YouTuber Tests Ram’s Ultimate Off-Roaders on Concrete Jungle

Ram Power Wagon and TRX have to go over pavement to get to their natural habitats. Which one does it better?

When you search for videos of the Ram 2500 Power Wagon or 1500 TRX, you can accurately predict what you’ll see. You’ll find weeks of footage showing the Power Wagon going through off-road hell and back without breaking a sweat (or using its Warn winch to pull itself to solid ground). You can watch videos of the TRX flying over dunes at insane speeds until your eyes are dry and bloodshot. One of the latest uploads from YouTuber Ben Hardy is different because it focuses on how the two rock-crawling, desert-shredding beasts perform on pavement.

Hardy heads to the Larry H. Miller Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealership in Sandy, Utah to conduct his test. Not only does it have a Power Wagon, but it has one of the 75th Anniversary Edition models with special exterior and interior trim, vertical grille bars, 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, leather interior and 17-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Equipped with 14.2 inches of ground clearance and wide mirrors, it offers an expansive view of the road.

According to Hardy, the ride quality is “still just as smooth as a regular 2500, but you do get a little bit more motion in the suspension, so you get kind of like a little bit more up-and-down movement.” He stops short of calling it rough, but we wouldn’t blame him if he used that word because our experience in Power Wagons has taught us it’s a fitting description.

Hardy finds the acceleration from the massive 6.4-liter Hemi plenty quick, especially because of the gearbox attached to it. “The gearshifts are extremely smooth, it feels quicker because of the eight-speed, everything is just better with this eight-speed automatic” compared to the old six-speed unit in past Power Wagons.

Hardy knows the TRX’s on-road characteristics well because he’s put 3,000 miles on one of his own. He puts a few more on its odometer taking it through the same pavement loop that he drove in the Power Wagon. The worst parts of the road bring out the best in the TRX, particularly its Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive suspension. “When you go over a bump, in a regular 1500, the truck gets more upset than the TRX. The TRX doesn’t get upset whatsoever because of those active shocks.” Its steering is just as composed, feeling a lot tighter than the rack in the heavy-duty Power Wagon.

Another thing you won’t find in Power Wagon and TRX videos is the words Hardy uses to describe their fundamental on-road differences. “The Power Wagon kind of feels like a sports sedan, in a way, whereas this [the TRX] feels more like a sports car.” That just goes to show how powerful the Hellcat engine is. Even when it’s limited to 702 horsepower, it makes a 6,300-pound pickup on 35s seem as if it’s a much lighter, much more athletic machine.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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