Raptor R Beats New 777-HP TRX in Top Gear Showdown

The brief reign of Ford's Raptor R as the top gas-powered half-ton truck is over, now that Ram has brought back the TRX with the SRT badge and more power. But a recent Top Gear test in California's Johnson Valley showed that the new TRX, despite its impressive specs, still lost to its rival.

2-liter HEMI V8 making 777 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful street-legal, gas-powered half-ton production truck on sale. 2-liter V8 producing 720 hp and 640 lb-ft, leaving it down 57 hp and 40 lb-ft. However, the Ram weighs about 6,300 lbs compared to the Ford's 5,950 lbs.

5 seconds.

In the drag race on a salt-pan course, the Raptor R launched harder and held its lead to cross the line at about 110 mph. The result stayed the same when drivers swapped trucks. The Ford's 350-pound weight advantage and its 10-speed automatic transmission seemed to work better than the Ram's eight-speed unit.

The TRX had launch control and more power, but couldn't deploy it quickly enough.

On the rock-crawling course, both trucks completed it, but the Raptor's larger tires and Trail Control made it easier to manage. In the high-speed whoops, the Ram smoothed out at 50 mph, while the Raptor attacked the same terrain at 65 mph and felt lighter and easier to control.

Both trucks went airborne, with the Raptor landing almost perfectly and the TRX using electronics to protect its drivetrain.

Top Gear chose the Raptor R by the narrowest margin. The TRX had better on-road manners, newer tech, and more power, but the lighter Ford felt more playful and exciting in the conditions that mattered most. Ram may have resurrected the TRX with 777 hp, but in this matchup, the Raptor still came out on top.