Five Ways the Ram TRX is Superior to the Ford Raptor

3. Better Off-Road Clearances

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX comes with 18-by-9-inch wheels wrapped in 325/65/18 tires that were designed by Goodyear specifically for this supercharged super-truck. For those who aren’t great with the conversions, the TRX tires are 34.8-inches tall and 13.5-inches wide. When coupled with the standard 2-inch lift of the TRX, it offers the best clearance numbers in the segment, matching or beating the Raptor in every metric.

The two performance trucks are equal in approach angle and water fording depth. They both have an approach angle of 30.2 degrees while being able to drive through 32 inches of water. The Ram breakover angle is 21.9 degrees to 21.8 degrees for the Ford. The Ram departure angle is 23.5 degrees to the Raptor’s 22.9 degrees. The Ram has 11.8 inches of ground clearance while the Raptor has just 11.2 inches. For those wondering, the Raptor’s tires are 34.4 inches tall and 12.4 inches wide.

In matching or beating the Raptor in all of those key measurements, the TRX is more capable in every off-road setting.

4. TRX is a Harder Worker

While we don’t imagine that many people will buy the $70,000 Ram 1500 TRX for a work truck, it offers impressive payload and towing figures. It will haul up to 1,310 pounds in the bed while towing up to 8,100 pounds. The towing figure isn’t as high as some people had hoped, as other Ram 1500 models can pull nearly 13,000 pounds, but the TRX is still a harder worker than the Ford.

The 2020 F-150 Raptor is capable of hauling 1,200 pounds in the bed and towing 8,000 pounds. Also, we would bet that the Hemi with 650 lb-ft of torque pulls 8,000 pounds a whole lot more comfortably than the V6 with 510 lb-ft.

Also, while both trucks offer an option trailer backup assist system, Ram brags that theirs doesn’t require the level of preparation of the Ford system. With the Ford, you have to locate a specific sticker on your trailer and then enter measurements into the truck’s onboard computer system before it will work correctly. The Ram system doesn’t require the special sticker and it calibrates to the trailer size on its own. The Ford system isn’t hard to setup, but no setup is easier than a simple setup.

5. Biggest and Best Interior in the Class

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX comes standard with the Crew Cab, which offers the most interior space of any truck in the half-ton segment. There is so much interior space that TRX models with the TR2 equipment package get reclining rear seats, in addition to premium heated leather with cooled front seats. The front seats offer a sportier design than the buckets in the Raptor, with deep bolsters to keep the driver and passenger in place while rocking along the rough trails. Best of all, the Ram sport seats are standard in cloth, with the different option packages adding leather.

Next, the Ram TRX comes standard with the biggest infotainment system in the class. The gorgeous 12-inch UConnect system controls every aspect of the vehicle and Ford doesn’t have any sort of system that comes close to rivaling the technology in the Ram. The TRX also has an optional 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system that blows away anything from Ford, but wait, there’s more!

The Ram TRX also comes standard with a reconfigurable 7-inch TFT gauge cluster. The gauge cluster screen in the Raptor is 4.2 inches while the in-dash infotainment screen measures 8 inches. Also, the Ram TRX is the first new FCA product to showcase the optional heads-up display system, but the Raptor has no such option.

Finally, in addition to all of the other niceties, the Ram 1500 TRX can now be ordered with a 9.2-inch digital rearview mirror. This is another option that Ford doesn’t have for the Raptor.

Photos: FCA

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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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