By James Raia
One thing pickup truck owners universally like is power – the power to tow an RV, haul stuff, advance uphill and downhill, trek off-road.
But what are the top choices for the most powerful trucks? The website hotcars.com has compiled a list and provided facts, figures and praise.
The No. 1 vehicle on the list is the 2004-2006 Dodge Ram SRT10. It’s equipped with an 8.3-liter V10 with 500 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. The regular cab version of the SR10 has a top speed of 154 mph. The SRT10 can tow 7,500 pounds.
Here in reverse order and in synopsis form are the 10 most powerful trucks available in the United States:
10. 2014 Ram Cummins. 370 horsepower, Dodge Ram 2500, lifted 6.7 liter Hemi V8. Towing capacity, 30,000 pounds; carry limit, 7,320 pounds.
9. 2001-2004 Ford SVT Lightning. 380 horsepower. SOHC Supercharged Triton V8 engine. Acceleration 0 to 60 mph in slightly more than 5 seconds; top speed, 147 mph. The Lightning has 5,000-pound towing capacity and a carry load of 1,350 pounds.
8. 2020 Nissan Titan. 5.6-liter V8 with 400 horsepower, 9,400-pound towing capacity and a 1,696-pound carry limit.
7. 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. 420 horsepower. 5.3-liter V8 engine. Optional “transparent trailer” view. Towing capacity 9,800 pounds, carry limit 2,240 pounds.
6. 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. 420 horsepower. Towing capacity, 9,800 pounds; 2,280-pound carry load to complement its 5.3-liter V8. Options include: regular cab with a long bed, double cab with a standard bed, crew cab with a short bed, and crew cab with a standard bed.
5. 2020 Ford F-350 Power Stroke. 450 horsepower, 6.7-liter Power Stroke Diesel. Towing capacity, 24,000 pounds; carry capacity more than 7,000 pounds.
4. 2020 Ford F-150 Raptor. 450 horsepower. Twin-turbo V6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Towing capacity 8,000 pounds; 1,366-pound carry limit.
3. 2020 Ford F-450 Lariat. 475 horsepower. 6.7-liter Powerstroke V8 Turbo Diesel. Towing capacity, 24,200 pounds with a conventional setup, 32,550 pounds with a fifth wheel. Carry limit, 7,850 pounds.
2. 2020 Ford Super Duty. 475 horsepower. 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8. Towing capacity with fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitch added, 37,000 pounds. Carry limit, 7,850 pounds.
1. 2004-2006 Dodge Ram SRT10. See above.
James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
##RVT960b
This list makes no sense for towing. Towing is about torque. Where are the GMC 3500’s? Same for Ford and Ram 1-tons.
A list for speeders maybe, but not RVers.
Hmmm? SRT10, Raptor, Lightning? Cool, sporty trucks, but nothing I would consider to pull a travel trailer. I would be more interested comfortable, practical, work horse type of truck.
“2014 Ram Cummins. 370 horsepower, Dodge Ram 2500, lifted 6.7 liter Hemi V8. Towing capacity, 30,000 pounds; carry limit, 7,320 pounds.”
I thought the Cummins was a 6.7L I -6 diesel.
You are correct, and I believe this to be a bogus list, not to be believed.
Virtually any year of Chevy Silverado 2500 HD 6.6L Duramax.
Funny how they don’t list 0-60 time with the fifth wheel attached. Now that would be interesting.:):)
I,M NOT POSITIVE, BUT CHEVY AND GMC DO NOT OFFER A 5.3L WITH 420 HP THAT WOULD BE THE 6.2L GAS NOT THE 5.3
All of my thoughts expressed.