2025 RAM 1500 RHO: Modern Brawler

Trucks
June 2, 2025
Dan Gunay

The 2025 RAM 1500 RHO arrives as a high-performance off-road warrior, positioned as a more accessible alternative to the outgoing TRX while still delivering serious capability and attitude. Powered by the new Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six, the RHO trades raw V8 excess for a more refined yet still formidable approach to desert running and trail tackling. With aggressive styling, upgraded suspension, and a tech-rich interior, the RHO targets drivers who want a bold, fast truck without going full-throttle into the supercharged realm. It’s RAM’s latest answer to the off-road performance pickup trend- just without less drama.

After the TRX’s departure, the RHO has big shoes to fill, but the good thing is – it looks very similar except the RHO badging. Just like the TRX, the RHO differentiates itself from a regular RAM with more aggressive stance and details. It sits significantly higher thanks to its suspension setup, and features wider fenders to accommodate the off-road tires. The grille, hood, and bumpers are exclusive to the RHO, as are many of the black exterior accents and badging elements. While most RAM trims aim for a blend of utility and refinement, the RHO leans into performance and ruggedness.

The front end makes an immediate impression with its aggressive and functional styling. A unique grille treatment finished in black sets it apart fromt he rest of the RAM lineup, flanked by darkened LED headlights that give the truck a more menacing glare. The hood features dual heat extractors, helping manage airflow and engine cooling under hard use, which is especially critical for the RHO’s high-output Hurricane engine. A revised front bumper not only looks tougher, but also improves off-road approach angles. It integrates large tow hooks and a skid plate underneath, signaling the truck’s off-road capability before it even moves.

From the side, the RHO wears its widenet stance proudly. Flared fenders house oversized 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires mounted on eclusive 18-inch wheels, which can be optioned with beadlock-capable rings for more serious off-road use. The lifted suspension gives the truck extra ground clearance while aggressive body cladding and textured black trim hint at its rugged nature. A subtle but noticeable “RHO” badge is embedded into the bed along with black mirror caps to further differentiate it from the other luxury trims.

At the rear, the RHO continues its performance-focused design with a blacked-out rear bumper and darkened LED taillights. The tailgate features a large “RAM” badge in bold lettering, with spray-in bedliner and off-road step bumper for added durability and usability. Twin exhaust outlets are integrated into the rear bumper, tuned for a deeper tone. While the design doesn’t scream for attention, it clearly communicates that this truck means business, whether it’s tearing through a trail, or hauling gear to a remote jobsite.

Climb into the 2025 RAM 1500 RHO and the first thing that hits you – after the seat bolsters, anyway – is that this isn’t just a RAM 1500 with bigger tires and a badge swap. The interior feels purpose-built, like someone at RAM actually cared about making a go-fast, go-anywhere truck feel like a go-fast, go-anywhere truck. The dashboard layout is familiar, but the vibe isn’t. Gone is the boring rotary shifter (thank you RAM), replaced by proper shifter mechanism located in the center console. The slightly flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle shifters is almost cheeky in a full size pickup, but it works. It tells you this thing was meant to be driven, not just parked outside a Bass Pro Shops.

The design quirks are subtle, but intentional. RHO logos are stitched where they matter, and not where they don’t, the red contrast stitching adds just the right amount of aggression, and the rubberized floor mats look like they could survive a direct hit from a pressure washer. Even the digital gauge cluster throws up pitch and roll meters and turbo boost gauges like it was built by someone who’s actually taken a truck off-road. This isn’t some luxury poseur trim with chrome overload and fake wood – it’s functional, sporty and just serious enough to not take itself too seriously.

Space? Tons of it. The RHO only comes in Crew Cab form, so you get all the legroom adn shoulder room you could ask for. The front seats are exactly what they should be: supportive without being punishing, with enough bolstering to keep you in place but no so much that getting in and out feels like a core workout. The rear seats are practically limo-like by pick-up standards, and the flat floor means no one’s stuck riding the hump in the middle row. Storage is predictably excellent, with hidden compartments, under-seat bins, and a center console deep enough to lose a small laptop.

Then there’s the tech—big, flashy, and… occasionally frustrating. On paper, the RHO comes fully loaded: a massive 14.5-inch touchscreen running Uconnect 5, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and a stunning 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that’s easily one of the best in the business. The cluster is quick, clean, and genuinely useful, especially with its off-road displays for pitch, roll, and drivetrain status—it actually adds to the driving experience rather than distracting from it. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the main infotainment screen. It looks great but can be sluggish, particularly on startup, and we ran into occasional freezing when flipping between nav and off-road pages.

Inputs sometimes lag just enough to be irritating—especially when you’re jostling down a trail and need to pull up a camera view or adjust a setting quickly. Uconnect 5 still offers plenty of functionality, but Ram would do well to spend less time chasing screen real estate and more time making the system bulletproof. Because in a truck built to conquer anything, the touchscreen shouldn’t be the thing holding you back.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Ram if it didn’t know how to get some real work done, and the RHO doesn’t disappoint—mostly. With a max towing capacity of 8,380 pounds, it’s not quite the heavy-hauler the old TRX was, but that’s missing the point. This is still more than enough for most weekend toys, enclosed car trailers, or overcompensating bass boats. And the RHO brings along the expected tech: trailer sway control, a built-in trailer brake controller, and multiple camera angles to help you line up that hitch without looking like a total amateur at the boat ramp.

Out back, the standard short bed (5’7”) is par for the Crew Cab course, and it comes with optional goodies like Ram’s clever multifunction tailgate and an available spray-in liner. There’s even LED lighting and cargo tie-downs for when you’re loading up gear in the dark. It’s not trying to be a heavy-duty work truck, but it’s far from useless. It’s just smart enough to get the job done—and then blow past a Raptor on the way home.

The last part isn’t just talk. Under the hood is Stellantis’ new high-output 3.0-litre twin-turbo hurricane inline-six, making 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque – numbers that feel more like they belong in a high-performance SUV than a half-ton pickup. It’s paired to an 8-speed automatic that’s quick on the draw and smooth under pressure, whether you are merging onto the highway or crawling over rocks. The full-time 4WD system features an electronic locking differential and a BorgWarner transfer case with a low range, giving it serious off-road chops even without the over-the-top hardware of the TRX. Which is the whole point: the RHO trades shock-and-awe for capability and control.

Suspension-wise, it rides on active performance-tuned Bilstein dampers that adapt in real-time, giving you both composure at speed and confidence off-road. Combine that with 35-inch all-terrains and the kind of chassis tuning that feels more rally-bred than rock crawler, and you’ve got a truck that doesn’t just look fast – it actually is. It hauls, it tows, it climbs, it never feels like it’s out of its element. Unless, of course, you ask it to conserve fuel.

On the road, or off it, the RHO is properly quick. Bury the throttle and the twin-turbo inline-six delivers its 540 horsepower in a rush, with a smooth, wide torque band that makes the truck feel lighter than it is. The 8-speed automatic does a great job staying in the meat of the power, and shifts are quick without being harsh. There’s very little turbo lag, and the engine loves to rev, but here is the thing: It doesn’t feel like the TRX.

The Hurricane six is impressively strong and technically brilliant, but it lacks the raw drama of the old supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine. There is no guttural roar, no juvenile whine, no sense that you are operating something barely road-legal. It’s quick, yes-faster than most trucks on sale- but it doesn’t give you goosebumps the way the TRX did. It’s more of a refined kind of fast, which some will really appreciate. But if you are chasing that chaotic muscle-truck enegry, you might find the RHO a little… mellow.

Still, there is no denying how capable the thing is. The Bilstein Blackhawk e2 active dampers are wizardy: soft enough for real off-road articulation, firm enough to keep the body motions in check when you are pushing it hard on pavement. There is very little float or dive, and rebound is beautifully controlled- even over whoops or rough trails. Steering is light but relatively direct, with a decent feel for a big truck, and the 35-inch tires grip better than you would expect in fast corners. Off-road, the full-time 4WD system works. The locking diff, low-range transfer case, and terrain management modes make it easy to dial in the right setup for whatever surface you are on. The RHOO doesn’t need theatrics to be impressive – it just is. But there is a part of you, deep down, that misses the TRX’s unhinged sense of occasion.

The RHO is a truck build by people who clearly know what they are doing – and maybe had to tone it down just enough to keep the accountants happy. It’s absurdly capable, surprisingly refined, and far more well-rounded than it has any right to be. It doesn’t try out-TRX the TRX, and that’s probably for the best. Instead, it is something else entirely: a high-performance off-road truck that doesn’t need to shout about it.

Sure, it might not rattle your spine, or scare your neighbors like its predecessor did, but it will carve a fire road at triple-digit speeds and then tow your tows home without breaking a sweat. It’s surgical where the TRX was savage – less wild, but a whole lot smarter. In the long run, that might make it the better truck – even if your inner 12-year old still misses the supercharger.

Engine	3.0 litre twin-turbocharged inline-6
Transmission & Drivetrain	8-speed automatic & 2-speed transfer case, four-wheel drive
Max power	540 hp @ 5700 rpm
Max torque	521 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
0-100 km/h	4.6 sec
Curb Weight	6541 lbs – 2966 kg
Fuel Economy (observed)	13 MPG – 18.1 L/100 km
Starting at	$106,273 USD
Website:	www.ramtruck.ca