Having a fast automobile would usually come from a car, but now trucks have some serious horsepower. Ford and Dodge decided to create two different trucks to see which one is better. The Ford SVT Lightning and the Dodge Ram SRT-10 are going to battle it out to see which one would be crowned the king of trucks.
Under the Hood

The SRT-10 is the most powerful pickup truck there is today. It combines the body of a Dodge Ram with the engine of a Dodge Viper. Under the hood of a SRT-10 is an “8.3 liter V-10” engine, Brian Vance says from Motor Trend on page 2. This pickup truck can roar to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. The SRT-10 can run the quarter mile in 13.3 seconds at 106.9 mph. In case you don’t know, that is fast for a truck.

The Lightning is a high performance pickup truck. A “5.4 liter V-8” engine (Vance page two) powers the SVT F-150 Lightning. The V-8 engine is paired together with a supercharger providing 380 horsepower. Having this lets it go up to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. The Lightning can run the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds at 102 mph.

Interior

“Dodge engineer’s claims that the SRT-10 has 165 differences from the regular Dodge Ram” (page 3 Vance). The SRT-10 features seats with high cushions. A leather-trimmed steering wheel is in front of a silver-face 160-mph speedometer. The SRT-10 is turned on by a shiny red start.


Unlike the SRT-10, the Lightning’s interior is more similar to the F-150’s interior. There aren’t any major changes to the interior, bucket seats with leather inserts and SVT logos on the backrests. The gauges are colored white. The steering wheel is wrapped in perforated leather, and the door handles are now brushed aluminum.

Exterior


One of the most noticeable exterior features of the SRT-10 is a unique hood that features a wide power bulge and hood scoop. The hood scoop allows cool air to enter and forces hot air to exit from the engine. This helps the engine to have more power as well as making the engine run cooler. "Viper Powered" badges were added to the sides of the bulge. Another exterior feature is a spoiler. The colors of the SRT-10 are brilliant black crystal pearl coat, bright silver metallic clear coat, and flame red clear coat.

The 2004 SVT Lightning has several exterior features that set it apart from the rest of the F-150 lineup. It has crystalline headlamps, clear turn signal lenses, and round fog lamps in the vehicle's unique front. Complementing the face are unique clear tail lamp lenses and a light-emitting-diode high-mounted stoplight. The Lightning comes in bright red, black, white, silver, and dark shadow grey colors. It also came in a dark color, true blue, but was replaced with a lighter color, sonic blue.

Conclusion

Just as Dodge promised, it has built the most powerful muscle truck on earth. The Ford SVT F-150 Lightning is priced right for what it gives you, but falls short of the SRT-10 in every performance test except for braking and towing. “For now the Lightning is forced to hand over its “King of the Street” crown over to the SRT-10” says Vance page four, while Ford tries to bring the next-generation of the F-150 Lightning to the market. Until then, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 is the winner based on these performances.