If it's weekend, it's time for another straight-line acceleration test for a series of very potent trucks. For this race, we're looking at three different Ford Raptors, doing their best to dethrone the Ram TRX from its current position as a fast truck segment leader. The three Raptors are built rather differently, as one is a 2012 model, and the other two are 2018 and 2020 builds.
The first competitor is TFL's own 2020 Ford Raptor, which is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V6, with a maximum output of 450 horsepower. This 2020 model uses a 10-speed automatic gearbox, much like the 2018 Raptor. But there's a catch to this 2018 model. The owner has done some fiddling around, and you can notice that the second he starts up the engine. This truck should be capable to send some 600 horsepower to all four wheels.
The third competitor is a 2012 version of the iconic Raptor series, but this time there's a supercharger providing you with seemingly endless torque. This is a Roush-prepared truck, and it should be somewhere in the 700 horsepower area, but it may suffer due to its odometer showing over 200,000 miles (320,000 km). The Dodge Ram TRX is also rated for 702 horsepower, and it's using the same concept of a supercharged V8.
The race was organized into brackets, and the first battle would be the one between the tuned 2018 Raptor and the stock 2020 Raptor. Just by looking at the numbers, it was clear that the 2020 truck would be the first one to get eliminated from the race. They even did a rerun, and the way the 2018 truck lunges forward is something to be seen with your own eyes. The reviewer was shocked as he stated "that truck jumped like a startled goat, did you see that?"
Moving on, we get to see a direct comparison between what a supercharged engine is capable of doing versus a turbocharged one. Although we did expect to see the Roush built Raptor to come out on top, it does show some signs of wear and tear. And that's just what the 2018 model was waiting for. This is, without a doubt, one of the fastest street-driven trucks we've seen recently!
At the end of the day, the challenger for the Dodge Ram TRX finally arrives. The figures don't look favorable for the Ford, as it's outgunned. Once again, we are left rather surprised by the result. We get to see a photo finish between the two trucks, and the reviewers can only conclude that, if the Raptor would have been sitting on 33" instead of 37", it might have won the race, and finally dethrone the mighty Ram TRX.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News