In the half-ton segment, America’s most off-road trucks available for the 2021 model year are the Ford F-150 Raptor with the 37-inch tire package and the Ram 1500 TRX. The Fast Lane compared them side by side, and obviously enough, they’re very different animals under the hood.
In the Blue Oval’s corner, the same old 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 soldiers on with a couple of turbochargers for 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet (691 Nm) of torque. To Ford’s defense, they did improve the aural qualities of the six-cylinder engine at idle and when you give it some gas, as intended.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles did exactly what you’d expect FCA to do when it comes to suck-squeeze-bang-blow bragging rights. Aided by an IHI blower, the 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 produces a meaty 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of torque. Be that as it may, the Raptor takes the lead in terms of payload and towing capacity even though Ford hasn’t designed the off-road truck for truck duties. It’s a dune basher through and through!
It’s also worth mentioning the F-150 Raptor takes the cake in terms of go-anywhere shenanigans thanks to 14 and 15 inches (35.6 and 38.1 cm) of suspension travel compared to 13 and 14 inches (33 and 35.6 cm) for the TRX. The approach, departure, and breakover angle favor the Ford as well, along with the 12 inches (30 cm) of ground clearance versus 11.8 inches (29.9) for the supercharged V8-engined competitor.
Opting for the 37-inch tires elevates the off-road specs of the F-150 Raptor to 33.1 degrees for approach, 24.9 degrees for departure, and 24.4 degrees for breakover while ground clearance improves to 13.1 inches (33.3 cm). Bear in mind the big tire package is $7,500 on top of the starting price, and you also need to add the 801A High equipment group with the Torsen-diffed front axle.
Suffice to say, the Raptor still is the king of the segment. But on the other hand, who can refuse the deep burble of a Hellcat for the EcoBoost?
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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