Half-ton pickups designed for dune bashing to the tune of supercharger whine and V8 rumble. The 2023 model year Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX couldn’t be more similar, but on the other hand, one of these trucks is faster in the quarter mile. Care to guess which one?
The HEMI-powered truck has the upper hand in this particular scenario, which is a bit curious given that we’re dealing with a curb weight of 6,350 pounds (2,880 kilograms) compared to 5,950 pounds (2,699 kilograms).
On the other hand, it’s not exactly a surprising result given that lighter tires (35-inch-diameter rubber shoes for the Ram versus 37s for the Ford) translate to a lower moment of inertia. Rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag also have a big say from zero to the quarter mile, as do tire temperature, gearing, and – of course – the driver’s reaction. Back in November 2022, the good folks at Throttle House raced the TRX and RR in rather cold weather.
The TRX did not even break a sweat from a dig.
When equipped with 37-inch tires, on the other hand, the TRX has to settle for second. Coming courtesy of Vehicle Virgins, the featured clip is the very definition of an unfair race. Not because the 35s went out in favor of the 37s from Toyo but because the steel front bumper of the TRX adds some unwanted weight. The aftermarket lights up front, bed-mounted tire carriers, and two wheels and tires in said carriers add unwanted weight as well.
“I noticed a handful of comments about the tires in the rear of the TRX,” wrote Parker Nirenstein on YouTube. “While it’s true that adds weight, to counterbalance that there was a 200-pound (91-kilogram) passenger in the Raptor as well as a stock spare tire under the F-150 Raptor R’s bumper.”
Considering the extra weight on that TRX, as well as the 3.55 gearing as opposed to the Ford’s more aggressive 4.10 gears, the 200-pound rear passenger in the RR doesn’t really make up for the aforementioned additions. By the way, the pictured TRX is also rocking a lift kit.
Regardless of which truck you prefer, the winner here isn’t the Raptor R. It’s both of these gnarly machines, 700-horsepower trucks that bash dunes into submission like there’s no tomorrow. They might also be the last of their kind, given the increasingly aggressive push for all-electric vehicles. General Motors has already dipped its toes into the EV off-road truck segment with the Hummer EV, which obliterates both the TRX and RR.
On the other hand, the GMC Hummer EV lacks the aural qualities of these dinosaur juice-drinking pickups. Impressive though it may be, the 1,000-hp Hummer EV simply lacks the sheer excitement and visceral rawness of a supercharger whine intertwined with the rumble of a good ol’ V8.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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