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What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, the fastest Ram on Earth was the RHO. Ram’s Hurricane-powered off-roader came with all of the old TRX’s goodies except for two—a Hemi V8 and a name straight out of the Cretaceous period. We were told at the time that “TRX” would never adorn a truck without a Hemi. After all, the nameplate had nearly 48 months of tradition behind it.
In a single year, Ram has gone from a light-duty lineup completely devoid of V8s to one with three of them, and each will be available in virtually every flavor of the 1500. And that means the TRX is about to meet its match—not in the form of an updated Ford F-150 Raptor R or some newfangled super-truck from GM, but from within its own showroom. Yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, Rumble Bee.
So, in the battle of the ultimate SRT-powered pickups, which one is truly top dog? Well, that all depends on what you plan to do with it. The 2027 Ram TRX SRT and SRT Rumble Bee Hellcat are indeed powered by the same supercharged, 777-horsepower Hemi V8, but the wrappers around those monster engines are quite different.
2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT vs. 2027 Ram 1500 SRT Rumble Bee Hellcat
TRX SRTRumble Bee HellcatPowertrain6.2-liter supercharged V8 | 8-speed automatic | four-wheel drive6.2-liter supercharged V8 | 8-speed automatic | four-wheel driveHorsepower777777Torque680 lb-ft680 lb-ftSeating Capacity55Ground Clearance11.8 inches8.1 inches (minimum)Suspension (front)Upper and lower A-arms, coil springs, stabilizer bar and Bilstein e2 Blackhawk active performance shock absorberUpper and lower A-arms, air suspension, Bilstein Damptronic Sky dual-valve semi-active performance shock absorbersSuspension (rear)Five-link with track bar, coil springs, Bilstein e2 Blackhawk active damping twin-tube performance shock absorbers, solid axleFive-link with track bar, air springs, Bilstein Damptronic Sky dual-valve semi-active performance shock absorbers, solid axleBrakes (front)14.9 x 1.2 in. (378 x 30 mm) vented disc with 2.2 in. (57 mm) two-piston pin-slider caliper and anti-lock braking system16.1- x 1.65 in. (410 × 42 mm) vented disc with 1.5-in. (38mm) six-piston Brembo caliper and anti-lock braking systemBrakes (rear)14.8 x 0.87 in. (375 x 22 mm) disc with 2.2 in. (57 mm) single-piston pin-slider caliper and anti-lock braking system14.6- x 1.26-in. (370 × 32 mm) vented disc with single-piston (48 mm) floating caliper and anti-lock braking systemDifferentialElectronic locking rear differential.Electronic limited-slip rear differential.Rear axle ratio3.55:13.55:1TiresGoodyear Wrangler Territory AT (325/65R-18)Goodyear Eagle Sport (325/40R-22)Overall Length233.7 inches219.5 inchesWheelbase145.1 inches132.3 inchesWidth88 inches88 inchesTrack Width (front/rear)74.4 / 74.0 inches75.3 / 75.0 inches
If you tell a TRX drive to go pound sand, they may not properly internalize your message. After all, that’s what a TRX is built to do—mercilessly. It’s equipped with off-road tires, comes with more standard ground clearance, and has trail-friendly Bilstein adaptive dampers designed to keep the body in check on rough terrain. There’s also the locking rear diff, which is handy in case you encounter uneven/technical terrain.
Rumble Bee, on the other hand, is built to go fast on pavement. The wheelbase is more than a foot shorter (along with the rest of the truck), so there’s less weight to carry around and the truck should change direction more quickly. It also sits lower to the ground, with a minimum ground clearance of just 8.1 inches, and the suspension will be much stiffer too. The Rumble Bee also gets a limited-slip rear differential, which is superior to a locker on-road and helps put power down more effectively when the rear end has inconsistent traction.
You can see how things shake out by the numbers in the table up above there; the items with differences are bolded.
The other big difference between these two trucks? You can order the TRX right now (for the low, low price of just $102,790); if you want a Rumble Bee, you’ll have to wait until later this year to bring one home.
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Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
