Is there a truck on the planet that can beat the Ram TRX in a straight line? This is the question being asked by The Fast Lane Truck, where a new series called Perform what you brought It’s on the way. The goal? Win the TRX and, so far, that goal has not been achieved. This time, the competition is a little surprising in more ways than one.
A pair of Toyota Tacomas remains in position to fight the robust Ram, including a brand new 2021 TRD Pro. With 278 horses (207 kilowatts) of its 3.5-liter V6, there is absolutely no way to cause any drama here. The Tacoma is outperformed compared to the TRX and its 702 hp (523 kW) Hellcat V8, but perhaps the other Taco is a better combination. Here comes the first of many surprises, because it is a single cabin model from 1997 with no less than 650,000 miles showing on the odometer. Can he compete with the TRX?
Here’s surprise number two. The old Toyota is not just a beautiful time capsule, as its 3.4-liter V6 has a TRD supercharger installed on top. And surprise number three? Both Toyotas distributes this power to the ground through an honest manual transmission. Guys, the Ram can have a lot of power, but rowing in a classic Tacoma with a supercharged engine? No wonder the truck has run 650,000 miles.
Now for the reality check. Even with that supercharger (factory installed according to the video), the vintage Taco brings only about 300 hp (224 kW) to the battle. Yes, his small, single-cabin stature makes him considerably lighter than Ram, but you probably know how this confrontation will end. What you don’t know, however, is how brave the fight that the brave Toyota offers is.
Are there trucks faster than the TRX? We saw an F-150 adjusted by Shelby defeating Ram in a long run, but narrowly. We give credit where credit is due – for short sprints, the TRX can be a traffic light champion for a long time.