I could be wrong, but I don't think this is the next TRX. Rebel maybe but not TRX. Hear me out for a second before we jump to alot of conclusions and everything else. Currently, the Ram Rebel sits in a weird spot kind of by itself. It's an off roader that is out powered by the Silverado ZR2 6.2L V8 (420hp vs 395hp), the Tundra TRD Pro (435hp vs 395hp) and the regular Raptor 3.5L Ecoboost (450hp vs 395hp). Logically, a 420hp 3.0L SO and the 510hp 3.0LHO would compete against the Chevy ZR2 and Regular Raptor while something more powerful would compete against the Raptor R. People keep talking about the sound and trying to compare it to a pushrod V8. Of course it won't sound great next to a V8. Not much does. It's sounds decent for an inline-6 twin turbo, which is what it is. Thinking logically, a Hurricane powered Rebel makes more sense than the outclassed 5.7L Hemi V8 in this aspect, which is why I don't think that this is a new TRX. It's just testing in a TRX body, which may potentially be a good thing if the next gen Rebel receives alot of the TRX goodies. Also understand something else this is a Stock 6-cylinder. You put aftermarket exhaust systems on them and they start to sound alot better. Granted we've been spoiled with 392s and Hellcats with big cubic inch V8s with 2.75" exhaust with factory high flow mufflers and things like that but the world is going back to forced induction 6-cylinder muscle cars like the Grand National, The GMC Typhoon and vehicles like that. This is the 70's and 80's all over again but with way more power.
I think it is an unfair assumption to say that the future of the brand is going to be boring and dull. I actually beg to differ. From what it seems, the hurricane engines have massive tuning potential, way more than the 3.6L 5.7L or the 6.4L so for the people who really like building their cars, this will be a market for us. Turbocharged engines respond very well to bolt on modifications and simple bolt ons and tunes can yield impressive power gains, without tearing into the engine. Stock numbers of 420hp/468tq out perform the 6.1L SRT engines and the 510hp or even Cat-3 550hp definitely outperforms the amazing 392 right from the start. Remember these are stock numbers in trucks and SUVs so what will we see in the cars? This is all before adding any kind of Hybrid system which would turn these cars into supercars more or less. The Last Acura NSX was a V6 twin turbo Hybrid that was an amazing performer, so just imagine any kind of Viper or Hellcat replacement vehicle with a hybrid 3.0L Hurricane Cat 3 powertrain or even a Nettuno 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo Hybrid system. This SRT-6 generation of performance vehicles definitely does not promise to be a boring generation of vehicles at all. Take those stock numbers and just imaging what a few Direct Connection Stage packages would do with them and if Dodge does any kind of magic to these cars like they did with the SRT4 Neon and SRT4 Neon ACR and the Stage kits for them, then no, these aren't going to be boring at all. I still stand by the though that the base cars will come with the 2.0L Hybrid with 375hp/470tq or maybe even detuned a bit to 450tq to give a bit of space between it and the 420hp/468tq 3.0L Hurricane SO. Even with that right there, that's more HP than a 5.7L Hemi and the 310hp/350tq 2.3L Ecoboost in the base mustang, which is the closest competitor to the Challenger or Charger. Coming in with all-wheel drive and a hybrid powertrain for better economy, these new powertrains really put the next-gen cars right in line with everything else out there. I know the old school guys will cry and complain about not having an outdated and outclassed V8 just because it sounds good (which in all fairness, nothing sounds better than a pushrod V8. can't argue that at all). But a "Cleaner" v8 isn't going to be a money maker, especially with the EPA up their butts about everything with the Hellcats and Hemis at this point. Honestly, a "cleaner" v8 would really just be a small cubic inch DOHC twin turbo V8, which isn't going to sound like the pushrod v8s we have to begin with and on top of that, they're going to be low production and high priced along with an even steeper gas guzzler tax so it really makes no sense for a "cleaner" V8. either that or it will be so choked out that it won't even be a point in having the V8 at all, just like they did in the '70's. At this point, a high performance hybrid 6-cylinder twin turbo with a Fratzonic exhaust system that still gives the vehicle sound while being in EV mode makes way more sense than a V8 that's going to be problematic to the brand.
