{"id":33566,"date":"2024-10-31T15:58:05","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T19:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33566"},"modified":"2024-10-31T15:58:05","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T19:58:05","slug":"payne-with-rho-ram-unleashes-a-rhino-to-take-on-the-f-150-raptor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/payne-with-rho-ram-unleashes-a-rhino-to-take-on-the-f-150-raptor","title":{"rendered":"Payne: With RHO, Ram unleashes a rhino to take on the F-150 Raptor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holly Oaks<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Raptor, meet Rhino.<\/p>\n

The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO supertruck is here and it\u2019s a worthy competitor to segment pioneer Ford F-150 Raptor. RHO is short for Ram High Output, and the acronym\u2019s similarity to rhinoceros is no accident. This is a full-grown, armor-plated, earth-pawing, terrain-chewing, bone-crunching beast.<\/p>\n

Better yet, it\u2019s a rhino in tennis shoes.<\/p>\n

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Fly! The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is remarkably capable with its Bilstein performance shocks.<\/em><\/div>\n
Stellantis, \u00a9 2024 Stellantis<\/em><\/div>\n

Barreling into Holly Oaks\u2019 sandy, Back 40 \u201cLollipop\u201d \u2014 foot to the floor, 540 horses snorting, all four corners churning \u2014 I nailed the brakes and hooked the 6,000-pound rhino into a 90-degree right-hander. With remarkable agility, we tangoed across the sand, the rhino\u2019s hindquarters nearly overtaking its front end before the massive 35-inch front, all-terrain Goodyear Wrangler tires gripped, propelling us forward across the dance floor. BWAAAAWWRGH! If this were “Dancing with the Stars,” we would have received a perfect 10.<\/p>\n

Track geeks like me marvel at the race car-like talents of modern-day $80K supercars like the Corvette C8, BMW M3 and Porsche Cayman \u2014 but for the same price, you can purchase off-road animals that sport similar horsepower numbers and astounding, Baja 1000 racing-like \u00a0capabilities. And supertrucks do this while offering more interior space than a Boeing 737 and a bed that will haul home your tree for Christmas.<\/p>\n

Rhino follows in Raptor\u2019s footprints. Finally. It\u2019s been 14 years since the Ford energized the pickup space just as the BMW\u2019s M3 transformed the car market four decades ago with a performance version of a popular badge.<\/p>\n

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To the moon! The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO has 14 inches of suspension travel (rear) and 13 inches front for incredible off-road ability.<\/em><\/div>\n
Stellantis, \u00a9 2024 Stellantis<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Like M3, the Ram is also a premium vehicle. Trucks are the new luxe, and RHO will go head-to-head against any Mercedes that pulls up next to you at the golf club. That\u2019s right, take your Rhino to the club dressed to the nines.<\/p>\n

Nines as in the $9,995 Level 1 package, which adds a 14-inch console screen, head-up-display, passenger-side display, carbon fiber accents, 19-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, memory\/massaging\/heated\/cooled leather seats, 360-degree camera, hands-free self-driving system, and jacuzzi (kidding about that last one).<\/p>\n

On I-75, I went hands-free just like GM\u2019s Super Cruise and Ford\u2019s Blue Cruise \u2014 two other mainstream brands who make luxurious trucks. I poked the left stalk and the rhino changed lanes automatically. Poked the right \u2014 and it moved back into the right lane. I enjoyed a snack and a drink while my luxury yacht \u2014 er, pickup \u2014 drove itself at 80 mph.<\/p>\n

My wee wife might need a ladder to climb into the passenger seat (the RHO towers 11.8-inches above the ground thanks to 35s), but once strapped in, she would love it. She\u2019s the navigator in the family, and the passenger-side screen would allow her to sync her phone using wireless Apple CarPlay, then share directions with the main screen that we both could see (the passenger screen is invisible to the driver).<\/p>\n

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The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO’s Bilstein shocks make it smooth on road – rugged off road.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In total. RHO can be outfitted with nearly 50 inches of available screens, starting with the vertically mounted 14.4-inch console jumbotron. A configurable 12.3-inch digital display is behind the steering wheel, the 10-inch HUD floats over the hood and there\u2019s the aforementioned, 10.25-inch display for Mrs. Payne riding shotgun so she can immerse herself in music \u2018n\u2019 apps in addition to charting our course.<\/p>\n