2025 Ram 1500 RHO First Drive Review

Ram's flagship performance pickup is better than ever, even with two fewer cylinders.

Manuel Carrillo III | 

Jan 7, 2025 | 8 min read

The march continues to downsize engines in the name of efficiency, and one of the latest vehicles to fall into that trend's crosshairs is the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO. It's the six-cylinder successor to the V8-powered 2024 Ram 1500 TRX. But don't get too sad about the new truck being down a pair of cylinders.

While the new RHO's engine is a numerical downgrade from last year, there's no need to think we're heading into another automotive Malaise Era like we saw in the 1970s and early 1980s. Back then, emerging emissions technologies and global oil crisis headwinds were a wet blanket on performance and driving excitement.

Manuel Carrillo III | Capital One

These days, reducing emissions and fuel consumption is still a primary virtue, but today's tech means we can achieve those goals while keeping performance intact. Sometimes performance even improves when a vehicle goes greener. The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is an example of this.

Starting around $72,000, this performance flagship of the Ram truck lineup significantly undercuts its predecessor's base price, is markedly less expensive to fuel than the TRX, and the RHO undercuts the base price of its direct competitor, the Ford F-150 Raptor.

Manuel Carrillo III

The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO Rocks a New Engine

Ram's performance truck is powered by Stellantis' new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane High Output inline-six-cylinder engine making 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque. That's down from the TRX's 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 that made 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Though down on grunt, the new Hurricane twin-turbo removes 150 pounds off the Ram RHO's front axle, which noticeably improves on and off-road performance while making significant gains in fuel economy and a reduction in emissions.

Brett Mogavero

For this Ram 1500 RHO review, I evaluated an example with extra-cost two-tone Billet Silver Metallic over Diamond Black Crystal Pearl-Coat paint. Other options included the RHO Level 1 equipment group, which bundles features such as a larger 14.4-inch infotainment touchscreen (up from the standard 12.0-inch screen), a 10.3-inch touchscreen for your front passenger, a head-up display, surround-view camera, and a 900-watt, 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

Other highlights of the Level 1 laundry list include a dual wireless device charging pad, heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats, heated and ventilated rear seats, carbon-fiber interior accents, Hands-Free Active Driving Assist, evasive steering assist, and a power tailgate.

My tester was also sporting the upgraded 18-by-9-inch beadlock-capable aluminum wheels, bringing my well-equipped example's manufacturer's suggested retail price to $86,410, including the $1,995 destination charge to ship the truck from its Sterling Heights, Michigan, assembly plant to your local dealership.

Brett Mogavero

More Fun With Fewer Cylinders in the Ram RHO

The first difference you'll notice about the new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is when you press the start button on the dash. With last year's TRX, hitting the start button was like waking a sleep-deprived lion. Hitting that red button this year is anything but dramatic as you're simply initiating the purr of an inoffensive-sounding inline-six.

I thought I'd be sadder about the loss of the V8 roar — my daily driver is a V8-powered beast, so that sound is important to me — but once I was underway, I didn't really lament the missing thunder. Within my first minute in the driver's seat, I actually began to appreciate the new six-cylinder engine.

Lifting 150 pounds off the nose might seem insignificant for a truck coming in at more than 6,200 pounds, but as soon as I brushed the brake pedal, the difference was unmistakable. After a light touch on the brakes in the TRX, I could feel the truck trying to launch its weight past the front bumper.

Brett Mogavero

With the RHO, the weight transfer under braking feels much more contained, helping the truck to just feel big, as opposed to big and lumbering. Seeing how much impact the lighter nose has on the driving experience at parking lot speeds, it's easier to grasp how the RHO still accelerates so well compared with last year's truck.

According to Ram, the 2024 TRX hits 60 mph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds, and crosses the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph. The 2025 RHO is only a whisker away from the TRX's acceleration. In the sprint to 60 mph, it's 0.1 seconds slower. By the time you cross the quarter-mile, the RHO is shy of the TRX by a mere 0.2 seconds and 3 mph. From behind the wheel, both trucks feel identical in terms of peak shove, so all you're really missing at wide-open throttle is the V8's cathartic cannon fire.

But I prefer the RHO's acceleration style. With the TRX, you get a smooth build in power as you ascend the rev range. The RHO's acceleration is more multifaceted. Hit the throttle from a stop, and there's a delay as the two turbochargers spool their way toward forcing 26 psi of boost through the engine. For reference, that's about the same boost pressure that the four turbos are making in the Bugatti Chiron hypercar.

Brett Mogavero

Once the engine hits boost after 2,500 rpm, there's a whoosh of intensity that is likely to plaster a smile across your face. I was never that giddy when matting the throttle in the TRX, and I chalk that up to the V8's predictable, linear power delivery. Powertrain linearity and predictability are laudable traits, but I'm more animated by acceleration that makes me feel like I'm living in a head rush.

Thanks to the glory of launch control, though, you can get the RHO to erupt out of the gates with pretty much the same intensity as the TRX, and that allows the Hurricane's power delivery to feel much more linear. I appreciate how the RHO seems to have more than one personality.

This is especially evident when you just want to get home after a long day and your throttle foot is feeling light and lazy. The TRX was a standout commuter thanks to its mausoleum-quiet cabin, velvety ride, accurate steering, and linear brake-pedal feel. All that daily driver refinement carries over into 2025 with the Ram RHO, which still feels just as at home on the whoops of Johnson Valley as it does at a leisurely pace on asphalt roads.

Brett Mogavero

In paved scenarios, the RHO handles curves with confidence. With a wider track than a standard Ram 1500, the tall RHO feels more planted than you might expect it to be. Out on the world-class dirt playground that is Johnson Valley, I especially appreciated that surefootedness whether I was turning around along a sand dune, hustling and slicing the pickup through the narrow, bendy sections of the trails, and especially while I was fishtailing the truck behind our camera vehicle while we were filming this review's accompanying video.

Even though I only felt the benefit of the lighter load over the front axle during braking, removing weight from a vehicle pays dividends across the entire driving experience, and as a result, I felt more confident and satisfied behind the wheel of the RHO than the Ram TRX.

Manuel Carrillo III

This New Ram Can Stand Proud Among its Competitors

Replacing the Ram TRX's legendary 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 with the twin-turbo Hurricane inline-six could have minimized the appeal of Ram's performance flagship. Instead, the new engine makes the performance pickup a better overall package, only at the price of a negligible decrease in acceleration and the loss of that sonic V8 thunder.

Those are small prices to pay when you consider how much less the RHO costs versus last year's TRX. The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO starts at roughly $26,000 less than the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX's base price, and around $9,000 less than a 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor, with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 making a comparatively low 450 horsepower. In addition, I think the EcoBoost sounds less refined than Ram's Hurricane inline-six.

If you absolutely must have a 2025-model-year V8-powered performance truck, the 720-horsepower F-150 Raptor R is your only other option, but that commands a hefty $113,000 to start.

Brett Mogavero

Also consider the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is more fuel efficient than its TRX predecessor. EPA estimates rate the RHO at 14/16/15 mpg city/highway/combined. That's thirsty, but the TRX was only good for 10/14/12 mpg city/highway/combined. According to the EPA, that means an RHO costs $1,000 less to fuel annually than a TRX.

The performance truck segment is undeniably pricey, but the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO brings bounteous value to the table in a package that feels like a slight step up from the 2024 TRX. Sure, observe a moment of silence for the V8's departure, but also take comfort in knowing that the RHO is a worthy successor to the now legendary TRX.

Ram provided the vehicle for this 2025 RHO review and paid for airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Manuel Carrillo III

Though he's worked within every facet of automotive media, Manuel is happiest in front of the camera. Before joining Capital One, he cohosted Seduced by Speed for Motor Trend. Prior to that, he was automotive reviews editor at CNET. Over his career, he's contributed features to publications such as DUB Magazine, Motor1, Motor Authority, and Robb Report, so adventures like driving house-priced automobiles in Sicily or rubbing elbows with the rich and famous is well within the parameters of a "typical day at the office."