Video: TRX vs Raptor: You’ll REALLY Be Surprised By How They Do on the World’s Toughest Towing Test!

Ram's 702 horsepower beast takes on the Ike Gauntlet

Video: TRX vs Raptor: You'll REALLY Be Surprised By How They Do on the World's Toughest Towing Test!
It’s TRX vs Raptor towing on the Ike Gauntlet! (Images: TFLtruck)

The TRX vs Raptor towing? Oh yes we did!

Given the fact that they are built for off-road dominance, you may never have thought about the TRX vs Raptor in a towing battle. TFLtruck aims to please, so we did just that – but we wanted to do something unique and special for these trucks. Rather than a standard Ike Gauntlet, we changed the format a little bit. Both the 2021 Ram TRX and 2020 Ford Raptor have already been featured in an Ike Gauntlet video. As such, we thought of a different way to shoot this challenge.

Video: TRX vs Raptor: You'll REALLY Be Surprised By How They Do on the World's Toughest Towing Test!

Using two identical trailers that weigh just over 5,000 pounds, we want to do the run at the same time. Our friends at Transwest supplied the horse/cargo trailers and they are loaded with the same weight. Even with two-and-a-half tons, both trucks are still extremely comfortable to ride in. While the Raptor is a fully loaded machine, the TRX is just a step above a base model. Both cost us around $77,000.

These trucks laugh at the Ike Gauntlet!

Both trucks can tow a lot more, but we wanted to keep things realistic during our real world test. In many cases, the trailer and toys that owners ion these types of trucks tow will weight about 5,000 lbs. We felt that this was a good starting point. Chugging these loads up and down 11,158 feet, in freezing conditions is not that hard for such powerful trucks. Still, you might be surprised by the results. On top of that, it is an eight mile run on a seven-percent grade. Once again, the results are interesting.

One of the less surprising results was our uphill mpg: the Ram TRX got 4.7 mpg and 5.0 mpg for the Raptor. Here’s the head scratcher – at the gas pump, after we finished filming, the Ford Raptor got 8.29 mpg and the Ram TRX got 8.31 mpg. We were NOT expecting that.

What do you think?

Nathan Adlen
Easily amused by anything with four wheels, Nathan Adlen reviews vehicles from the cheapest to the most prestigious. Wrecking yards, dealer lots, garages, racetracks, professional automotive testing and automotive journalism - Nathan has experienced a wide range of the automotive spectrum. Brought up in the California car culture and educated in theater, childhood education, film, journalism and history, Nathan now lives with his family in Denver, CO. His words, good humor and video are enjoyed worldwide.