Drag Race: Ram 1500 TRX Vs. Ford F-150 Raptor

The pickup truck wars intensified last month with the much-anticipated debut of theRam 1500 TRX. Sharing the same 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, the Hellcat-powered performance pickup generates a colossal 702 hp and 650 lb-ft. Justdon't expect to get good fuel economywith those specs.

Independent testing has revealed this enables the TRX to accelerate from 0-62 mph injust 3.9 seconds. Suddenly, its main rival, theFord F-150 Raptor, seems tame by comparison with its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 producing a paltry 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. But how much difference does this extra performance make in a drag race? To find out, The Fast Lane Truck pitted the Ram 1500 TRX against a Ford F-150 Raptor in the ultimate off-road truck drag race.

Before we get to see these two titans battle it out, separate drag races were staged between theChevrolet SilveradoTrail Boss and Ram 1500 Rebel. The latter uses a 5.7-liter V8 mild-hybrid setup with 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque and an eight-speed automatic, while the Silverado Trail Boss used in the drag race has a 5.3-liter V8 with 355 hp and 383 lb-ft paired with a ten-speed automatic.

The 5.3-liter V8 was chosen instead of the 6.2-liter version to make the output more evenly matched to the Rebel. Since the Ram has more power but the Trail Boss is lighter, it's a close race, but the Trail Boss takes the lead.

It's no match for the F-150 Raptor, however, which leaves the Trail Boss for dust. Then it's time for the drag race we've all been waiting for: the Ford F-150 Raptor vs. the Ram 1500 TRX. Since the terrain was uneven, launch control was not available in the TRX. With such a massive power advantage, the TRX was always going to win.

But even without launch control, the gap is significant and the TRX humiliates its rival. For now, the TRX sets the benchmark for performance pickups, but Ford will come back fighting with thenew next-generation Raptorthat's rumored to pack the Mustang Shelby GT500's supercharged 5.2-liter "Predator" V8 with over 700 hp.