Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush: entry-level muscle truck with a naturally aspirated V8

American tuning house Roush Performance and Stellantis corporation have jointly developed an off-road-oriented muscle truck, the Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush, powered by a 5.7-litre petrol V8 HEMI engine. It is aimed at those for whom the factory Ram 1500 SRT TRX with its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 HEMI is too extreme, and the Ram 1500 RHO with its 3.0-litre Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder is too unconventional.

Following the return of the V8 HEMI engines, Stellantis has noticeably expanded the Ram full-size pickup family, and this has borne fruit: in the first half of this year, Ram sales in the US grew by 15% to 235,332 vehicles. It is worth recalling that in May, the Ram 1500 gained three new sporty versions for the road, while the newly unveiled Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush is geared towards off-road use and serves as an alternative to the purely factory-built Ram 1500 RHO with its 3.0-litre Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder producing 548 bhp.

The Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush is based on the factory four-wheel-drive Ram 1500 Big Horn pickup with a double cab and a 5.7-litre V8 HEMI (401 bhp, 556 Nm). Stellantis fits it with the Level II equipment package (which includes a 12-inch multimedia screen, a powerful nine-speaker audio system, wireless smartphone charging, a storage compartment under the rear bench, and other conveniences), the Ram Direct Connection sport package, the Night Edition Blackout styling package, metal underbody protection, side steps in the style of the Ram 1500 SRT TRX, Mopar leather seats, and an electronic rear differential lock.

The vehicle then passes into the hands of Roush Performance specialists, where it receives a reworked suspension with ground clearance increased by 5 cm and energy-dense twin-tube Roush Performance 2.0 dampers. Roush replaces the stock 20-inch wheels with its own 18-inch items, shod with aggressive 33-inch General Grabber A/TX tyres. The powertrain remains stock, but Roush installs a sport exhaust system with a button to activate a loud mode. Yes, the Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush is significantly less powerful than the Ram 1500 RHO, but it is precisely the rousing sound of the naturally aspirated V8 that should draw buyers to it.

Other visual enhancements from Roush Performance include a sport bonnet with ventilation grilles along the edges, a radiator grille with three marker lights and a red Ram logo, red tow hooks in the front bumper, black wheel-arch extensions, and a set of branded decals and badges.

The Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush starts at $80,300, whereas the Ram 1500 RHO starts at $78,085, and the supercharged Ram 1500 SRT TRX with 788 bhp starts at $102,590.