With the recent debut of the new Ram Rebel TRX, the off-road performance pickup wars have officially kicked off. Ford first started this feud with the debut of the F-150 Raptor – an impressive package that went unanswered for years, but now things are getting a bit more interesting thanks to the Rebel TRX and the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado ZRX, as well.
Fiat Chrysler was riding high last week following the debut of the Rebel TRX, but taking photos and sending out a press release is the easy part. Now the automaker is busy putting the finishing touches on the truck and getting it ready for its upcoming market launch and it seems it may have hit a snag in this process over the weekend.
We recently spotted this uncamouflaged Ram Rebel TRX test prototype driving down the road in Metro Detroit when it suddenly came to a stop. The truck had to be flat towed away from the scene of the break down – likely to the chagrin of the FCA engineer or employee behind the wheel at the time.
Not to be overly harsh, but this isn’t a great look for the new Ram Rebel TRX. Michigan is filled with car enthusiasts and we wouldn’t be surprised if many motorists were aware of what this prototype was and were excited to see a Rebel TRX out in public, only for it to come to a grinding halt and get towed away shortly after. We aren’t aware of this happening to any Chevrolet Silverado ZRX prototypes, but then again, GM probably wouldn’t happily come out and tell us one of its test vehicles suffered a catastrophic failure.
That said, this news may still be a bit unsettling for those FCA customers who have already reserved the sold-out $92,000 Ram Rebel TRX Launch Edition or even just the standard base model that starts at not insignificant $72,000. The truck may still be under development, but this is a 2021 model year product, so its arrival is not far out by any means. Let’s hope this is the last time FCA experiences this issue with its development trucks.
As a reminder, the new Ram Rebel TRX produces 702 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2L HEMI V8, which is paired with a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel-drive. The truck will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 4.5 seconds and will also feature all-new independent front and rear suspension with specially-tuned Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance dampers.
GM’s answer to the Ram Rebel TRX, the Chevrolet Silverado ZRX, is expected to feature a supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive. Intel on its engine output, performance figures, suspension setup and other aspects is not yet known, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Silverado news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
What else could you possibly expect. A truck sporting 700+ horsepower is unlikely to display longevity.
It’s a tall order. But if it can’t handle 700hp it shouldn’t have 700hp.
It’s built to jump dunes but even it can’t handle the pot holes and conditions of Detroit streets
There still isnt any closure considering the fact that no real solid information has been released on the zrx much less a supercharged zrx.
Well, not surprising given Fiat’s track record. Why anybody would buy Fiat junk is beyond me.
Fiat maybe, but its engine tech almost goes back 20 years, when it was briefly sold alongside the 1960’s designed “Magnum”, it itself is almost 30 years old now.
The youngest Magnum series engine will be 20, in 2023. Same goes for the original Vortec 350. And the old 4.3 V6, the last all-iron modern engine will mark its 10th decade, in 2024.
Funnily enough, the 2020 Journey still uses a transmission that was last seen in Reagan’s last days in office.
(In a quiet British accent) We quietly observe a Ram with it’s natural companion in the wild……
That sound about right the TRX HellCat needed a Brake get it. No new Dodge is worth $90 or $100K
Seriously? You guys call this new worthy? I don’t care what the brand is, I’ll say the same thing even if it was a story about a Toyota doing this. So tell me this. Isn’t the entire purpose of “testing” a vehicle to see how it does and try and break it? Shouldn’t this be looked at as being a good thing that something shows up in the “testing” rather than in the hands of customers? And then some of the comments above making it sound like this is a vehicle that has been in the hands of customers for months now.
Sorry, but between stupid articles like this and the “rendering” articles, this site seems to be struggling for good articles to write.
I agree Dan. This site is starting to get stale. We need info on GM’s answer to both FCA’s and Fords “offload” trucks. Ford went to the V6 in the Raptor, and FCA is using the 6.2 Hemi with a super charger. GM needs to step up and soon. We have been hearing about the “new” Raptor beater for far too long. Where is it? I suppose, GM is still banking on the electric car craze. I don’t see it myself. Come on guys, get this truck out there now. And make it affordable for Joe Normal. $100,000.00 or more is nuts. NO truck is worth that kind of cash. Especially, when it looses a ton of value the minute you drive it off the dealers lot. We can only hope!!!!!!
Thank you Dan, for your thoughts on stupid articles and renderings! Most of us know that the renderings mean nothing, other than someone might occasionally have a better eye than GM for design. But some visiting this site, and you can tell from their comments, believe that they actually come from GM, which doesn’t do anyone a favor.
GM is just mad because they have nothing even close to this truck or any Ram! This story is fake news anyway it never happened typical when you’ve lost market share and customer satisfaction lmao chevy sux!
Just another nail in gm’s coffin