The Ford F-150 Raptor has been here, standing alone in the desert running off-road production truck segment. While it may not have been difficult to be the best in a class in which it was the only vehicle, the Raptor is still state of the art. So, when Ram Trucks designers developed the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX truck you best believe they knew they had to outdo the famed Ford. In these 5 areas, Ram Trucks did the TRX proud. Here’s why you should buy the Ram 1500 TRX off-road desert truck instead of the Ford F-150 Raptor.

The Ram 1500 TRX is a halo vehicle

TRX pricing is insane the super hype is real. Additionally, the all-new Ram 1500 TRX threw us for a loop when it came out without the Rebel badge. It’s pretty obvious that Ram Trucks treats this truck like a halo car. In fact, Autoblog has also made similar observations.

“Ram is treating the TRX as its halo model, which explains the steep asking price. Ford has never treated the Raptor like a halo product. It’s simply a badass off-road truck with a nutty amount of capability. They’re the two most intimidating trucks on the road, but maybe the design of one will push you over the edge.”

Autoblog

There’s quite a bit of added allure that a halo car brings to the table. The Ram 1500 TRX desert truck boasts some very edgy and rugged design features. While there is no telling what’s in store for the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor, for now the Ram wins the prize in terms of being a hot commodity.

All the pretty ponies

The biggest draw of the new Ram 1500 TRX pickup truck is definitely its massive count of horsepower. The F-150 is no slouch by any means. But you try racing against a pushrod V8 with 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. We aren’t going to be surprised when Ram’s claim that the TRX makes a 4.5-second sprint to 60 mph turns out to be on the money.

Ford said goodbye to the V8 engine

If you follow these trucks at all, you already know that Ford bid farewell to the V8 when it retired the SVT Raptor. Starting in 2017, the Ford F-150 Raptor is powered by a turbo V6. It’s still fast and powerful, but it lacks the deep grit of the rumbling V8 we find in the Ram desert truck.

TRX towing and payload capacity

Because of all this power lent by the V8 and all those pretty ponies, the Ram 1500 TRX pickup is stronger. Though the discrepancy isn’t huge, it could still tip the scale for certain people looking to buy the Ram 1500 TRX vs. the Ford F-150 Raptor. While the Raptor can haul and tow, the TRX can do it just a bit better.

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX pickup can tow up to 8,100 pounds, according to MotorTrend. The Ram desert truck can also haul a load of 1,310 pounds. Car and Driver reports that the Ford F-150 Raptor truck can tow 8,000 pounds. The payload for a Raptor is 1,200 pounds. They are both capable trucks, but the Ram edges out the Ford.

Interior tech and features

This one is another doozy. The Ram 1500 TRX gets a nice, user-friendly infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen display. Plus, there is a standard Harman Kardon sound system. While the Raptor does have WiFi and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, the Ram TRX is also equipped with such. The Raptor’s 8-inch display pales in comparison to the Ram setup.