2021 Ram 1500 TRX vs. Ford F-150 Raptor: Off-road apex predators compared

We're not sure why it's taken so long, but now that the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has finally debuted, the desert-running, jump-leaping Ford F-150 Raptor finally has a proper off-road foe. And since knows how to put up quite a fight in the full-size pickup wars, you can bet its Raptor fighter will come out of the gate swinging.

It's only fair to note that there's a brand-new Ford F-150 Raptor in the works based on the new 2021 Ford F-150, and we expect it to pack a whole lot of new technology without sacrificing anything in terms of performance. But since the 2020 Raptor is what's on sale now, that's what we'll use as a comparison.

You can read our debut report covering all the details of Ram's new TRX. Here, we'll take a look at how this new high-speed off-roader stacks up to the Raptor in terms of performance, off-road specs, interior and exterior dimensions and proper truck stuff like towing and payload. We've also got initial pricing information for the Ram, so we'll see how that compares, as well.

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Engine and performance

Neither of these full-size brutes is what we'd call slow, but thanks to its Hellcat engine, the Ram truly eats the Ford's lunch in terms of performance. Fiat-Chrysler's supercharged Hellcat engine is what's used in the TRX, and the result is more than 700 horsepower. Holy smokes.

But even with its big power discrepancy, the F-150 Raptor is hardly a slouch. It may be down by about 250 hp, but the Raptor is only about half a second slower than the Ram in the 0-to-60-mph dash.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX is a desert-running pickup with a Hellcat heart

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Off-road geometry

With trucks like these, off-road specs are as important as what's under the hood. It doesn't matter what engine you've got if you can't get up and over what's in your way. And while Ram might have a big advantage in terms of outright power, when it comes to the suspension geometry, these two trucks are neck and neck.

Exterior dimensions

Ram only offers the 1500 TRX in its larger Crew Cab body style, but Ford offers the F-150 in SuperCab and SuperCrew configurations. For the sake of this comparison, we'll see how the Ram Crew Cab matches up with the Ford SuperCrew -- apples to apples and all that.

There's no other way to say it: Both of these trucks are huge. One of the hardest things about using the F-150 Raptor is its sheer size -- parking spots are not exactly its friend -- and the Ram 1500 TRX should be more of the same. Good thing the desert is all about wide open spaces.

The 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor looks the part of an off-roader

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Interior dimensions

One benefit to the enormous size of these trucks is that there's plentiful interior space. We're talking full-size sedan levels of legroom with impressive headroom to match. We'll throw cargo space into this discussion, too (the area of the bed). Across the board, the Ram and Ford are mighty similar.

Towing and payload

These pickups are definitely best suited for off-road playtime, but that doesn't mean they give up anything in the way of proper truck prowess. Both Ford and Ram offer lots of capability here, meaning you can head out for any kind of adventure and take a small camper or boat with you.

Infotainment technology

Given the F-150 Raptor's relative age to the new Ram TRX, it makes sense that the in-truck tech isn't quite as good. Ford's got a whole bunch of new multimedia tech in store for the 2021 F-150, and we expect that to carry over to the Raptor, as well. In the meantime, the Raptor makes do with Ford's Sync 3 multimedia system on an 8-inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a Wi-Fi hotspot all standard.

The 1500 TRX comes standard with Ram's Uconnect interface on a 12-inch, portrait-oriented screen, which can have one application showing across the entire display, or can be split in two to run two apps at the same time. Like the Raptor, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a Wi-Fi hotspot are included, and overall, we've had nothing but good things to say about this Uconnect setup in other Ram 1500 models.

Pricing and availability

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has more power and better tech, but buyers will certainly pay for the privilege. The Ram will start at $71,690, including $1,695 for destination, and the Launch Edition -- of which only 702 will be made -- comes in at a staggering $92,010, again including destination. Granted, that's a fully loaded TRX, but yowza. The Ford F-150 Raptor starts at $55,150 for a SuperCab model, but a SuperCrew that more directly competes with the TRX starts at $58,135, including destination.

Overall, the Ram certainly has the upper hand in a lot of ways, but remember, there's a new Raptor coming in the not-too-distant future. Let the pickup wars continue.

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