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Payne: 5 cool things about the Ram RHO

Posted by Talbot Payne on May 1, 2024

Ram’s biggest horns are on a rhino.

Stellantis NV’s truck brand introduced the latest salvo in the super truck wars on Thursday, the 540-horsepower, twin-turbo, inline-6-powered, terrain-eating, 2025 Ram RHO. RHO is short for Ram High Output, but the inference to rhinoceros is intentional. Like the outgoing V8-powered TRX (think T-Rex), the RHO is a ferocious off-road beast.

The RHO is the top dog — er, rhino — in Ram’s light-duty performance truck lineup that includes the Warlock and Rebel. Here are five cool things about the new super truck:

Price. At $71,990 (including $1,995 destination charge), the RHO is nearly $30k cheaper than the $98k TRX, which will be retired after the 2024 model year. Ram swaps out TRX’s insane, 702-horsepower, Dodge Hellcat-derived, supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 for the brand’s newest mill: the 540-horse, twin-turbo, straight-6 Hurricane engine. But the rest of the TRX’s awesome capabilities are intact, including performance Bilstein shocks, lux interior and 35-inch all-terrain tires. The 6-cylinder still sports plenty of grunt (90 more horses than the Ford F-150 Raptor’s V-6) and, with the money you save, you can buy a nice used Ram 1500. With a price just north of the already hot-selling Rebel, the RHO should rack up sales. “We want to grow,” said Ram brand boss Bob Broderdorf.

Shocking performance. Armored like, well, a rhino with skid plates, 11.8-inch ground clearance and 35-inch all-terrain tires, RHO is ready to roam off-road. Put your boot in it and the adaptive, Baja racing-inspired Bilstein shocks boast impressive 13-inch front/14-inch rear suspension travel (40% more than a standard Ram) to navigate terrain at 100-plus-mph speeds. To manage this punishment, the dampers feature remote reservoirs to better control shock fluid temperatures.

You'll know the Ram 1500 RHO by its massive 35-inch all-terrain tires and the graphics on its side.

These capabilities are managed by an eight-speed transmission, low-speed transfer case, and Drive Mode selector that can rotate between Auto, Tow, Mud/Sand, Rock, Snow, Sport and — bwa-ha-ha-haw! — Baja modes. There’s even a Launch Control button so you can race sportscars out of stoplights to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.

Screen-tastic. For all the violence outside, the RHO interior is a corporate boardroom. The last-gen Ram wowed truck fans with its Tesla-like center screen and material opulence. The RHO (and brother Rebel) continue that vibe with 50 inches of available screens starting with the vertically-mounted, 14.4-inch console screen with dual screen capability for multi-tasking. Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch digital display that changes character depending on drive mode.

The RHO's interior can be outfitted with up to 50 inches of digital screens.

Borrowing from its Jeep Grand Wagoneer brother, the RHO also offers a passenger-side, 10.25-inch display so you can ride shotgun with access to music, navigation and your own phone apps. But wait, there’s more. Even the driver’s head-up display is a massive 10 inches and includes details like digital tachometer, turn-by-turn navigation and speed so you can keep your eyes on the ever-changing off-road environment.

A rhino in tennis shoes. The Hurricane engine may give up 162 horsepower to the V-8 nuke, but it’s 150 pounds lighter, which makes for better balance up front. And if you still covet a V-8, walk across the showroom to the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Powerwagon. Its Hemi V-8 and detachable front swaybar make for remarkable rock-crawling capability.

The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO's twin-turbo inline-6 has fewer horsepower than the TRX's V-8 but weighs less, making RHO lighter on its feet.

Wide load. Speaking of Heavy Duty, the RHO requires three amber lights (normally reserved for HD trucks) due to its 88-inch width for surer footing on cross-desert sprints. The lights flank the front bumper and are integrated in the tall hood scoop, which filters mud and water in order to make sure the beast within is fed by nice clean air.

The RHO comes in one body style: four-door Crew Cab with a 5’ 7” box and can tow up to 8,380 pounds. That’s enough to pull a real rhino.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

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