Ranger Raptor vs. Full Sized F-150 Tremor and Ram 1500 Rebel (Car and Driver Review)

[Lion77]

Not exactly an Apples-to-Apples comparison, but it does give one perspective at just how capable a stock RR really is in terms of everything except towing / payload (which is good enough for most of us even as is).

2024 Ford F-150 Tremor vs 2025 Ram 1500 Rebel: Backwoods Brawlers

What's interesting is when you compare a bone stock RR's ride heigh, approach and departure to its higher priced full-sized counterparts that while superior in towing / pay-load, really pale in actual off-road use and at a notably higher price point.

Both trucks have 33" tires, same diameter as a stock RR. The F-150 Tremor has 9.4 in of min ground clearance to the Rebel's 10.7 (adjustable air suspension but sacrifices a LOT of articulation and damping capability). The Rebel is quick with the Hurricane inline turbo six which is close to the 3.5L ecoboost in power / torque, the old 5.0L really lags behind in AREA UNDER THE CURVE.

At the end of the day, the turbo sixes, inline or V, are just producing more average power than the NA V8's even with high compression ratios, DI + Port, VVT etc. There's no replacement for displacement...except boost! But when you look at approach and departure, the Rebel really sucks (24 and 22) and the F-150 Tremor is decent at 27 and 23.

A stock RR is 33 and 25 for reference. Not bad for a 55k mid-sized pickup, especially when it's full-sized counterparts in their 4x4 trail focused trims at nearly 11k more offer far less. Obviously, there is the F-150 Raptor and Ram RHO, however those are tens of thousands more, far larger, get horrid fuel economy etc..

This was more an exercise in exploring price ranges that SOME people might be able to actually afford if they penny pinch (and even that is a stretch for many of us). I have some to believe the RR is probably the most versatile of the three Raptors and probably this most versatile performance 4x4 truck on the market even if it's not the fastest and doesn't have the best ground clearance or the highest payload etc.

It's very well rounded and balanced in all the areas that matter, with a few simple mods, it can be tailored to more specific things like 4x4 / crawling with larger tires and a lift (trade-offs in handling / acceleration / braking aside).

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[BtheCarGuy]

I’ve been a C/D subscriber for 40+ years (and have kept every issue. Weird, I know) and they consistently rate trucks according to car like traits. At least it’s consistent with their name, and ethos, I suppose. They recently rated the Tahoe atop the Expedition, for example, whereas Edmunds compared the two, and the Exped won by a colossal landslide. In the real world however, the vast majority of truck buyers prioritize attributes that lean heavily into the truck segment, hence Rams always bringing up tail end of segment sales despite having marketing incentives that absolutely dwarf their competitors (e.g. $15k-$20k yr end sales incentives).

 

[Lion77]

To be clear, I wasn't agreeing with the C&D's conclusion. I was using the article for the technical information and specs. as a comparison point to the RR to its' full-sized big brothers in off-road trims at the sub 70k price point.

The moment people get their RR's, it seems like "it doesn't do enough of this, it doesn't have enough of that".

Surely it can be improved for task specific / focused areas, like larger tires and a lift if you primarily use it on 4x4 trails / overlanding, or the Pro Cal + lighter wheels if you primarily use it on the roads, sand dunes and dirt roads at higher speeds.

But stock, look at what you're getting compared to a full-sized F-150 Tremor or Ram 1500 Rebel in real off-road capability, note that all three trucks, the F-150 Tremor, Ram 1500 Rebel and Ranger Raptor are running 33" tires as well.

RR Has
1. Better approach, departure and breakover than either of the full-sized trucks.
2. Better articulation.
3. Better ground clearance.
4. Similar (Stock, the Ram Rebel is a bit faster than the RR) or better (Pro Cal, the RR is a bit faster than both the Ram Rebel & much faster than the F-150 Tremor) powertrain performance.
5. Same or better real-world fuel economy (can't get past the weight, the heavier vehicles will use more fuel in stop / go, up hilly roads etc.)
6. Smaller footprint that is more trail / garage / parking lot friendly, all things that matter in the real world.

Full Sized
1. Better payloads / towing capacity

So, if you need a full-sized truck for work / family needs, you might be forced to go that route, but you're giving up a LOT in real off-road performance compared to what you get with a RR, especially with higher speed stuff where the Watts + 4-link really come into play vs. leaf springs + Panhard bars.

I think the full-sized trucks are suited to mostly dirt farm roads in the countryside (big open spaces), desert areas where they can actually fit, aka larger open terrain.

They are nice trucks, don't get me wrong, but in terms of real off-roading on mountain trails, dune bashing, narrow dirt fire roads, Baja in desert areas etc., I think the RR is a far better tool for the same / less price, especially with the Pro Cal + Intercooler.

Also note the Ram Rebel needs primum to make its rated power, I believe that just like all of Fords factory EcoBoost cals, you can run lower octane, but you lose considerable power.

Obviously with a Pro Cal, you're stuck with premium regardless, but I'd consider a Pro Cal'd RR vs. a stock Rebel a fair comparison since both have 3.0L V6's, both require premium fuel to achieve max performance, and the Pro Cal is a factory Hi Po option that has some warranty coverage.

If you throw in an intercooler with a Pro Cal'd RR, no other mods, people are running 13.3~13.4 quarter miles (IC shaves off about .2 sec from heat soak on a factor IC), which is right about what we would expect with a little extra power and little less weight than the Ram Rebel.

 

[Lion77]

https://www.caranddriver.com/lexus/gx

Add the GX as another good comparrison point. Although its not apple to apples again due to cost differences and the SUV / pickup differences, I'd say you get a lot of UTV in the RR compared to the GX at a lower price and certainly a lot more power if you enjoy rally / Baja higher speed driving which adds a whole new dynamic to the fun factor of offroading.

Throw on a pair of methods, Pro Cal and GOAT or similar sliders to the RR and aside from towing capacity limitations, the RR is a heck of a bargain relative to the GX even with some mods.

The GX has almost the same wheel base as the RR, the offroad GX trim is only 5 seats with a bug trunk, the RR has a shorty bed but its decently wide. Approach, breakover and departure angles look similar despite SUV proportions as the GX has a but of long rear end thats close to the Raptors bed length.

I think one member on this forum actually traded in his GX for a RR and liked the RR a lot better

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