2021 Ford F-150 Raptor vs. Ram 1500 TRX: Clash of the desert-running titans

[SOUND] You're probably looking at the video title and wondering Didn't we just pit the ram trs against the Ford Raptor just a few months ago? Well, yeah, that was the old Raptor and forth just pulled the wraps off of the all new 2021 F 150 Raptor this week, which means that it's time for these Titans to clash once more. No, not the Nissan Titan. That's a completely different truck in a completely different video that you can find the link below. But look, let's just get into it before I confuse things more. [SOUND] We'll start with the exterior dimensions where I'll be comparing the Raptor SuperCrew against the TRX Crew Cab. Partially because they're comfortably scaled but mostly because the super cab had been discontinued. Super crew is your only option going forward. The matrix for the Ford re incomplete at this time but we've got enough to compare. I'll point out the educated guesses as we come to them. We know that the new Raptor's 145.4 inch base is within a couple of tenth of an inch of the Ram's 145.9. Have the records overall length of 232.6 inches is just a touch longer than the standard SuperCrew. But about three tenths shorter than the TRS is 232.9. The rep grip height depends on the tires equipped, which we'll get back to in a bit, but ranges between 79.8 inches and 80.7 inches Still short of the TRS 80.9. The Ford is also a slightly narrower truck than the RAM and an overall width of 86.8 inches versus 88. Ford has told us that the Raptor will weigh around 600 pounds less than the TRS so here we can estimate around 5750 versus the RAM 6350 pounds. Overall we're looking at a raptor that's about the same size as the T Rex. I'll be at a Scotia narrower, but I'm still giving points to the Ford where it's significantly lighter weight. [SOUND] A big part of the weight difference has to be the hunks of metal in these trucks engine bays. The new F-150 Raptor features an updated third generation version of the 3.5 liter Ecoboost V6 that powers the current model power and torque numbers aren't yet available? And while we expect a modest bump the new numbers probably won't be dramatically higher than the 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque that we have today First 10 speed automatic transmission returns as well, linking the EcoBoost to the standard four by four system. Meanwhile, the TRS continues this galantis formerly FCA tradition of cramming the Hellcat 6.2 liter supercharged Hemi under the hood and praying that nothing explodes. I just of course The motors 702 horsepower and 650 pound feet of torque are more than proven at this point, and dwarf the Ford's numbers by a substantial margin. Points go to the ram Hellcat T rex Camaro but I should point out that the lighter Ford has reclaimed the lead for payload and towing capacity. At 1400 pounds and 8200 pounds respectively versus the Rams 1310 pounds and 8110 pound capabilities. The 40 is working on a VA powered Raptor R which should close the TRX's power gap and if it gets the GT 500 760 pony power plant as rumored possibly surpass it However, we've been told that the Raptor won't be here until next year. So let's put a pin in that for now and look forward to a rematch in the future. And now for my favorite part suspension nerdery the TRX right at the top of Bilstein Blackhawk E to adaptive suspension with 2.5 inch diameter dampers with remote reservoirs. Double wishbone up front and five leak coil springs out back. Electronic control can adjust compression and rebound damping with a reaction time of just 20 milliseconds, around 50 times per second over rough terrain, and RAM claims up to a ton at 2000 pounds of damping force absorption per corner when landing a big jump. Meanwhile, the new Raptor features a revised Fox live valve electronic control suspension, also with remote reservoirs and larger 3.1 inch diameter dampers. This year four digits, the leaf Springs, moving to a Multilink coil rear suspension to match it's double wishbone front. The Raptor is electronic. Damping control is slower than the TRX is with an 80 millisecond reaction time. That's around 12 and a half times per second, and it's claimed max damping force of a thousand pounds per corner also comes up short. However, the Raptor is a lighter truck, so maybe this is more a question of tuning. The Raptor does have the advantage for overall suspension travel, boasting 14 inches of front axle and 15 inches of rear axle travel when rolling on 35 inch tires versus the TRX is 13 and 14 inches respectively. Trading blows back and forth. This category is too close to call based on numbers alone, so let's call it a drop. [SOUND] Both the Raptor and the Trex come standard with 35 inch tires and are available with beadlock capable wheels. But the Ford can also be SPECT with 37 inches from the factory. Now technically the ram can also be fitted with 37 but that's an aftermarket upgrade that ram trucks doesn't officially support. Or list specs, angles or clearances for, I'll keep the larger tires in mind but for purposes of today's comparison, we'll mostly be looking at an apples to apples 35s to 35s. The tr is 30.2 degree approach 23.5 degree departure and 21.9 degree break over angles are impressive, but are all also aged out by the Raptors numbers. For the Ford we're looking at a 31 degree approach angle, 23.9 degree departure angle and a 22.7 degree breakover angle. The Raptor also ages out a total ground clearance advantage boasting 12 inches versus the TRX is 11.8 Smaller advantages to be sure but remember that the Raptor can also be SPECT with those larger 37 inch tires. Further boosting is ground clearance the 13.1 inches and approach departure and breakover angles to 33.1 24.9 and 24.4 degrees respectively, further beating those of the TRS apples are not points for this category go to the Ford. [MUSIC]. The backing of the hardware and software are features that help these trucks and their drivers tackle a variety of jobs terrains and conditions. Both feature multiple drive modes controlling suspension, power train and four by four behavior for sport. Towing and hauling, rock crawling, and the ever important Baja blasting. Both feature some form of low speed crawl control for off road use, Ford calls it trail control, Ram has select speed control. Both boast some form of hill descent control, and both feature massive touch screen displays that allow drivers to customize their performance. The Raptor features a unique technology inherited from the bronco called trail one pedal driving, which maps both gas and brake to the accelerator pedal. Depress the accelerator to move and lift the brake automatically and proportionately to how much and how quickly you lift it. Now I haven't tried it out myself, but I imagine this is an extremely intuitive way to give drivers a ton of control and rock crawling situations. The Raptor and the ram both probably have similar 32 inch sporting depth, but the T rex features a specialized intake for the job that also aids in sifting out dust and fan when blasting through the desert. It's not exactly high tech, but it's still a very clever bit of engineering. The feature sets are probably close enough to call it the draw, but I'm giving the slightest advantage to Ford for a slightly smarter slightly newer tech. [SOUND] We don't know how much the 2021 Ford F 150 Raptor will cost, but it'll certainly be a hell of a lot less expensive than the Ram TRX. The current Raptor starts at 58,135 for the super crew like we've been looking at today. We expect the updated 2021 model may see a price bump given the extra hardware and capability. But it probably won't be too far off that mark. The ram trs on the other hand starts at 71,790 bucks over $13,000 more than today's second generation Raptor SuperCrew and it can balloon to over 95,000 bucks with all the options boxes ticked. If money were not an object, we'd probably call it a draw considering the power difference, but let's face it value for the money is a big old, huge deal for most of us though. We're tentatively given this one to the four. [MUSIC] Overall the TRX is much more powerful than the Raptor, which should give it the acceleration advantage. The Fords, lighter weight and extra gears may make up for some of its power deficit but not completely. Both trucks are exceedingly capable with sophisticated desert runner suspensions. But the Ford boasts a touch more ground clearance has a small tech advantage and will leave a boatload of money in your pocket which you can better haul around with its superior towing and payload numbers. Plus with the extra money you save, you could seriously consider upgrading to the 37 inch tires and furthering the advantage over the TR X. There can only be one King of the Monsters. And today, it's surprisingly the less powerful but perhaps more capable Ford F 150 Raptor