The Future of the Ram 1500 TRX

While many are disappointed that the there isn’t a 2025-model-year Ram 1500 TRX—meaning no more off-road Ram with a supercharged V-8 is available—the feeling might be premature. Sure, the 2025 1500 RHO appears to be a direct TRX replacement, albeit with a less powerful twin-turbo I-6 engine instead of a 702-hp stonker. However, it might not be the most powerful post-refresh Ram 1500 for long, nor will it be the only “three-letter” model. In a new Ram television ad, there is an easter egg referencing the RHO’s horsepower (540) on the number plate of a nearby dirt bike. A second motorcycle in the next frame conspicuously wears a blank number plate—could it be a hint?

The Ad In Question

A Motor Authority story points out that the RHO television ad—called “The Convoy”—led by actor Glen Powell offers two easter eggs. Just before the one-minute mark, there are two KTM dirt bikes riding to meet a Ram 1500 Rebel X. As mentioned, one uses a number plate with “540” on it. That one, per Jeff Summers, head of advertising at Ram, is a reference to the horsepower output of the 2025 1500 RHO. The second bike has its number plates blanked out. That’s not out of the ordinary and something most would easily overlook, but when Motor Authority asked Summers about it, he’s quoted as saying the bike without numbers is a “placeholder” for Ram’s next “High HP vehicle with three letters.” This certainly sounds like a hint that the TRX name might not be dead for long.

What Does This Mean?

Unfortunately, Ram is being silent on what Summers meant by this statement. We reached out to Ram for comment and were informed that they couldn’t provide any direction on what’s coming next. While you can read into that as not confirming something is coming soon, it’s also fair to say Ram didn’t un-confirm that a new TRX (or something similar) is on the way.

One way to look at this is to consider the TRX name itself—a nod to the T-Rex, a dinosaur mightier than the smaller Raptor. Ford indeed makes an F-150 with that name. When the 1500 TRX debuted for 2021, it and its 702-hp V-8 engine easily out-muscled the then-six-cylinder-only F-150 Raptor. The TRX name fit. Then Ford introduced a Raptor R for 2023 with a supercharged V-8, though with “only” 700 hp, allowing the Ram’s name to continue on unironically. A year later, the R received a TRX-beating power bump to 720 hp for the 2024 model year, just as Ram sunset the TRX. Perhaps the TRX name is on hiatus until Ram can squeeze Raptor R–beating power from its new Hurricane inline-six, which reports suggest is capable of such output. Meanwhile, the RHO can claim bragging rights over the non-R Raptor.

The HurriCrate—a Hurricane I-6 derived crate engine program—is intended to produce 1,000 hp. This makes it possible that a road-legal version of the CatX could find its way into a new TRX, though power may not exceed the millennium mark unless Stellantis straps some sort of hybrid system to it for an extra boost in output.

Or perhaps Ram doesn’t pursue gas power at all. With an electric version of the Ram 1500 on the horizon, it’s entirely possible the next TRX will be a much different animal. If the mightiest 2024 Dodge Chargers (the Daytonas) can go all-electric, then why couldn’t the maximal version of Ram’s 1500 pickup? With even the standard 2025 Ram 1500 Rev EV delivering over 600 hp, a TRX-ified Rev with off-road capability could feature the same EV powerplant as the Charger SRT Banshee version. Though no horsepower numbers have been officially released for the SRT Banshee, expectations might be nothing less than 700 hp for it or an all-electric Ram 1500 TRX.

What If It’s Not a TRX?

While the TRX name and off-road theme is the most likely direction the next high-horsepower Ram 1500 will take, there are other possibilities for a “high hp vehicle with three letters” from Ram. The least likely, but historically relevant, is the GTX. From 2004 to 2005, Ram released a GTX variant of the Dodge Ram 1500. While it didn’t provide higher output versus a standard Ram, it offered a cruiser truck with classic nameplate appeal. If Stellantis continues its nostalgia trend for high-powered variants, a Ram 1500 GTX could be an all-electric cruiser with a stance lower than the REV. To fulfill its historic three-letter promise, the 630 hp electric powerplant from the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack could be integrated under the Ram 1500 GTX. Although this scenario is the least likely, it certainly offers an interesting perspective.

The other direction would be an SRT version of the Ram 1500. Rather than being off-road focused, it would remain in its SRT roots for a high-horsepower truck ready for the drag strip. It could feature an extreme output version of the Hurricane I-6 or could be completely electric like the GTX or potentially serve as a truck version of the Dodge Charger SRT Banshee.

Ultimately, all three of these trucks are pure speculation at this juncture. While the ultimate direction and the three-letter designation of the next high-horsepower Ram 1500 is still unclear, we can confirm that something is indeed in the works, and anything less than 700 hp (or, more specifically, 720 Raptor R–beating hp) will be a disappointment. It’s simply a matter of whether it will be a pavement pounder or another desert racer.