Inside the Civilized and Tech-Friendly 2021 Ram 1500 TRX

The large portrait-oriented touchscreen houses the latest FCA infotainment system, Uconnect 4C NAV. The screen is home to the usual media controls, navigation, and phone connection. It also shares information about the vehicle’s performance status and details about many of the pickups features. For fans of SiriusXM satellite radio, it supports the latest SiriusXM 360L with personalized Pandora stations.

The dash is where drivers can see how fast they’re going and how much gas they have. But it’s also where drivers can pull up the system’s Off-Road Pages mode to see how much power is being distributed to each wheel and the pitch and roll angle of the pickup while it’s climbing or descending hills—important information when you’re trying to keep all four wheels on the ground. It’s the same system we’ve seen in the Wrangler.

The 1500 TRX has the expected drive modes, with controls located between the steering wheel and the infotainment display. In addition to the regular Normal mode for on-road driving, it has Wet/Snow, Off-Road, and Baja settings. Baja mode sets up the truck by calibrating the four-wheel-drive, steering, suspension, paddle shifters, and stability control to help you tackle your favorite desert track or other kinds of “undulating, loose surfaces.” If you’re looking for on-road performance, the TRX also has Launch Control, found in the same bundle of controls as the drive modes. When enabled, it manages tire slip. The 12.0-inch display can be used to fine-tune launch control so that the truck takes off at the driver’s preferred rpm.

The center console has a wireless charging dock that lets you keep your phone upright, and it also has five USB ports, including the new USB C standard for newer Android phones. Two of these ports are in the back center console so rear passengers can keep their devices charged, too.

The optional Trailer Reverse Steer Control has a dial that sits below the touchscreen and can be used to make backing up to a trailer hitch easier. The TRX has a maximum trailer tow weight of 8100 pounds.

The 1500 TRX comes with three interior options: cloth and vinyl, leather and suede, or leather and suede with red and carbon-fiber accents. The flat-bottom steering wheel has “enhanced” leather-wrapped grips, and aluminum paddle shifters make their first appearance in a Ram truck. There’s also a 10-speaker audio system; a 19-speaker, 900-watt Harman/Kardon audio system is optional.