Gen3 Raptor vs TRX

[melvimbe]

On a sidenote, what's everyone think of the new "Raptor" graphics?

sidenote? I see what you did there.

I don't care much for bedside graphics in general. Other locations feel like they blend in better. Also think graphics are better when they are aftermarket personalization's rather than factory graphics everyone has. The hood strips on the other hand, work much better I think. I guess I'm indifferent.

That said, I do like the tiny 37s graphic on the tailgate.

 

[Badgertits]

TRX actually is a big truck. My Raptor is in the shop for a repaint, so I don't have any side by side comparison shots, but my TRX on 37s with stock suspension feels about like my Gen 2 with 40s and ADD suspension (in terms of height). The TRX doesn't look too much different than a Rebel, so that's my only negative on the TRX so far. That SC V8 is wicked though. One thing I've always lamented about my Gen 2 (besides the abhorrent shifting) is the not as impressive 50mph to 100mph+ sprint. It's quick, but it's not impressive. The TRX has that V8 pull from 50mph to 100mph+ that I was yearning for in the Raptor. I surprised a Panamera 4S yesterday on the freeway doing just that. He thought he would be cute and run away, but I had to actually let off the accelerator to keep from running up his butt! I hope the Raptor R is a fire breathing V8 with the dual clutch transmission. I'll get over that boring front end really quick if that's the case!

feel and actual performance not always the same thing though....gen 2 tuned or not? Even if it was....running 40” tires is gonna hurt it big time- that being said, based on the most recent real world acceleration tests, looks like a tuned gen2 on stock tires would be VERY close to a stock TRX 0-60 & through the 1/4

my ‘18 raptor had a gearhead tune & on stock 35”s I was flat out astonished how hard it pulled from 50-100 to be completely honest, brand loyalties aside....I’m not really even a Ford guy to begin with

I also remember the top end & acceleration from 70+ In particular being a very noticeable improvement from the tune

if a tuned gen2 is within spitting distance of a stock TRX then I have no hesitation to believe a stock “base” gen3 Raptor would be nipping at the heels of, if not damn close to even w/ a stock TRX given the gen3 Raptor will see hp/TQ bump....

Then logic would lead me to believe whatever the Raptor-R turns out to be it’s safe to believe it’ll flat out eviscerate a TRX in EVERY sense & every measure of performance

As it is- a stock gen2 is already appears more reliable & capable offroad than a stock TRX even if it gives up some performance cred on the street or @ the dyno to the TRX

one is a Well thought out independently designed/engineered niche offroad Baja truck w/ millions of miles of real world testing by the factory & by actual owners that is now entering its 3rd generation & building upon all the knowledge gained from the last 10 years....the other is another 1/2 ass engineered Ram product that relies more on marketing hype & blower whine than actual performance cred in the real world to sell units

is what it is

 

[GordoJay]

...the other is another 1/2 ass engineered Ram product that relies more on marketing hype & blower whine than actual performance cred in the real world to sell units...

And they're going to sell lots and lots. Cuz V8, cuz blower, cuz people wish their weenies were bigger, cuz they're not going off road anyway. It is what it is.

 

[Badgertits]

And they're going to sell lots and lots. Cuz V8, cuz blower, cuz people wish their weenies were bigger, cuz they're not going off road anyway. It is what it is.

Agreed on that front

to me it’s what I’d rather have in place of an X5-M I guess.....but it’s more flash than

 

[TheButcher]

feel and actual performance not always the same thing though....gen 2 tuned or not? Even if it was....running 40” tires is gonna hurt it big time- that being said, based on the most recent real world acceleration tests, looks like a tuned gen2 on stock tires would be VERY close to a stock TRX 0-60 & through the 1/4

my ‘18 raptor had a gearhead tune & on stock 35”s I was flat out astonished how hard it pulled from 50-100 to be completely honest, brand loyalties aside....I’m not really even a Ford guy to begin with

I also remember the top end & acceleration from 70+ In particular being a very noticeable improvement from the tune

if a tuned gen2 is within spitting distance of a stock TRX then I have no hesitation to believe a stock “base” gen3 Raptor would be nipping at the heels of, if not damn close to even w/ a stock TRX given the gen3 Raptor will see hp/TQ bump....

Then logic would lead me to believe whatever the Raptor-R turns out to be it’s safe to believe it’ll flat out eviscerate a TRX in EVERY sense & every measure of performance

As it is- a stock gen2 is already appears more reliable & capable offroad than a stock TRX even if it gives up some performance cred on the street or @ the dyno to the TRX

one is a Well thought out independently designed/engineered niche offroad Baja truck w/ millions of miles of real world testing by the factory & by actual owners that is now entering its 3rd generation & building upon all the knowledge gained from the last 10 years....the other is another 1/2 ass engineered Ram product that relies more on marketing hype & blower whine than actual performance cred in the real world to sell units

is what it is

Totally agree that actual performance and feel are not always the same thing. A Tesla hauls ass, but doesn't have nearly the visceral feel that a GT3RS has. Exhaust, ride/road feel, etc. all contribute to the experience. My Raptor is tuned (custom on a dyno by Stoopid Fast here in Houston) and it is regeared with 5.13s. It's ridiculously fast, and I still love it. But, this stock TRX is really impressive. It won't be long before someone is pushing 1,000HP in one of these TRXs. The exhaust note from the stock TRX is great. Doesn't need an exhaust system to sound good, and a set of electric cut-outs would make it sound really fun.

I love both trucks, and I hope the Gen 3 Raptor R is packed full of all of the benefits of those millions of miles of testing and real world driving so it is equally impressive. Honestly, if Ford can improve the horrendous 10 speed transmission so it actually shifts within a reasonable amount of time they will likely have an impressive truck V6 or V8. That's my biggest complaint about my Gen2. I don't care that it has a V6. I think I'm less inclined to get a Gen3 anytime soon if the R isn't a V8. I like the looks of my Gen2 better than the Gen3, and my Gen2 already has all the mods done to it. Tempt me with a V8 and I might start thinking about it...

And as a side note, my Gen2 seemed (feel vs. actual?) considerably quicker than my Gen1 with the Roush SC. The TRX seems (again, maye just feels) faster than the Gen2. I'm not a brand loyalist (I have 6 different brands of cars/trucks right now), so I'm not influenced one way or another by brand alone. Many brands make good stuff, and those same brands make some crap once in awhile.

I don't know the backstory to the TRX development, but to say it is a 1/2 ass engineered product seems a bit dismissive for no reason. I've gotten under my TRX and looked around. It's well thought out, and seems to function really well. The rear axle is essentially a D60, and it is reinforced well (check out the trusses coming off the pumpkin), and the axle tubes have about 6 plug welds to keep them from twisting. Not to clog this thread, but for those of you who are interested here are some pics. Is it a perfect truck? Probably not. Is it still impressive? Id' say so...

 

[K223]

Totally agree that actual performance and feel are not always the same thing. A Tesla hauls ass, but doesn't have nearly the visceral feel that a GT3RS has. Exhaust, ride/road feel, etc. all contribute to the experience. My Raptor is tuned (custom on a dyno by Stoopid Fast here in Houston) and it is regeared with 5.13s. It's ridiculously fast, and I still love it. But, this stock TRX is really impressive. It won't be long before someone is pushing 1,000HP in one of these TRXs. The exhaust note from the stock TRX is great. Doesn't need an exhaust system to sound good, and a set of electric cut-outs would make it sound really fun.

I love both trucks, and I hope the Gen 3 Raptor R is packed full of all of the benefits of those millions of miles of testing and real world driving so it is equally impressive. Honestly, if Ford can improve the horrendous 10 speed transmission so it actually shifts within a reasonable amount of time they will likely have an impressive truck V6 or V8. That's my biggest complaint about my Gen2. I don't care that it has a V6. I think I'm less inclined to get a Gen3 anytime soon if the R isn't a V8. I like the looks of my Gen2 better than the Gen3, and my Gen2 already has all the mods done to it. Tempt me with a V8 and I might start thinking about it...

And as a side note, my Gen2 seemed (feel vs. actual?) considerably quicker than my Gen1 with the Roush SC. The TRX seems (again, maye just feels) faster than the Gen2. I'm not a brand loyalist (I have 6 different brands of cars/trucks right now), so I'm not influenced one way or another by brand alone. Many brands make good stuff, and those same brands make some crap once in awhile.

I don't know the backstory to the TRX development, but to say it is a 1/2 ass engineered product seems a bit dismissive for no reason. I've gotten under my TRX and looked around. It's well thought out, and seems to function really well. The rear axle is essentially a D60, and it is reinforced well (check out the trusses coming off the pumpkin), and the axle tubes have about 6 plug welds to keep them from twisting. Not to clog this thread, but for those of you who are interested here are some pics. Is it a perfect truck? Probably not. Is it still impressive? Id' say so...

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The TRX looks to have some good components and a lot of it, thought through. Ram, Dodge, FCA, Stellantis (how can you keep up anymore) has always seemed to bring some innovation, take some chances and go for some of the latest ideas in many of there vehicles. I will certainly give them that. Have they had to back pedal and update there implementations to version 1, 2 etc after the initial release? I would say yes and personally gone through some warranty work years back with them. Ford on the other hand will stick with tried and true longer, over fancy features that are not overly proven. Even then the feature may not be the most eye catching but tends to work in most cases. All these manufacturers have there flaws, don’t get me wrong.

Will the TRX as a system go the distance and perform? I guess that remains to be seen. Someone in the forum mentioned a while back the TRX had this fancy multi colored frame. No sign of that and it would have been hard to believe.

 

[TheButcher]

The TRX looks to have some good components and a lot of it, thought through. Ram, Dodge, FCA, Stellantis (how can you keep up anymore) has always seemed to bring some innovation, take some chances and go for some of the latest ideas in many of there vehicles. I will certainly give them that. Have they had to back pedal and update there implementations to version 1, 2 etc after the initial release? I would say yes and personally gone through some warranty work years back with them. Ford on the other hand will stick with tried and true longer, over fancy features that are not overly proven. Even then the feature may not be the most eye catching but tends to work in most cases. All these manufacturers have there flaws, don’t get me wrong.

Will the TRX as a system go the distance and perform? I guess that remains to be seen. Someone in the forum mentioned a while back the TRX had this fancy multi colored frame. No sign of that and it would have been hard to believe.

Hadn't heard about a multi colored frame. Not sure why that would even be a thing.

I think there are several issues going on with the roll out of the TRX that are giving people a bad taste in their mouth. Their roll out has been a total train wreck with people who ordered their trucks last August still waiting on them today, while dealers have them landing on their lots as inventory trucks available to sell now. That has really gotten everyone's hackles up. Couple that with the QC issues that seem to be far more prevalent than they should be, and you have a lot of unhappy folks. Thanks to the internet/social media society we live in now everyone gets to scream their unhappiness from the mountaintops.

I'd be willing to cut a little slack since they are rolling out a new halo product at an unprecedented time (Covid anyone?) where supply chains are disrupted along with work schedules. I don't envy them. Nor do I pity them, as they should have done a better job. Should be interesting to see if they can clean up their act in terms of delivery and QC.

 

[K223]

Hadn't heard about a multi colored frame. Not sure why that would even be a thing.

I think there are several issues going on with the roll out of the TRX that are giving people a bad taste in their mouth. Their roll out has been a total train wreck with people who ordered their trucks last August still waiting on them today, while dealers have them landing on their lots as inventory trucks available to sell now. That has really gotten everyone's hackles up. Couple that with the QC issues that seem to be far more prevalent than they should be, and you have a lot of unhappy folks. Thanks to the internet/social media society we live in now everyone gets to scream their unhappiness from the mountaintops.

I'd be willing to cut a little slack since they are rolling out a new halo product at an unprecedented time (Covid anyone?) where supply chains are disrupted along with work schedules. I don't envy them. Nor do I pity them, as they should have done a better job. Should be interesting to see if they can clean up their act in terms of delivery and QC.

The pre production rolling chassis had the individual section painted a different color. Someone remarked that’s how they will come and how much effort they are putting into the truck. Got me!

Exactly times like this! I think lower volume and extra care should have been taken with these trucks. Not at all what you want to happen from the get go. Ford already has there line in place for the Gen 3 so it shouldn’t be as tough for them. Still it’s a mark on Ram from the start.

Knowing how 1st year vehicles can be, you will still expect issues. So overlooking this, we really want to know how it performs in the real world and how it will hold up in the real world.

 

[melvimbe]

Their roll out has been a total train wreck with people who ordered their trucks last August still waiting on them today, while dealers have them landing on their lots as inventory trucks available to sell now. That has really gotten everyone's hackles up.

While I completely get why those who ordered would be ticked off about this, it is somewhat understandable. It's a halo vehicle, and part of the reason they are made is to pull in customers to the dealership, where the eventually buy something else. IMO, the smart thing to do would be to give every dealer, or most dealers, one TRX for demo purposes only. Customers can then get in line to order one if they want it or settle for something else on the lot if they don't want to wait. Once you've met the demand so that orders are being filled in 3 months time (or some other reasonable length of time) then you can start giving dealers inventory.

I was going to say that they should have just let ordering customers know up front that they would not have priority over dealer inventory...but that would just cause customers to reconsider their order.

 

[Muchmore]

It's hard to look at how the TRX has been released and feel very comfortable. Forgetting to put shock bolts in and stripped/forgotten bolts in suspension components has nothing to do with first years model issues, it has everything to do with QC during the builds. Honestly, we know RAM will let vehicles hit the streets half put together in order to meet marketing hype so I have to think there are the same pressures put on the engineers of the trucks. What have the engineers let slip thru QC to meet demand or deadlines?