The Ford Ranger Raptor is one of South Africa’s most sought-after bakkies for good reason, being the flagship model of what is already one of the country’s top-selling vehicles.
The premiere model of the Blue Oval’s domestic line-up, the Raptor boasts an incredibly powerful engine along with several bespoke enhancements that effectively grant fans both a bakkie and a rally car tailored for famous events like the Baja 1000.
Naturally, this means the Ranger commands a sizeable price tag of R1,184,100, and its stance as a halo-model bakkie is largely uncontested within South Africa as units like the Jeep Gladiator and Ineos Quartermaster deliver very different driving experiences, while Isuzu’s own D-Max Arctic is designed more for serious overlanding rather than rally-like performance.
However, there is one other vehicle available to South Africans that can provide a high-octane racing experience while resembling the shape of your typical double cab – this being RAM’s flagship TRX.
Imported from America by a company called U.S Trucks located in Richard’s Bay, the TRX is the definitive RAM pickup truck with ludicrous performance and, as you might expect, a staggering price tag of R4.4 million – a sizeable portion of which includes import costs since the RAM is not officially on sale here.
The true rival of the RAM TRX is the Ford F-150 Raptor, the big brother to the Ranger Raptor we’re familiar with, but this is unfortunately not on sale in South Africa and likely won’t be any time soon given that these big and brash 4x4s struggle to find a consistent audience outside of their home turf, but it’s nevertheless a fun exercise to see what one of the USA’s most prestigious pickups has to offer, and how it compares to the best that South Africa has access to.
Pushing things to the limit
Unlike the other Ford Rangers, which all use some form of turbocharged diesel engine, the Raptor is unique for offering a 3.0-litre, V6, twin-turbo powerplant that runs on petrol.
This is something you’ll quickly notice when looking at the US auto scene, which is that most pickups there prefer petrol (gasoline) to diesel, likely because of the greater performance and the fact that America still enjoys relatively low fuel prices compared to most other countries.
Case in point is the RAM TRX, which settled for nothing less than a 6.2-litre, V8, twin-supercharged Hellcat petrol unit developed by Chrysler’s Street and Racing (SRT) division.
You can find a full breakdown of the two different engines below:
| Specification | Ford Ranger Raptor | RAM TRX |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0-litre, V6, twin-turbo petrol | 6.2-litre, V8, twin-supercharged petrol |
| Power | 292kW | 523kW |
| Torque | 583Nm | 881Nm |
| Fuel consumption | 11.5l/100km | 19.8l/100km |
| 0-100km/h | Under 6.0 seconds | 4.5 seconds |
| Top speed | 180km/h | 190km/h |
Of course, the RAM has the Raptor beat in every regard here, but considering the price gulf between them it’s hardly surprising.
In fact, it is actually remarkable how well the Ranger stacks up to the TRX considering that it is not Ford’s actual rival in this space, and while neither will be winning any awards for efficiency, the Ford does boast the ‘better’ fuel consumption of 11.5l/100km compared to the RAM’s terrifying near-20l/100km.
Being made for different markets, the two 4x4s naturally also have their own dimensions and capabilities as you can see below:
| Specification | Ford Ranger Raptor | RAM TRX |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 5,360mm | 5,915mm |
| Width | 2,225mm | 2,235mm |
| Height | 1,926mm | 2,053mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,270mm | 3,686mm |
| Ground clearance | 272mm | 300mm |
| Wading depth | 850mm | 813mm |
| Approach angle | 32.0 degrees | 30.2 degrees |
| Break-over angle | 24.0 degrees | 21.9 degrees |
| Departure angle | 27.0 degrees | 23.5 degrees |
| Load capacity | 667kg | 596kg |
| Towing capacity | 2,500kg | 3,674kg |
The Ranger is by no means a car suited for driving around town, but it does have the slight edge over the RAM’s 6-metre long body in Cape Town’s non-existent parking scene.
The larger vehicle does have a better ground clearance, but a lower wading depth, and the Ford even has better off-roading angles across the board.
The TRX does have a substantially higher towing capacity, though interestingly both have rather low carrying capacities for vehicles of their price brackets and engines,
This is mostly due to their racing suspension that somewhat compromises their utilitarian role, as the Raptor uses Fox-developed shocks while the TRX gets its shocks from Bilstein.
Rich in features
Since they’re both flagship models, customers lucky enough to own either the Ranger or TRX can expect a host of luxuries as standard.
These include automatic LED headlights, keyless entry and start, full leather upholstery, a 10-speaker sound system, two 12-inch displays for the driver and infotainment, parking sensors, an all-round camera system, ambient lighting, a wireless charger, a multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and electronically adjustable front sport seats.
They even have a similar selection of driving modes with settings for Mud, Sand, Towing, Sport, and even Baja – a high-performance setup that takes its name from the race held in Mexico.
The only minor differences are that the Raptor uses 17-inch alloys instead of 18-inch ones, and has a Bang & Olufsen stereo instead of an Alpine-branded speaker system.
Pricing
The RAM TRX is available from US Trucks at a starting price of approximately R4.4 million.
This includes a 3-year/100,000km warranty and roadside assistance plan.
The Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 EcoBoost Raptor 4WD has a starting price of R1,184,100.
Each purchase comes with a 4-year/120,000km warranty.
RAM TRX
Ford Ranger Raptor
Keyword: Ford Ranger Raptor vs RAM TRX – The difference R3 million makes