F-150 Raptor Could Topple Ram TRX with Supercharged V8
Photo: Ford
Ford may not be as shook by the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX and its 702-horsepower HEMI as you might think. Especially not if its next-generation F-150 Raptor whips out its own supercharged V8 and ups the ante by a stable of horses or two.
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F-150 Raptor squares off with a supercharged new foe
Word on the street (and the trail for that matter) out of Ford Authority is that the next-gen F-150 Raptor will swap in the Shelby GT500’s supercharged 5.2-liter V8. The engine that makes the latest Shelby the fastest street-legal Ford ever made would allegedly provide between 725-750 horsepower — plenty more than the TRX’s 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 and its 702 horsepower.
FCA says that the new Ram TRX “sets the benchmark for extreme performance pickup trucks and solidifies Ram Truck’s position as the off-road truck leader.” The TRX is targeting a 4.5-second 0-60 mph sprint, a 12.9-second quarter-mile, and a 118 mph top speed, all of which is positively nutso.
But it doesn’t sound like Ford is planning on taking Ram’s claim of being the leader in anything truck-wise lying down for long. Ford confirmed earlier this summer that the Raptor F-150 will return with the upcoming generation, though there was no mention of it in the 2021 Ford F-150’s June reveal. The next-gen F-150 Raptor is also rumored to be replacing the previous-gen’s leaf spring suspension with a new coil spring setup, which would further put the F-150 Raptor on par with the TRX and its five-link coil suspension.
When might Ford play its hand?
Photo: Ford
Ford Authority speculates that the new F-150 Raptor could hit at the tail end of the 2021 model year in limited quantities; otherwise, it would likely debut for the 2022 model year. That leaves a wide window for Ford to drop a teaser or two. The sooner the better, of course.
Ford has been rumored to be toying with the idea of dropping the supercharged V8 into the F-150 Raptor for some time. Last March, it was reported that Ford would bridge the gap between the generation gap with a limited-edition truck powered by the supercharged 5.2-liter V8. But with the gauntlet so clearly thrown down by Ram, it would be hard to imagine Ford won’t want to respond with total and absolute authority.
The current-gen Ford F-150 Raptor is by no means unimpressive. Boasting a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, the 2020 Raptor generates a class-leading 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, though those numbers will soon by topped by Ram. For how long? We’ll see.
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