The Ram TRX is no more, the Hellcat going to the great dirt track in the sky. To replace it, Ram has introduced the 1500 RHO, which has a 3-liter Hurricane engine. The company made sure it was more powerful than the Ford Raptor's, of course. Marketing is important.
At a glance
- A real pickup truck that happens to go fast
- Very off-road capable
- Pricey
The T-Rex was a ridiculous truck, to be completely frank about it. Fun, but not at all practical for most truck things. Stellantis’ brands have come out of the “Hellcat everything” stage and are now a little more mature. Which, personally, I’m not a fan of. I liked the ridiculous “How much engine can we stuff into a vehicle” approach Dodge, Jeep, and Ram seemed to be taking. It was fun to imagine boardrooms featuring trays of white powder and wide-pupiled execs eagerly signing off on anything that had the words “Hellcat” or “Demon” in it.
But eventually reality has to rear its ugly head and the party has to end. At least the replacement for the ridiculousness of the TRX is an actual pickup truck that just happens to be able to go fast. That’s the Ram 1500 RHO in a nutshell.
The 2025 RHO has a 540-horsepower (397-kW) 3.0-liter turbo-six. That straight six pushes 521 lb ft (706 Nm) of torque. These are respectable numbers for a half-ton pickup. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph (92 km/h) in about five seconds. That’s on pavement with a professional on a closed track and a rolling start. For myself, starting from a flat-footed stop in the dirt, that 60 came in about seven seconds. Which is pretty close to what I was able to do with the TRX and the Jeep Wrangler 392 (both V8-powered muscle with knobby tires). And slightly better than I was able to do with the Raptor.
Off-road gear in the Ram RHO is usefully impressive. There are 13 inches of suspension travel in front and 14 at the rear (33 and 35.5 cm). Ground clearance is very close to 12 inches (30.5 cm). Those numbers come thanks to 35-inch tires and a lot of suspension changes. Bilstein adaptive shocks, underbody skid plates, and a sport-tuned exhaust system finish the equipment list. Four-wheel drive is, of course, standard in the RHO.
From the outside, the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is wide, menacing, and equipped with enough plastic cladding to star in a Marvel movie. Inside, there’s a big touchscreen, suede details, and so much leather that even Rob Halford would blush. The RHO also has the latest Uconnect infotainment interface, and it’s a good step forward from what was already an industry-leading system.
The greatest differences between the TRX and the RHO is felt on the road. The RHO is much more civilized and a lot less ... well, noisy. The RHO performs like a standard full-sized pickup truck in regular daily driving. It sounds a little better, with the exhaust upgrades, and it jumps from the light faster than a standard 1500 might, but it’s easily controlled.
Off the road, the TRX has much more grunt and speed. Obviously. But the RHO is a lot of fun and delivers the same kind of real-world off-road capability that the TRX did. With less of the death-trap feeling the big T-Rex sometimes imparted. It’s not as ridiculously fun as the TRX, but the RHO isn’t boring at all.
The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is a study of evolving maturity. It keeps the spirit of the TRX, but makes it more grown up. The downside? Its price tag is about the same, starting at about US$72,000.
Product page: 2025 Ram 1500 RHO