser Ram 1500s as part of a 2024 facelift.
In Standard Output tune, this engine produces 298kW and 610Nm.
As part of the 2024 facelift, the whole 1500 range (including the TRX) will also reportedly receive revised front-end styling and new tail lights.
Formally known as the GME-T6, the new Hurricane straight-six engine shares its bore, stroke and cylinder spacing with the GME-T4 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which is available in the Wrangler, Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid, and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid.
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Hurricane High Output six
As with the four-cylinder Hurricane engines, the straight-six version will also be used in plug-in hybrid drivetrains. Details about PHEV applications have yet to be released.
The Hurricane six has a cast aluminium block, forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, and an ultra-thin Plasma Transfer Wire Arc low-friction coating for the cylinder bores. Automatic engine stop/start is also standard.
In order to reduce turbo lag, there are two low-inertia turbos each feeding three cylinders.
Domestically, Ram Trucks Australia is a licensed trademark of American Special Vehicles Pty Ltd, which is owned by vehicle distributor Ateco – which imports LDV and Renault products on behalf of the manufacturers.
It contracts the Walkinshaw Group to convert the Ram Trucks to right-hand drive at its Melbourne Manufacturing Facility, where the Chevrolet Silverado is also re-engineered for GMSV.
All Ram Trucks Australia vehicles are international-spec pickups uniquely coded for the Australian market and the local build process – but the American plant only makes them in left-hand drive.
RHD Rams aren’t merely utes with the steering wheel shifted to the right. The DS 1500 has 361 new components designed (and often produced) locally, while there are 402 new parts on the DT 1500 and 465 on the 2500 heavy duty.
MORE: Everything Ram 1500
