What happens when an all-new 2021 Ram TRX – the quickest production truck ever – meets its MAGNUM V8 grand-daddy? We put it to a real-world “old vs new” test. The older truck is a 2nd-gen 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4×4 Sport with a 5.9-liter MAGNUM V8. We want to know what it’s like to live with these trucks every day. We take them on our MPG loop and a 0-60 MPH comparison.
The new truck is a marvel of modern off-road truck engineering. It has a monstrous 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 with 702 horsepower. It has a unique frame and adaptive and adjustable Bilstein Blackhawk e2 shocks. It is arguably the most off-road capable truck that Ram currently sells (including the Power Wagon).
The old 5.9L Magnum V8 in the old truck was rated at 245 hp. The new TRX has nearly three times the power of the old truck, and it is also a LOT heavier than the old truck. The TRX is nearly 1,500 lbs heavier than the older Dodge.
The results are surprising.
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L V8: 13.82 seconds 0-60 mph with a slipping transmission.
2021 Ram TRX 6.2L SC V8: 4.40 seconds 0-60 mph (quickest production truck we have ever tested).
The Dodge delivered 12.6 MPG on our mixed city/highway 56 mile driving loop. The TRX got 13.6 MPG on the same route.
The new truck delivers lots more smiles per gallon, but it does cost $72,000 more than the old truck. We purchased this Dodge Ram 1500 for $5,000.
