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2025 Ram 1500 RHO Is a V-8-Less TRX That Costs about $26K Less Too

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7 months ago

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2025 Ram 1500 RHO Is a V-8-Less TRX That Costs about K Less Too

  • The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO debuts with a 540-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six and a $71,990 base price.
  • Despite a new engine and a new name, the RHO inherits the outgoing Ram TRX’s beefier components, long-travel suspension, and wide-body look.
  • The RHO also adopts bits from the redesigned Ram 1500 lineup that include a restyled front end, an enhanced interior, and other new features.

Let’s pause to pour one out for the Ram 1500 TRX. That truck’s fire-breathing Hellcat V-8, summoning 702 supercharged horses, has been fossilized, but we can forever celebrate its breakneck acceleration and roaring soundtrack. While we’re sad to say goodbye to that brute, we can’t forget there’s more to love about the TRX than just its iron-block 6.2-liter Hemi. With the same unmistakable wide-body shape and Baja-ready suspension, the new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO takes up the trophy-truck torch, albeit with two fewer cylinders.

RHO: Rock You Like a Hurricane

With the TRX now officially extinct, Ram needs a top off-roader to battle half-ton competitors like the Chevy Silverado ZR2, the GMC Sierra AT4X, the hybrid Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, and, of course, the Ford F-150 Raptor. Apart from the 700-hp Raptor R, the Ram 1500 RHO still has the most horsepower and the second-most torque of that group.

Behind its new grille, which features a “RAM” logo with a flow-through design that sits higher than before, is a high-output version of the Stellantis’ Hurricane engine. It’s a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that produces 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque. Those figures are identical to the Hurricane H/O that’s found on the upper levels of Ram’s refreshed 1500 lineup, which we’ve had the chance to sample. Likewise, the RHO’s powertrain includes a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic that feeds a full-time all-wheel-drive system.

While the RHO’s Hurricane engine sacrifices 162 horses and 129 pound-feet compared with the TRX, Ram says the six-cylinder setup is 150 pounds lighter. The company also says the Hurricane’s location helps take 180 pounds off the front axle and provides better weight balance. Fuel economy is expected to be better too. Ram says the RHO is still awaiting certification, but the high-output Hurricane on other half-ton Rams has estimates of 15 mpg city and 21 highway (versus the TRX’s abysmal 10/14 mpg city/highway). Undoubtedly, the RHO won’t be able to replicate the roar of a supercharged Hemi, but Ram says it’ll sound different than the rest of its siblings thanks to a true dual exhaust system that exits through huge five-inch tips.

Performance estimates also aren’t far behind what Ram estimated for the TRX, with the RHO claimed to be just a tenth slower to 60 mph, hitting the mark in 4.6 seconds. While the two trucks have an identical limited top speed of 118 mph, the RHO’s claimed quarter-mile time of 13.1 ticks at 105 mph is slightly slower than the TRX, which Ram claimed did it in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph. Of course, a 2021 TRX we tested was considerably quicker (60 mph in 3.7 seconds, quarter-mile in 12.3 seconds at 110 mph), so we’ll have to wait until we can test the new truck to actually compare its performance.

RHO: Rise of the Rhino

Fundamentally, the new Ram 1500 RHO is still very similar to the TRX. The two share a fortified frame and a long-travel suspension with forged aluminum front control arms and adaptive Bilstein dampers. The RHO also has a set of chunky 35-inch-tall Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires; a set of 18-inch beadlock-capable wheels remain an option.

The truck’s oversized tires along with a two-inch lift contribute to notable off-road clearances. The RHO has an approach angle of 31 degrees, a breakover angle of 22 degrees, a departure angle of 25 degrees, and up to 11.8 inches of ground clearance. It can also ford up to 32 inches of water, and should it ingest too much dirty air, the filter is in an open-top box so it can be easily cleaned.

Inside, the RHO benefits from improvements that have proliferated throughout the ’25 Ram 1500 family. Most notably, this includes new tech features such as a standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a newly available 14.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen with Uconnect 5 software (a 12.0-inch unit comes standard). Because nowadays you can never have enough screens, there’s also a 10.3-inch touchscreen that faces the front-seat passenger.

The latter options come with the comprehensive RHO Equipment package that adds a useful 360-degree camera system, a digital rearview mirror, dual wireless charging pads, massaging front seats, heated and ventilated rear outboard seats, a head-up display, power-adjustable pedals with memory settings, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon stereo pumping out 900 watts. The kit also includes additional driver assists such as a driver-attention monitor, evasive steering assist, and a hands-free highway driving mode.

For those wondering what “RHO” stands for, Ram hasn’t explicitly said. It’s not an acronym for “Ram High Output” as some have suggested, but there are major clues that it’s short for “rhino.” Not only was that the internal codename for the project, but take a look at the RHO badge on the center console. Along with the VIN number, there’s an image of a rhinoceros. Sure, it’s not as ferocious as a Tyrannosaurus rex, but here are some fast facts about rhinos: they’re currently the second-largest land mammal behind only the elephant, and they’re deceptively quick, capable of reaching speeds between 30 and 40 mph. Oh, and if you hadn’t noticed, they have a badass horn on their faces.

RHO: A Lot Less Expensive TRX

For those who still can’t help but mourn the loss of the TRX, Ram is giving them roughly 26,000 reasons to feel better. That’s because the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO has a starting price of $71,990, which is about $26K less than the 2024 TRX that had a $98,335 base price. That also makes the RHO considerably less expensive than the F-150 Raptor that starts at $80,325. Meanwhile, Ram’s top off-roader is slightly more than the Silverado ZR2 ($71,895) and couple thousand less than the Tundra TRD Pro ($73,980).

The RHO is now available to order, with the truck expected to reach dealerships sometime in the third quarter of this year. We’re also still waiting for Ram to release pricing for the various option packages, so stay tuned for full pricing and how we’d spec our ideal version.

Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.

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