2024 Ford Ranger vs 2023 Ram 1500

What's the difference?

The Ford Ranger Raptor is a purpose-built adventure ute. It is comfortable to drive on-road and very capable off-road. 

It’s a high-end, high-performance ute with a V6 engine, an upgraded suspension set-up and drive modes aimed at making it a built-for-purpose adventure machine.

It is, however, laser-focused on doing one thing supremely well – driving at speed on unsealed surfaces – and that means it falls short in a few other areas. 

It's day-to-day drivability is less than ideal because of its size and fuel consumption and it lacks some potential as a touring 4WD because of its payload and the fact its towing capacity is below the industry standard.

But those factors aren't going to sway someone who is truly keen for the fun and thrills of driving a Raptor. 

Applying our usual measures of workhorse practicality and efficiency to the TRX is difficult. It's an extreme machine designed for those who want the ultimate in luxury, performance and pose value in a pick-up truck, regardless of how large, thirsty and costly it may be. And on that scorecard, it has no equal.

The Raptor is 5380mm long (with a 3270mm wheelbase), 2208mm wide, 1926mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2473kg.

This ute has been engineered – and marketed – as a high-performance off-road vehicle, so, in line with that it has a wide stance (with a 1710mm wheel track front and rear), big wheel arches, chunky side-steps and substantial tyres (BFGoodrich K02 high performance all-terrains, 285/70R17 on 17-inch alloys).

The Ford Performance Seats are embossed with the Raptor logo and there’s Code Orange accented stitching on the trim – so there’s Buckley’s chance of forgetting you’re in a Raptor.

The Raptor is one of the more distinctive-looking utes in a mainstream market flooded with vehicles of very similar appearance and, in terms of overall design, it easily takes on the likes of the Nissan Navara Warrior and Toyota HiLux GR Sport, if not besting them.

The TRX rides on an expansive 3686mm wheelbase, is just under 6.0 metres in length, a snip under 2.5 metres in width and stands just over 2.0 metres tall, with a bus-sized turning circle of almost 15 metres.

Off-road credentials include 295mm ground clearance, 812mm wading depth, 30.2 degrees approach angle, 21.9 degrees ramp breakover angle and 23.5 degrees departure angle.

The robust body-on-ladder-frame design features twin A-arm/coil spring front suspension and a five-link/coil-spring live rear axle, all damped by high performance Bilstein remote-reservoir shock absorbers. There’s also electric power-steering and, as you would expect, enormous disc brakes.

It looks oh-so-tough from any angle, from its wide-track stance to its pumped-out guards and wheel arch flares to its conspicuous engine scoops and vents that hint at the force-fed Hemi V8 that lurks within.

The standard of finish, given its extensive local RHD re-manufacturing, is outstanding.

The trim stitching is arrow-straight and the contrasting visual mix of carbon fibre, brushed metal, satin chrome, piano black and acres of cowhide in a tasteful blend of light and dark grey tones exudes opulence.

The complex RHD dashboard module is particularly impressive in its OEM quality and attention to detail.

The front bucket seats with their multiple power adjustments offer superb comfort and support and the rear seating is of limousine standard, even for tall adults who can genuinely stretch out thanks to palatial leg, shoulder, hip and head room.  

Although at its most luxurious with two rear passengers, three adults can travel comfortably in the rear on long trips, with the flat floor devoid of a transmission tunnel and access to four USB ports, a/c vents, outer seat heating/cooling and deep-tinted privacy glass.

The Raptor’s interior is spacious but has a welcoming cosy feel and (despite Raptor logos and Code Orange stitching throughout) the cabin retains a low-level, cool atmosphere.

All controls are easy enough to operate – a lot of functions are accessed and adjusted via the 12-inch multimedia touchscreen and sometimes you have to repeatedly jab your finger at the screen to work your way through menus and sub-menus to reach the function you need. Thankfully, plenty of functions are via tangible off-screen buttons. 

There are USB ports and a power socket up front and storage spaces in all of the usual places you’d expect: a two-level glove box, some hidey-holes (for your wallet, keys etc), a centre console, cupholders and bottle receptacles in the doors.

The sporty front seats are comfortable enough for long-distance trips and the back row is easily big enough for three kids or two adults and one man-child.

Rear-seat passengers have air vents, a fold-down armrest with cupholders and a space for a bottle in each door.

The Raptor’s tub is 1541mm long, 526mm deep, and 1578mm wide (with 1218mm between the wheel-arches). Load height is 870mm.

The tray has a spray-in tub-liner that seems quite durable, four tie-down points and a 12V socket.

Our test vehicle also had the optional power roller shutter ($3800). In the past, in any utes with a power or manual roller shutter, the storage drum for the roller shutter occupied quite a lot of otherwise useable space in the tub, but that’s no longer the case.

With its 3057kg kerb weight (the optional sunroof adds 24kg) and 3800kg GVM, our test vehicle has a relatively small 743kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer, but to avoid exceeding its 6878kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) the TRX’s maximum payload would need to be reduced by 422kg to legally tow that weight.

And that would leave only 321kg of payload capacity, which could easily be used up by a crew of four adults without luggage. A more practical solution would be to simply lower the trailer weight by that same 422kg to 3078kg (which is still a large trailer) and keep the full payload.

The big load tub, with its tough spray-in liner, measures 1711mm long, 1687mm wide and 543mm deep. It also spans 1295mm between the wheel housings, so it would comfortably take one standard Aussie pallet or two Euro pallets.

There are four load-anchorage points at floor level and sliding-track adjustable load anchorage at the top level, so all load heights are catered for.

The big tailgate features an easy-drop/easy-raise function and there’s ample load tub lighting from the rear of the cab and inner sidewalls.

A multitude of cabin storage options starts with the front doors which have deep lower bins with large-bottle/small-bottle/cupholders, plus smaller bins at mid-height. There’s also an overhead glasses holder and upper and lower glove boxes.

The huge centre console has two small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and behind them is a cavernous box with a classy padded and suede-covered lid, plus two bottle holders at the back.

Outer rear passengers get two-tiered bins and a large-bottle holder in each door, plus pockets on each front seat backrest.

The rear seat's centre backrest can be folded down to reveal another sizeable console, with two small-bottle/cupholders and a padded lid that accesses a shallow bin, ideal for storing slim devices.

The rear floor also has access to large underfloor storage boxes on each side and the 60/40-split seat bases can be raised to reveal more storage space beneath.

They can also be stored vertically if more internal carry space is required. You won't run out of places to put stuff.

Our 'Flame Red' test vehicle comes with the TRX's exclusive 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8, plus 'TorqueFlite' eight-speed torque converter automatic and full-time 4WD for the princely sum of $209,950, plus on-road costs.

Our example is fitted with the only option, a full-length panoramic sunroof, which adds $10,000 to the price.

So, we’re talking $219K, which is a lot of coin for an American pick-up truck. However, if you look beyond its high-performance capabilities, it’s largely hand-built at RAM Trucks Australia’s right-hand drive re-manufacturing facility in Melbourne, which is the only RAM-authorised RHD manufacturing facility in the world.

It’s also packed with features, luxury and tech. There’s 18-inch black-finish alloy wheels and chunky 325/65R18 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres plus a full-size alloy spare, 3500kg towing kit with trailer brake controller, recovery hooks front and rear, underbody protection, 360-degree and reversing cameras and more.

Inside you get luxurious leather and suede upholstery, carbon- fibre trim elements, paddle-shifters, huge 12-inch multimedia touchscreen with multiple connectivity, 7.0-inch colour driver’s information display, 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio, wireless phone charging, heated door mirrors, heated steering wheel, heated/cooled front and outer rear seating, nine USB ports and on it goes. What you might call fully-loaded.

The Raptor has a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine – producing 292kW and 583Nm – and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

This is an impressive set-up – punchy off the mark, smooth and refined at highway speeds – it just trucks along – and overall it offers a controlled and comfortable driving experience.

The Raptor has full-time 4WD and an electronic rear diff lock.

Its selectable driving modes include Normal, Sport, Slippery, Mud/Ruts, Sand, Baja, and Rock Crawl.

The 6.2-litre Hemi V8 is armed with an 11psi twin-screw supercharger. Together with the bonnet’s unique air-induction system, it produces an eye-watering 523kW (702bhp) at 6100rpm and 882Nm (650ft/lbs) of torque at 4800rpm.

The eight-speed torque converter automatic offers a choice of sequential manual shifting, and overdrive on the top two ratios ensures low engine rpm to optimise fuel efficiency at highway speeds.

There's also launch control (!) plus eight drive modes comprising 'Snow', 'Tow', 'Sport', 'Baja', 'Mud/Sand', 'Rock', 'Custom' and 'Auto', linked to performance pages on the centre touchscreen. The Borg Warner full-time AWD system offers high and low range and there’s a locking rear diff.

The Raptor has an official fuel consumption figure of 11.5L/100km on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

I recorded 14.2L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing and the Raptor was never working hard.

The Raptor has an 80L fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 563km from a full tank. 

Because heavy vehicles are not required to report their fuel consumption or CO2 emissions to comply with the Australian Design Rules, RAM does not list official figures for the TRX.

Even so, our TRX’s dash display was claiming average combined of 20.6L/100km at the conclusion of our 315km of testing, which included some ‘spirited’ driving (well, someone had to do it) and a mix of city, suburban and highway work of which about a third was hauling its maximum payload.

The TRX’s figure was close to our own, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, of 21.6L/100km.  

So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 580km from its enormous 125-litre tank. And this beast drinks premium unleaded.

This is a Raptor review so you might expect I’d be justified in spending the entire test doing donuts in the sand and taking on jumps that would make dirt-bikers wince, but as much as I wanted to, I didn’t. I live in the real world so my tests are about how a vehicle performs in day-to-day driving and especially off-roading. 

But to reach the dirt you have to drive a bit of blacktop – so how does the Raptor perform on-road?

Once underway, there is plenty of good news about the Raptor because it is nice to drive on road: a composed stance, impressive acceleration with more get-up-and-go thrust under foot courtesy of the V6 and comfortable ride and handling. This is an easy-driving 4WD ute.

For a vehicle intended to be a great go-fast machine on dirt roads and gravel tracks – which, of course, it is – the Raptor is a pleasant surprise on bitumen – refined and comfortable with its off-road-suited long-travel Fox suspension that soaks up the worst lumps and bumps of back-road blacktop, yielding a smoothed-out plush ride.

As a bonus the steering has a sharp feel and a nice balanced weight to it – you can cycle through different modes ('Normal', 'Comfort', 'Sport', 'Off-Road') to find your favourite – and the gutsy V6 and clever transmission is a supremely relaxed pairing. 

There are also selectable damper modes ('Normal', 'Off-Road', 'Sport') and exhaust modes ('Quiet', 'Normal', 'Sport', 'Baja'). The latter exhaust setting is only available when in off-road mode and is more of a novelty, but still fun to play around with and a cool addition to the Raptor package.

On the open highway at 110km/h, the Raptor sits nicely, with that wider wheel track giving this ute a settled posture, and it comfortably trucks along the road, no matter how bumpy that road becomes.

Then you take it off the sealed surface.

The Raptor has all the mechanicals and the tech set-up for driving dirt roads and gravel tracks at speed, there’s no denying that, but all of those factors don't necessarily make it a good 4WD or indeed a good 4WD touring vehicle. 

However, it is.

It’s smooth and refined on fast dirt tracks and gravel roads – it’s right at home. The Raptor has that aforementioned wide wheel track and, even if the terrain is particularly severe, it drives comfortably.  

And any doubts about its ability to tackle low-range 4WDing are swiftly dispelled.

I scaled several of our favourite set-piece hill-climbs without the front or rear diffs locked, and the Raptor did it with absolute control and absolute ease. 

It's very capable and ticks all the boxes in terms of ground clearance (listed as 272mm), off-road angles (approach: 32 degrees, departure 24 (with towbar, 27 without) and rampover 24 degrees) and wading depth (850mm).

There’s ample torque available and it’s delivered in an even-handed manner; the Raptor has front and rear diff locks; and the driver-assist tech set-up is comprehensive and low-key effective.

Case in point, I used 'Trail Control' mode (a form of low-range ‘feet-off-the-pedals’ cruise control) to set the speed (2.0km/h) for a steep hill and it kept the Raptor to that speed – complete control at all times, no matter how the severity of the incline changed. 

The Raptor also has an onboard 360-degree camera system, giving the driver the ability to see forward of the vehicle, which is handy because this ute has a substantial bonnet. You can't see the track in front of you over the bonnet, especially when climbing a steep hill. 

It’s such a great combination of mechanicals and driver-assist tech and Fox shocks, long wheel travel and proper all-terrain tires (BFGoodrich K02s) that it’s a near-complete package, especially in terms of being an effective off-road vehicle. 

But if you’re considering a Raptor as a touring vehicle, there are some things working against it – and those things have to do with weight. 

Payload in the Raptor, at just over 717kg, is not spectacular, but it’s in line with a lot of modern dual-cab utes. However, it’s far from ideal if you're looking at putting aftermarket equipment on it or even loading up with camping gear. 

And another thing is the Raptor doesn't have an industry standard braked towing capacity for a dual-cab ute: it can legally tow 2500kg – the industry standard for similarly sized utes is 3500kg. Unbraked towing capacity is 750kg. 

And though the driver-assist tech onboard is comprehensive and effective, the Raptor misses out on a tow/haul drive mode.

For your reference, kerb weight is listed as 2473kg, GVM is 3130kg, and GCM is 5370kg.

If you’re looking specifically for a tow vehicle, then look elsewhere, but if you're looking for thrills and fun in a capable off-road vehicle, the Raptor should be at the top of your list. 

There’s the sweet smell of leather when you open the door and climb aboard. The Hemi V8 booms into life, with the big dual exhaust outlets releasing a pulsating rumble at idle which leaves no doubt about this engine’s intent.

It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position with the powered multiple seat adjustments, height/reach adjustable steering column and big left footrest, which together with the sizeable door mirrors, cameras and driver aids provide commanding visual coverage.

The TRX tends to shrink around you the more time you spend behind the wheel. Even so, there’s no escaping the fact this is a large truck that requires planning ahead for each drive in terms of accessing narrow streets, multi-storey carparks, drive-thru takeaways, automatic car washes, etc.

When you hit the throttle hard from a standing start, the acceleration of a vehicle weighing more than three tonnes seems to defy the laws of physics.

With a thunderous roar, it leaps forward with unrelenting force as four paws provide ample grip and the supercharger emits a high-pitched whine reminiscent of a destructive wind. There's some serious muscle under your right foot.

By contrast, its alter-ego is happy to cruise around sedately, with barely a big toe on the accelerator pedal given its enormous torque.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser, requiring only 1600rpm to maintain 110km/h. Engine and wind noise are low at these speeds, with most noise coming from the tyres’ aggressive off-road tread patterns, but it’s far from intrusive.

The ride is supple and with this much sprung weight it flattens out bumps like a hot iron across a crinkled shirt.

For our GVM test we forklifted 650kg into the load tub which with driver just snuck in under the 743kg payload limit. The rear coil springs compressed about 80mm under this load but with such long travel suspension that still left ample clearance to avoid any bottoming-out on our test route.

It also scoffed at our 30 per cent gradient 2.0km-long set-climb with this load on board, easily reaching the summit in fourth gear while barely touching the accelerator pedal.

Engine-braking on the way down in a manually-selected second gear was equally competent, as we never needed to touch the brakes to stay below the 60km/h speed limit.

Given the TRX’s size and weight, it’s not eligible to be assessed for an ANCAP star rating.

Even so, driver and front passenger are protected by multiple airbags and rear passengers share in side-curtain airbag protection.

There’s also forward collision warning with active braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic/trailer detection and lane departure warning, plus tyre pressure monitoring, park assist, 360-degree and reversing cameras, trailer sway control and more.

The Raptor has a five-year/unlimited-km warranty. That’s in line with its rivals except for Mitsubishi, which offers up to 10 years, and Isuzu, which offers up to six years.

Servicing is scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and each visit costs $379 which is competitive – but check with your local dealership for the most up-to-date details. 

Warranty of three years/100,000km (whichever occurs first) is comparatively short in the local dual cab ute market. There’s also three years/100,000km of roadside assist. Service intervals are also relatively brief at six months/10,000km, but then Toyota has been doing that for decades.