2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R vs Ram TRX // DRAG RACE & OFF-ROAD RACE

We can’t help but love a little bit of a horsepower war.

Now, today’s horsepower wars aren’t exactly as pronounced as they were back in the 1970s with muscle cars. However, those paying attention to the off-road muscle truck market have probably noticed that there is a little bit of tit-for-tat going on here.

It all started when Ford announced that it was going to take away the V8 option from its Raptor model. As a performance off-roader, we thought it was only fit that the truck came with the option for a screaming eight-cylinder engine filled with bald eagles and adrenaline. However, Ford thought otherwise.

This was at least the case until the competitors over at Ram Trucks decided that they wanted to come out with their very own high-performance off-roader. However, instead of a twin-turbocharged V6, Ram cut straight to the chase, shoving the supercharged V8 under the hood that’s rather similar to what one might find under the hood of anything with a Hellcat badge on the side of it.

It’s hard to say if this was a direct cause for Ford to switch up its business model but eventually, we would watch the brand come out with the “Raptor R” trim that would offer 700 hp to match the Ram TRX’s 702 hp and as such, a modern horsepower war was born.

This time, we get to watch this pair of trucks go head-to-head, racing both on road and off to see which one of these performance monsters is the best fit for a driver who likes to pin the throttle.

As far as specifications go, the trucks are incredibly similar in both power and torque. The Raptor R offers a bit of weight savings as it comes in at 400 lbs lighter than the Ram. However, buyers are going to need a little bit more cash to go home with the blue oval as the Raptor R costs $109,145 to start while its opposition comes with a price tag that starts at $83,890.