The new Ram TRX is coming after the F-150 Raptor, packing a 702-horsepower Hellcat V8 and the name of an even maeaner dinosaur name and . The updated F-150 has already been unveiled, which means details about the Raptor trim should be confirmed soon. According to TFL Truck, those details will include not one but two engine options.
As per the report, the base option will be a six-cylinder “Powerboost HO” hybrid engine. On the small end, that could mean the 3.0-liter V6 hybrid system from the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring (and possibly the new Bronco), which puts out 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Ford could push that output even higher by using the PHEV twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 already found in the 2021 F-150, though its output still hasn’t been revealed.
The upgraded option would then be the supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V8 currently used in the Shelby GT500, where that engine puts out 760 horsepower. Previous reporting from Ford Authority has that engine putting out a more subdued 725-750 hp in the new Raptor, comfortably exceeding the Ram TRX output.
Giving buyers two powertrain choices seems like a smart choice for Ford. A Raptor that starts around the current starting MSRP, $56,440, is still relatively attainable for many buyers; indeed, it’s only a few thousand more than the average new truck purchase price. Judging from early Ram TRX launch edition sales, there are also a significant number of buyers who would want a stupidly powerful V8 super-truck version. It might as well be Ford making it (and the money) instead of a third-party tuner.
There’s also always value in rattling off “best-in-class” capability figures in the pickup wars…even if most F-150 buyers don’t end up purchasing that particular truck.