1500 TRX

Make
Ram
Segment
Sports Car

Ford has been in a class of one for high-speed off-roading with the F-150 Raptor since it went into production in 2009, but Ram has finally brought a competitor to market with the 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi-V8 powered 1500 TRX.

Ram fired the first shot while Ford was teasing the new Raptor demanding Ford pop the hood to compare what's under there with the TRX, likely knowing it's still a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. However, Ford's head of Product Communications, Mike Levine, took a well-aimed pop back at Ram.

In a tweet showing the TRX at play in the desert, he points out that the video is shot in the same location Nissan just revealed the new Pathfinder.

"Some are content with just going to the edge. We'll keep pushing past it," Ram says. But Levine retorts, "Love that the new Pathfinder was revealed in the same location. Keeping pushing past that edge."

He seemingly makes a fair point as Nissan isn't pretending the new Pathfinder is a high-powered performance off-roader. It also steers the conversation away from power, which is only one aspect of an off-road package. Ford hasn't revealed the output figures for the 2021 Raptor yet and has onlyjust confirmed it plans a V8-powered Raptor R that we hope will be supercharged. The Raptor doesn't need a V8, but there's no doubt it would be a hit with Ford fans, and off-roading is an excellent way of celebrating excessive power.

In reality, it's not unusual for automakers to shoot promotional materials in the same locations as perfect locations are harder to find than you might think. We occasionally shoot photos at a spot on the California Pacific Coast highway where press photos and promotional videos are often shot as well as movie scenes.

In this case, it looks like Ram and Nissan went to Swing Arm City in Utah where a sharp-eyed Twitter user points out: "I seem to remember some dude going there in a Fiesta..." He then links to Ken Block's Terrakhana video featuring his rally-spec Ford Fiesta.