Five Ways the Ram TRX is Superior to the Ford Raptor

Ram TRX is bigger, stronger and faster with a big edge in interior technology as well.

On Monday, August 17, 2020, FCA introduced the Hellcat-powered Ram 1500 TRX as the quickest, fastest and most powerful mass-produced pickup truck in the world. Realistically, making this claim isn’t that dramatic, as there is only one other mass-produced truck on the market that comes close to competing and that is the Ford F-150 Raptor. The Raptor has been the king of the half-ton segment since it was introduced for the 2010 model year, but that is due to the fact that Ram, General Motors and Toyota didn’t offer a worthy adversary.

With the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX coming to market, the Raptor doesn’t just have an adversary – it is a competitor that is superior in every way. Here is a list of the 5 ways in which the TRX is the most superior to the Raptor, in no particular order.

1. Supercharged Hemi

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is powered by the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 that was first introduced in the Dodge Hellcat cars. Like the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, the Ram won’t use the Hellcat name, but it is the same basic engine. There are intake and exhaust revisions for the truck which lead to slightly different power levels compared to the Dodge and Jeep models, but with 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the TRX is the most powerful mass produced truck ever.

The next-most-powerful half-ton in the history of the American performance truck segment is the Dodge Ram SRT10, which offered 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque. The most powerful truck right now, until the TRX reaches dealerships later this year, is the current Ford F-150 Raptor.

The Raptor is powered by a twin turbocharged EcoBoost V6 that delivers 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. The Ram TRX crushes the F-150 in both of those categories, but there is another advantage for the Hemi truck. It doesn’t sound like a V6 Honda Accord with eBay exhaust.

The Raptor’s engine is powerful, but the sound coming from the exhaust just doesn’t fit for a full-sized American performance truck. When you add aftermarket exhaust, the sport compact-like quality of the exhaust note gets even worse, so the supercharged Hemi has a big advantage in both power and exhaust sound.

2. Quicker & Faster

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX uses 702 horsepower, 650 lb-ft of torque and an advanced four-wheel-drive system to lay down some incredible on-road performance numbers. Even though this truck was built to dominate the off-road world, it is the quickest and fastest half-ton truck on the market in terms of on-road figures.

The TRX rockets from a stop to 60 miles per hour in just 4.5 seconds with the huge 35-inch off-road tires. Getting to 100 takes it just 10.5 seconds and it covers the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds with a speed of 108 miles per hour. Due to the speed rating of the big off-road tires, the top speed of the supercharged Ram is limited to 118 miles per hour. If not for the electronic limiter set to the top speed of the tires, this Ram 1500 would surely go well beyond 118 miles per hour.

We searched around online and found some numbers for the Ford F-150 Raptor. Reported 0-to-60 times range from 5.2 to 5.6 while reported quarter mile times range from 13.9 to the low 14-second range. We couldn’t find a 0-to-100 time for the Raptor, but Motor Trend ran a 13.9 at 97.3 miles per hour with one in a 2017 model. If it took 13.9 seconds to get to 97, then 100 took somewhere in the 14-second range. As for top speed, the Raptor is limited to 107 miles per hour.

In short, the TRX has a higher top speed and considerably better acceleration numbers, beating the Raptor’s reported quarter mile times by a second or more.

‘Five Ways the Ram TRX is Superior to the Ford Raptor’ continued…

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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