- The Ram 1500 RHO is here to replace the outgoing TRX.
- It has more power and better towing specs than a Ford F-150 Raptor.
- Driving the RHO proves you don't need 700 horsepower to have a great time off-road.
2025 Ram 1500 RHO First Drive: Raptor Who?
Ram's latest desert-runner proves power isn't everything
Sure, V8s with tons of horsepower are fun, but it’s rare that you can actually exploit all that power, especially when piloting an off-road truck. That’s why I think the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is a perfect addition to the company's full-size pickup family. Whine all you want about the demise of the bonkers supercharged 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX — the RHO is all you need.
540 horsepower is plenty
The RHO's 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six engine puts out 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque, which is more than what you get in a V6-powered Ford F-150 Raptor. Fuel economy — should you be concerned about such nonsense in a truck like this — is EPA-estimated at 15 mpg combined, which is 1 mpg worse than the Raptor.
The Ram has 13 inches of suspension travel up front, 14 inches at the rear, nearly 12 inches of ground clearance, wears 35-inch tires and can sprint to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Like the Ford F-150 Raptor, novice drivers will likely find the RHO to be a handful, but those with a modicum of experience should be able to handle it well on dirt tracks.
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Time to get dirty
Welcome to Holly Oaks ORV park in Michigan, where I'm driving the Ram RHO in full-blast Baja mode. Here, the narrow trails leave pinstripes on the 88-inch-wide truck, but a few open sections allow for some fun dirt-slinging drifts. Power delivery is swift and smooth, with hardly any turbo lag from the new inline-six engine. There are paddle shifters on the steering wheel for the eight-speed automatic transmission, but you don't need them — this gearbox is perfectly matched to off-road shenanigans.
More credit goes to the RHO's Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive dampers with remote reservoirs that keep everything cool. This is the same setup Ram used on the TRX, but retuned for the RHO’s weight balance because of its lighter engine. These shocks constantly adjust compression and rebound so holes and ruts on the trail don't constantly throw you around. They also come with rock shields and are surrounded by beefy forged aluminum upper and lower control arms that not only look like they could survive the apocalypse but also widen the Ram's track by 6 inches compared to a standard 1500. Beyond that, internal bump stops allow for smooth landings if — no, when — the truck gets airborne.
There are three jumps on Ram's off-road course at Holly Oaks, one over a blind crest where the truck lands on both front wheels, another where the truck lands a bit more flat and a final jump where it was easy to get the truck crossed up on takeoff and then land on the driver’s side front wheel. Even taking each jump at a faster-than-recommended speed, the Ram handles it all in stride, leaving me with no lower back or neck pain. I can't say the same about other vehicles I've launched into the air.
High-speed fun is what the RHO is all about; this truck is not meant to be a rock crawler. Sure, it has a rear locking differential, but its approach, departure and breakover angles of 31 degrees, 25.2 degrees and 21.8 degrees, respectively, are merely on a par with the F-150 Raptor. The RHO's four-wheel-drive system has a two-speed transfer case with a proper low range, but it's not as crawl-capable as something like a Jeep Wrangler.
Ram says the RHO's Dana 60 rear axle uses a hop damper for better traction on rough surfaces. But you'll still notice plenty of chatter over washboard sections of trail. The brakes also leave something to be desired. Yes, the 15-inch solid discs are big enough to slow the truck down with ease, but the pedal feels pretty numb. You might think you're putting enough pressure on the pedal to get the truck slowed down before a corner only to find that you need to scrub off a lot more speed at the last minute. This happens on both dirt and paved surfaces.
It's great on-road, too
When you aren't running off-road, the RHO doesn’t make many compromises. The truck's Sport mode is fun for straight-line takeoffs, and there's even launch control. Of course, there's some road noise from the Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, but that’s to be expected. The seats are more firmly bolstered than what you'll find in other 1500 models, but they are still pretty comfortable and easy to get in and out of. Heated front seats are standard but you can option ventilation and heating for both the front and rear rows. Heck, there is even an optional massage function.
The RHO comes standard with Ram's 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and my tester has the optional 14.5-inch portrait-oriented center screen, plus a 10.3-inch passenger display. The Uconnect 5 infotainment system works great and allows for split-screen operation so you can view multiple features (or off-road performance pages) at once. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, and there's a customization page for the truck's four auxilary switches, so you can wire up things like extra lights.
Ram offers the RHO with all the driver assistance features you'd expect on an expensive pickup truck — things like blind-spot warning, lane departure alert and adaptive cruise control, but also a hands-free highway driving assistant. It only activates on stretches of premapped highways and mostly works well. It'll even do automatic lane changes.
Should you need to tow, the Ram 1500 RHO can haul an 8,380-pound trailer and has a maximum payload rating of 1,520 pounds, besting the Ford F-150 Raptor on both specs. Optional trailering tech can add useful functions like a 360-degree camera, hitch assist, reverse steering assist and towing-specific navigation routes, so you don’t try to take your 15-foot-tall box trailer through a 14-foot-high tunnel.
Who needs a TRX — or a Raptor?
The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO costs just under $72,000 including destination. That’s a pretty good deal considering the Ford F-150 Raptor starts at just a smidge over $80,000 while offering less power, towing and hauling capabilities. Sure, you can get 37-inch tires on the Raptor — and pay over $11,000 for the privilege — but you don't need to.
The elephant in the room is the Ford F-150 Raptor R, which offers a supercharged V8 engine with 720 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque — and costs nearly $113,000. It might seem like the king of the off-road trucks, but I disagree. Drive the Ram 1500 RHO and you'll agree that it has plenty of power, a great suspension and a fab interior all for tens of thousands less. The RHO proves that power isn't everything. By comparison, the Raptor R just looks like, well, a bit of a dinosaur.