Ram TRX vs F-150 Raptor R: The Supercharged Rematch

The Ram 1500 TRX was supposed to be finished. Ram closed it out with the 2024 model year and a run of 4,000 Final Edition trucks at $119,620 delivered, then gave buyers a 540-hp inline-six in the 1500 RHO. On January 1, 2026, Ram reversed course with a 777-hp 2027 model, and the first trucks left Sterling Heights around July 1.

The returning truck has 75 more horsepower than the old one and costs about $17,000 less than that Final Edition. That reopens a fight the Ford F-150 Raptor R had all to itself.

The TRX came back stronger

The new truck is officially the Ram 1500 SRT TRX, the first SRT-badged Ram since the SRT10 of 2006. Its supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi climbs from 702 hp and 650 lb-ft to 777 hp and 680 lb-ft, with the gain credited to new hardware and updated engine management. Ram calls it the most powerful production, street-legal, gas half-ton pickup ever, and claims 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds with launch control.

Ford's answer so far is no answer at all. The Raptor R arrived for 2023 with a 700-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V8, rose to 720 hp for 2024 and carries that rating into the 2027 model year. Torque stays at 640 lb-ft. A 57-hp deficit is not nothing, although it's still a 720-hp pickup on a dirt road, and traction will run out long before either engine does.

The same idea, built two ways

Both trucks are aimed at fast desert running, and their suspension numbers are nearly identical. The differences show up in the details:

• Engine: TRX 6.2-liter, 777 hp, 680 lb-ft. Raptor R 5.2-liter, 720 hp at 6,650 rpm, 640 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm.
• Transmission: TRX eight-speed automatic. Raptor R 10-speed automatic.
• Four-wheel drive: TRX full-time, through a BorgWarner 48-13 transfer case. Raptor R two-speed on-demand with an automatic mode, a mechanical lock and neutral towing capability.
• Dampers: TRX second-generation Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks. Raptor R FOX Dual-Live Valve shocks.
• Tires: TRX 35-inch all-terrains on 18-inch wheels. Raptor R 37-inch BFGoodrich KO2s on 17s.
• Travel: TRX about 13 inches front and 14 rear. Raptor R 13.0 front and 14.1 rear.
• Ground clearance: TRX 11.8 inches. Raptor R about 13.1 inches.
• Towing: TRX 8,100 pounds. Raptor R 8,700 pounds.

The tires explain more of this list than anything else. Two extra inches of diameter on a smaller wheel add clearance and give the tire more sidewall to absorb a hit before the wheel takes it. They also appear to cost something in wheel travel. Ford's regular Raptor on 35s has 14 inches up front and 15 in the rear, more than the Raptor R gets on 37s.

The four-wheel-drive split matters on pavement and in mixed conditions. The TRX can simply be left alone, sending power to both axles all the time. The Ford asks its driver to choose a mode, although its automatic setting handles changing surfaces and its neutral capability is useful to anyone who wants to tow the truck behind a motorhome.

Both have an electronic locking rear differential, so neither gives up much in the sand or on a loose climb. The Ram puts its locker in a full-floating Dana 60 rear axle, while the Ford pairs its locker with a 4.10 axle ratio.

Where the money goes

Ram lists the TRX at $99,995 before destination, which works out to a little under $103,000 delivered. The Raptor R runs around $114,000 to $115,000 with destination, depending on model year. That gap of roughly $12,000 is hard to explain on power alone, because the cheaper truck is also the stronger one.

The TRX isn't stripped to hit that price. A 14.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital cluster, 10-inch head-up display and 360-degree camera are part of the package, along with a 33-gallon fuel tank that any supercharged V8 will put to use.

Neither truck is the sensible tow rig in its own showroom. Ford rates the F-150 lineup at up to 13,500 pounds, about 4,800 more than the Raptor R, and regular Ram 1500s also out-tow the TRX by a wide margin. The Raptor R's 600-pound advantage only matters if you're close to its limit, and most people pulling that much would buy a different truck.

Which one to buy

The right answer depends on what you actually plan to hit.

Buy the TRX if the truck spends most of its life on pavement, or if straight-line speed and the biggest engine are the point. It's stronger on paper, costs less and asks less of the driver thanks to full-time four-wheel drive. The earlier 702-hp trucks are worth a look too, if the seller can document how the truck has been used, since this is a truck built to be driven hard.

Buy the Raptor R if the off-road hardware is why you're shopping. The 37s and the extra clearance are real advantages over rocks and ruts, and you get them from the factory. It also tows slightly more, if that tips the decision.

Neither one needs a justification based on utility. Both are six-figure pickups built around a supercharged V8, in a market where Ram dropped the formula for a couple of model years and then reversed itself. Ford still has the bigger tires and the higher ride. Now it also has a rival with more horsepower for less money.