AJAC Names 2023 RAM 1500 Best Large Pickup Truck in Canada
The results are in: RAM 1500 is the "Best Large Pickup Truck in Canada for 2023," according to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and the annual Canadian Car of the Year awards.
It's the third time in four years, too -- the first, in 2020, and the second and third, in 2021 and now 2023. It's not just truck journos doing a few test-drives, putting in a vote at the annual Test Fest, and calling it a day, either.
Canadians love full-size trucks, after all. And those drives? Done on Canadian roads, in Great White North weather, all over the country -- testing every aspect of the pickup. So, there's a lot to what makes it a favorite -- more than you might think.
Why RAM 1500 is So Popular in Canada
It's capable, sure, with a tow capacity up to 5,783 kilograms (12,750 pounds) and ready to haul payloads up to 1,043 kilograms (2,300 pounds). The 48-volt mild hybrid system on its V6 and V8 engines? Keeps things running efficiently, too. The pickup even comes in a half-ton diesel, pushing 480 pound-feet of torque (great for a trailer or boat), doing 8.0L/100km on the highway, and hitting just over 1,500 kilometers of range on a full tank.
Thing is, it's also expertly customizable -- much in the way that made AJAC love it. (You'll need that kind of latitude if you're off-roading in Canada; North York Creek Plane Crash Trail in Alberta, around Tin Hat Mountain in British Columbia, you name it -- we've got some tough trails.) Consider the 2023 RAM 1500 TRX.
TRX and TRX Havoc: Built for the Unbeaten Path
It's probably the ruggedest in the line, built for the toughest stuff -- heavy snow, white-out conditions, black ice on the Yellowhead, out-of-the-way places galore off the Trans-Canada Highway, and, according to online driver's ed resource Zutobi, some of the worst roads around.
But you can do so much more with it than horsepower and torque ratings can deliver. Its high-performance variant, the 2023 RAM 1500 TRX Havoc, is a great example of how.
The 2023 @RamTrucks 1500 TRX Havoc Edition is the 4x4 Big Bird would drive: https://t.co/YP2QXZJGNU pic.twitter.com/luqw0qCz1H
— Car and Driver (@CARandDRIVER) January 2, 2023
Beyond the beastly supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 and the cool Baja Yellow, Havoc is loaded: the TRX Level 2 Equipment Group, 18-inch blacked-out wheels (bead lock-capable, for off-roading), cargo accessories like a bed step, a spray-in bedliner, and tie-downs (for transporting and accessing all that outdoor gear) -- the works.
And it's eight inches wider than other 2023 RAM 1500 models, too -- meaning, a lot more stable over fallen trees and rockpiles. 35-inch Wrangler Territory AT tires, the Goodyear kind -- they'll give you great grip in the snow and through the mud. There's even a dual-pane panoramic sunroof -- something you don't see every day on a full-size pickup -- so, open-air freedom.
The Prowler Yellow stitching and embroidered TRX logo on the seats, though; the carbon-fiber accents on the interior, on the flatbottom steering wheel, to go with the leather -- they're the attention-getters off the trail. Tech like a Head-up Display, adaptive cruise control, Lane Keep Assist -- they're just cruising value added to what's otherwise a towing, hauling, mudding, rock-crawling, dune-bashing machine.
Unfortunately, though, even if you could get a 1500 TRX Havoc a little cheaper than its sibling from 2022, RAM 1500 TRX Sandblast Edition, they're hard to find -- not too many were made. If you're one of the few that got one, good on you; the mods you can do, even on an already custom truck like it, are endless.
Of course, that's true of your RAM 1500, too; even if it's not a TRX, it can be a lot like one.
Top RAM 1500 Upgrades
Performance
Horsepower, torque, efficiency, handling, stopping power -- you can improve them all by installing a turbocharger or supercharger, swapping out your old air intake for a cold air intake, replacing your regular air filter with a performance air filter, and putting in a custom exhaust.
Handling
You can make this even better by raising the suspension (changing the springs, adding performance shocks and struts), switching alloy wheels for steel (for more durability to boot), and putting in custom brakes.
Accessories
Sure, you can trailer, but you'll need the equipment to actually do it. Cargo accessories are good places to start -- a cargo management system and a protective bed liner, to name a couple -- as is LED bed lighting (which'll make loading and unloading the truck box at camp in low light a lot easier). Then, there's trailering accessories, of course -- a coupler and hitch, plus a ball mount and ball, just for starters.
Transporting camping gear, heading off-road with ATVs -- you'll be doing it all before you know it. Just be sure, if you're not doing DIY, to have your ride customized by a professional who knows their way around parts and accessories. Make sure genuine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) get used, too. That means Mopar -- the brand manufactures for RAM trucks exclusively, so what you get will be top-quality, guaranteed to fit, and backed by warranty.