The Raptor is the original half-ton pickup truck built for off-roading. It created a huge market for itself. But just because Chevy doesn't make a direct competitor doesn't mean you can't have a Silverado that's equal to the Raptor or even better. Meet the Jackal, a custom-built rig by PaxPower.
The widebody kit is often overlooked, but this is the first thing TFL looks at in this comparison between the Jackal and their own 2020 Ford F-150 Raptor that they bought a few years ago. Having unique bodywork is one of the main reasons people buy sports trucks, and the custom Silverado has all its bases covered.
If you buy the Stage 3 kit from this Texas shop, you'll get about six inches (152 mm) of extra bodywork for a very beefy-looking Silverado. TFL notes that the fit and finish are really good, down to the way the new fenders match the bumpers. The rear axle is about the same size as stock, but it rests on custom leaf springs and gets a couple of inches (50 mm) of lift. Spacers are what actually give the Chevy its wider track.
King shocks in the Silverado match up against the Fox shocks of the Raptor. Of course, the comparison will look completely different once you line up the new 2021 Raptor with its more advanced suspension. But the Jackal also has an advantage in the wheel setup, rocking 37-inch tires and some nice-looking bedlocks. This gives you more ground clearance than the Raptor, and you can also rely on some very sturdy underbody protection.
Of course, the real gap is in the performance department, and that doesn't really change for 2021. The Raptor uses a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine making 450 horsepower. The Jackal can be built in a number of ways, but this model gets a Whipple supercharger on top of the 6.2-liter V8 to give you 650 horsepower. That might not be as much as the TRX, but it sounds like you have a ZL1 in truck form, and that's kind of cool.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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