For years, Ford and Ram have been in a big truck war. The Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram 1500 TRX constantly battle for more power. Currently, the TRX is the horsepower king. But it might not hold the title for long. Ford is cooking up a hybrid monstrosity to knock it down a peg. 

Ford goes hybrid to battle the Ram 1500 TRX 

The Ford F-150 Raptor R isn’t the most powerful street-legal truck available anymore. It has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine with 720 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque. This beastly pickup flaunted itself as the king for a bit, as the outgoing Ram 1500 TRX model only had 702 hp. 

But the 2026 Ram 1500 TRX returns to steal the crown. It features a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine that delivers 777 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque. So, it dominates the Raptor R with 57 extra ponies. 

How long will Ford let this stand? Not long. Ford CEO Jim Farley shares that a hybrid V8 engine is still in the cards. It should help the automaker keep the V8 engine around for a lot longer. But repealing EPA mandates is also helping. 

The Ford F-150 Hybrid is currently the most popular selling model. This comes as a surprise, as drivers seem to view hybrid engines as less reliable. But it’s causing Ford to believe that hybrids are the performance drivetrain of the future. 

According to Hagerty, Ford isn’t planning to do something drivers don’t want. But it needs to push the Raptor in every way possible to maintain its position as the most capable off-road vehicle. 

The hybrid system will have to be low weight and provide more power while recharging itself by the brakes. It’s safe to expect the next Raptor to have a naturally-aspirated V8 with hybrid assistance.