- F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Horsepower Wars
- F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Heavyweight Hitters
- F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Towing, Payload
- F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Off-Road Chops
- F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: The Price of Performance
When the Ram 1500 TRX showed up, the extra-fun full-size pickup truck game was shook—and so it’s no surprise it took the 2021 MotorTrend Truck of the Year crown. For all its capability and firepower, the “regular” F-150 Raptor has been overshadowed by its V-8 rival. Which is probably unfair; the twin-turbo V-6-powered Raptor is quick, capable, and a hell of a lot of fun. But the 2023 F-150 Raptor R changes all of that. Its Shelby GT500-derived supercharged V-8 levels the playa. How level? We won’t know until we put them head-to-head, but we can glean a lot from what we know about this new fire-breathing Ford.
F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Horsepower Wars
Whatever the actual product cadence narrative is, the TRX sure looks like it had caught out Ford, with the Raptor-come-lately-R dropping well after the TRX had “chomped” on its predecessor (per the cheeky T-Rex nomming a tiny velociraptor Easter egg in the center console). That’s all ancient history now, as the archaeological record will show some more even predator battles between the two now that the Raptor R has achieved underhood parity.
The Raptor R’s numbers are, at least on paper, a smidge lower than the TRX’s. The Raptor R’s 5.2-liter supercharged “Predator” V-8 makes 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque—that’s two ponies and 10 lb-ft behind the TRX’s 6.2-liter V-8. The Raptor R revs a little higher (7,000 RPM max, compared to the TRX’s 6,200 RPM limit), and that makes sense given the comparative sizes of the rotating assemblies. The TRX makes peak horsepower with fewer revolutions—6,200 RPM, to be exact. The Raptor R doesn’t make peak power until 6,650 RPM. That said, the Raptor R makes peak torque a few hundred RPM lower.
It’s kind of a wash, really. The Raptor R’s smaller V-8 spins a little faster to replace that displacement, but its quick-spooling supercharger helps build torque quickly. The important thing is, despite being down a full liter on displacement, the two engines are neck-and-neck where it counts.
F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Heavyweight Hitters
Parity isn’t quite the same thing as a TRX knockout blow, but Ford has a slightly more subtle secret weapon here: weight. Or lack thereof. The 6,100-odd-pound Raptor R is no lightweight, but its 700-hp is hauling around nearly 700 fewer pounds. That puts its weight-to-power ratio at just 8.6 pounds per horsepower, which compares favorably to the TRX’s 9.6 pounds per horsepower. It doesn’t hurt that the Raptor R’s blown V-8 only adds about 80 pounds to the mass of the truck.
That should mean despite being down slightly on torque and displacement, the Raptor R has a good chance at edging out the TRX in the all-important (for bragging rights, at least) 0-60 mph jaunt. We put the Raptor R at 3.8 seconds or so, perhaps a bit quicker—an educated guess, but let’s just say it has a strong chance of showing the 4.5-second TRX its taillights at a stoplight drag. The quarter-mile is a whole other ballgame, and we’ll be eager to see how the trucks stack up in that match-up.
F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Towing, Payload
As much fun as it’s going to be to rip around in these things, they’re both full-size trucks and should be expected to do a modicum of work. (This isn’t the 1990s, when high-performance meant your GMC Syclone could neither haul much nor venture offroad. )
The TRX is rated to tow 8,100 pounds—no small feat for a truck with these performance credentials. But its mass appears to be a liability here, as the lighter Raptor R can haul around 8,700 pounds—that differential looks an awful lot like the curb weight difference between the trucks. Must be a coincidence, right?
Things are closer in payload ratings, but the Raptor R also ekes out a small win there. It’ll haul an even 1,400 pounds to the 1,310 pounds of the TRX. That’s basically a whole extra bag of concrete, for those keeping score at home.
F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: Off-Road Chops
Don’t forget that for all the TRX’s prowess where the asphalt ends, the Raptor 37 takes the stock tire crown. And the Raptor R is basically an up-engined Raptor 37, so that truck’s additional ground clearance (and 120-mph governed top speed) also apply. That means the Raptor R benefits from all the chassis enhancements and extra structure that enabled the Raptor 37 to handle them big rollers.
Changes to the suspension of the Raptor R are minimal. The front shocks are 5 percent stiffer to compensate for the increased mass of the V-8; all the other hard work was done on the Raptor 37. That means the two trucks share the same 13.1-inch ground clearance rating.
That puts the Raptor R 1.3 inches higher off the ground than the TRX, which is rated at 11.8 inches of airspace. The additional lift of the Raptor R also pays dividends in approach, departure, and breakover angles—all of which are slightly but meaningfully better than the TRX.
F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX: The Price of Performance
Ford’s pricing strategy is perhaps the boldest departure from its Ram rival. Ford has the 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor R starting at $109,145—about $7,150 more than a comparably equipped Ram TRX. Now, the Raptor R is fully loaded, with paint color and a panoramic sunroof being the only options to choose from. There maybe be some subtlety to the pricing strategy here: it may reflect market realities, be closer to actual transaction prices of the TRX (factoring in dealer markup), or some combination thereof.
The real challenge with either truck is going to be to get one for sticker or close to it, at least for now. A tight market for hot vehicles should mean the Raptor R is going to be hard to get, and that could mean that $109,145 represents a steal. We’ll just have to wait and see how the car buying universe looks this fall, when the Raptor R begins deliveries. In the meantime, the order books are open.
Keyword: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R vs. 2022 Ram 1500 TRX: Blown V-8 Throwdown