And look, we know that fuel economy doesn’t really matter in when it comes to a super-truck like the TRX. When you have a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 under the hood and a capable off-road suspension under the body, how many miles you’re getting to the gallon is almost definitely among the last things on your mind. Topics such as where the nearest dunes are located, or what kind of sweet jumps you can do are surely rattling around louder in your brain bin. But hilariously bad fuel economy is still bad fuel economy, chuckles aside. So, just how bad is it? According to FCA, TRX owners can expect 10 miles to the gallon during city driving, 14 mpg on the highway, and just 12 mpg combined, according to Ram. That’s ’80s supercar thirsty.
While in our possession for testing, we drove the TRX in a number of different environments and under different loads over 1,200 miles. We averaged just 10 mpg. Look, we know the Hellcat engine—Ram says it isn’t a Hellcat engine because that branding is a Dodge thing, but it’s totally a Hellcat engine—isn’t exactly frugal. But the (admittedly lighter) 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody coupe at least manages 21 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. The much heavier, four-wheel-drive TRX pickup is not the vessel in which the big engine could possibly shine in terms of fuel efficiency.
To state the obvious, feeding the Ram 1500 TRX’s V-8 will cost you. Let’s say you average the EPA-estimated combined figure, 12 mpg, and drive about 12,000 miles a year (the national average). Taking into account the AAA’s average price of a gallon of premium gasoline ($2.76 at time of publication), you’d spend more than $2,760 on fuel alone. It’s safe to assume that, if you end up with a TRX, you’re going to be spending a lot of time and dough at the pump, but also pretty safe to assume you don’t—and shouldn’t—care, because the pricey, hugely capable truck is worth whatever money you sink into the experience.
