The arrival of the 2021 RAM TRX was more than just the debut of an incredible pickup truck; it was also a gauntlet being thrown in the direction of the current king of all trucks, the Ford F-150 Raptor.

There’s no secret that the RAM TRX’s purpose on this earth is to take down the mighty Raptor. Well, as far as motivations go, RAM included a rather hilarious easter egg on the TRX to remind its current and prospective owners exactly what it’s all about. Pop open the hood of the truck, lift up the airbox cover, and you’ll see it, plain as day.

Underneath the cover is an engraving of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, only it’s not just a T-Rex (or TRX, if you’re Fiat-Chrysler) that you’ll see; it’s a T-Rex that has, of all things, a raptor in its mouth. The subtlety, or lack thereof, shouldn’t be lost on anyone who owns a RAM TRX moving forward.

Does the RAM TRX have what it takes to beat the Ford F-150 Raptor?

When Fiat-Chrylser signed off on the RAM TRX, the objective was simple: beat the Ford F-150 Raptor at its own game. With that battle plan drawn, RAM proceeded to develop and build a truck that not only featured a new high-strength steel frame that’s said to be lighter and tougher than anything the automaker has ever used but, more importantly, was also powered by a ridiculous 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine that produced an incredible 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.

The output from the monstrous HEMI, far exceed what the mighty F-150 Raptor — 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque from a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine — has to offer.

Not only is the RAM TRX more powerful than the F-150 Raptor, but it’s also faster. A lot faster.

The quarter-mile time, if that’s of any interest, of both trucks is also lopsided in the TRX’s favor. The RAM truck can hit that mark in 12.9 seconds, almost a full second quicker than the F-150 Raptor’s time of 13.8 seconds.

In terms of all the important features of a truck, the TRX comes with a maximum towing capacity of 8,100 pounds, 100 pounds more than the F-150 Raptor (8,000 pounds). Max payload? That’s a check on the TRX, too, as it can carry up to 1,310 pounds of payload compared to the 1,190-pound max payload of the F150-Raptor.

There are other aspects where the TRX is just as good, if not better than the F-150 Raptor. Premium materials come standard in the interior of the TRX and the tech offerings are listed as the latest and most modern that Fiat-Chrysler has in its arsenal. From these perspectives, the RAM TRX succeeds in setting a new bar for pickup trucks that not even the lauded F-150 Raptor can reach — at least for now.

Does Ford have a response for the RAM TRX?

Did you think that Ford was going to take the RAM TRX’s arrival sitting down? No, it wouldn’t, and you better believe that Ford’s already cooking up a next-level F-150 Raptor that can take the bite out of the RAM TRX.

The next-generation F-150 Raptor is on the way, and while nothing is certain at this point, Ford Authority reported last month that the automaker’s 5.2-liter supercharged Predator V-8 engine will be available on the F-150 Raptor as an option. That’s big news if it’s true since the V-8 can be tuned to produce as much as 750 horsepower. That’s just the start of it.

The new Raptor could also benefit from upgrades made to is lauded long-travel suspension, which is pretty much the truck’s defining feature. Expect the same oversized tires and a limited-slip front differential to be available in the next-gen truck, either as a standard feature or as an added option.

For now, though, RAM’s easter egg on the TRX is enough entertainment for us. Hopefully, there’s more where that came from, too, since this rivalry has the potential to explode once all the protagonists have arrived.