Performance Truck Spec Battle - RAM 1500 TRX vs FORD Ranger Raptor

Most 4x4 vehicles are designed with the capability to crawl over tricky obstacles at a tortoise’s pace. But then there are the hares.

The 2021 RAM 1500 TRX is the world’s fastest mass-production “super truck”. A natural successor to the RAM SRT-10 of 2004, the flagship of the company’s new DT-series is rumoured to reach Australian shores around mid-2021 through the official importer and remanufacturer, American Special Vehicles. Here, we're comparing the eagerly anticipated TRX with the highly regarded performance ute created by Ford Australia – the Ranger Raptor.

Image Credit : Ford Motor Company LLC

The TRX features a supercharged version of the world-famous Hemi V8 – with monumental power and torque outputs of 523kW and 882Nm. And the TRX’s official performance times have even been beaten: Motor Trend registered 4.1 seconds for the 0-60 miles per hour (0-97km/h) sprint and 12.7 seconds for the quarter mile when it independently tested the TRX. A huge airbox gulps 32.9 litres of air per minute.

The king of the Ford Rangers, the Raptor, can’t compete on acceleration, though the model – designed and developed in Australia – offers plenty of driveability, with its twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel producing its 500Nm from low in the rev range. For a performance truck, its fuel economy is quite impressive, too. Drivers can also take direct control of gear changes with standard paddle-shift levers.

Image Credit : Fiat Chrysler Automobiles / FCA US LLC. 

As a “full size’ US truck, the TRX is understandably bigger than the Raptor that is based on the “mid size” Ranger ute. The RAM is bigger in every other dimension, too, though naturally it is also the heavier of the two vehicles.

The Raptor can carry a heavier load in its tray with a payload advantage of more than 150kg, while the TRX has bragging rights when it comes to braked towing capacity – capable of towing an extra 1.1 tonnes. The Raptor’s performance focus means it towing capacity is a tonne down on the regular Ranger.

The TRX and Ranger Raptor are both engineered to go off road – at low speed … and very high speed. And there are plenty of commonalities when it comes to the specifications behind their capabilities.

The RAM and Ford both feature a dual-range transfer case, unique suspension set-ups that include significant suspension travel increases over a regular 1500 and Ranger, an electronic locking rear differential, performance dampers (Bilstein Black Hawk e2 on the TRX, Fox Racing Shox on the Raptor), and selectable driving modes that can adjust torque distribution, engine/gearbox response, and stability and control systems for different terrain (and shocks in the case of the TRX). They even share a Baja mode for max-attack desert running.

Completing the impressive off-road packages are super-generous ground clearances (approaching 30cm in both cases) and super-grippy rubber exclusive to each vehicle. The TRX wears 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory All Terrain, and the Raptor features specially developed 33-inch BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres (with sidewalls said to be 20 per cent stiffer than standard factory tyres).

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