2025 Ram 1500 RHO: Finally, the Ram Raptor You’ve Been Waiting For

Ever since the introduction of the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ram enthusiasts have been wondering when their preferred pickup truck provider would offer up a competitor. They sort of got their wish when Ram came up with the 2021 1500 TRX, an absolute beast of a machine with a 700-plus-horsepower supercharged Hellcat V-8 engine, a full-on “prerunner”-style Baja suspension, and huge wheels and tires — but a $100,000 price tag. The TRX became a competitor to the V-8 powered, super-pricey F-150 Raptor R, not the basic twin-turbo V-6-powered Raptor. With the Ram 1500’s mid-cycle refresh for the 2025 model year, the brand has remedied this situation and created a proper Raptor competitor, one that’s more powerful than the rival Ford and several thousand dollars less expensive.

Related: 2025 Ram 1500 Review: The Hemi Is Dead, But You’re Gonna Be OK

Beefy, Brawny Looks

The first thing to know: It’s pronounced “R-H-O,” not “row,” and the rhinoceros on the interior badging might give you a little hint as to the inspiration for that. This is essentially the Ram Rhino as much as the TRX was the Ram T-Rex, but everyone at the recent unveiling did indeed refer to it as the “R-H-O.”

The RHO’s body and styling receive much of the same updating as the other Ram 1500s, with a new face using standard LED headlights and a new grille for improved airflow, but the RHO adds a few other special features. Its unique hood features a functional scoop. Amber marker lights are present on the hood and side panels due to the truck’s additional width; it’s 88 inches wide, 6.8 inches wider than a standard 1500, requiring such lights per federal regulations. There’s a flow-through Ram badge on the grille, as well as greater ground clearance for improved approach and departure angles off-road.

All of the TRX Gear

Not only does the RHO look like an updated TRX, it has all of that off-road truck’s chassis, suspension and tuning goodies, as well. Down the side, there are 18-inch beadlock-capable wheels wrapped in massive 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory A/T tires. All RHOs will be crew-cab models with the 5-foot-7-inch bed; no RamBox is available with the RHO, as the swollen rear fenders prevent such equipment.

Underneath is the TRX’s electronically controlled Bilstein Black Hawk e2 remote-reservoir dampers at all four corners, which are supposedly able to transform the truck’s behavior depending on which of the nine drive modes you’ve selected. Those dampers, plus special suspension equipment like forged-aluminum front control arms, allow for 13 inches of wheel articulation up front and 14 inches in the rear, which is 40% more than a standard off-road Ram can deliver, according to the brand. Out back is a full-floating Dana 60 heavy-duty rear axle.

The SST Is Here

What’s missing from this TRX-lite Raptor fighter is the supercharged V-8, but just like in the other 2025 Ram trucks, you’re not likely to miss the Hemi. In its place is the premium engine option from the rest of the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup: the turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six, also known as the SST H/O (for straight-six turbo, high-output). Power output is identical to the other trucks in the lineup with 540 hp and 521 pounds-feet of torque (which, if you’re keeping score, is 90 hp and 11 pounds-feet more than the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor’s 3.5-liter V-6). It’s mated to the venerable eight-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels through a selectable full-time four-wheel-drive system.

Ram says that this combination lets the RHO sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds at 105 mph. It also enables an 8,380-pound towing capacity for the RHO, plus a payload rating of 1,520 pounds. There’s no word on fuel economy just yet, but the benefits to the overall package are that the RHO is 150 pounds lighter than the TRX, according to Ram, improving the weight distribution and lightening the load on the front end by 180 pounds. As such, Ram engineers say the RHO is a much more nimble truck than the heavier TRX.

While engine output is the same as other trucks equipped with the 3.0-liter Hurricane SST H/O, Ram says it hits differently in the RHO as the engine breathes a lot more freely. There’s a filter connected to the hood scoop, essentially creating a cold-air intake system; it leads to a liquid-cooled intercooler to keep the air intake charge as chilled as possible. On the exhaust side, you have RHO-exclusive equal-length dual exhaust incorporating an H-pipe, and the mufflers have flow-actuated valves that open up for even more unrestricted flow and also create a sound unique to the RHO. The engine itself gets a couple of modifications, as well, including a dual oil pickup that allows for consistent lubrication even when the truck is at a very steep angle (as it might find itself on a hill while off-roading) and unique spray-in iron bore liners for the aluminum block.

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Interior Upgrades Too

Inside, the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO gets the same upgraded interior as the rest of the lineup, but it pretty much comes fully kitted out. There’s a standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster display that’s customizable and features RHO-specific graphics upon startup and when changing drive modes. As mentioned, there are nine modes: Auto, Tow, Mud/Sand, Rock, Snow, Sport, Baja, Custom and Valet (which could be considered a “non-driving” mode). There’s also a launch control button for maximum acceleration from a standing stop and an RHO button that automatically engages the custom settings.

A standard 12-inch touchscreen or optional 14.5-inch vertical touchscreen is on the center of the dash. An available 10.25-inch touchscreen on the right side of the dash is able to display things including entertainment and camera views to the passenger — but not the driver, as it’s polarized in a way that makes it invisible from the driver’s seat. As with other 2025 Ram 1500s, many functions have been moved into the touchscreen, but a bank of physical auxiliary switches have been maintained below the screen; they can be ported to things like aftermarket driving lights, radios and winches.

The RHO also gets unique trim and surface coverings, as well as a badge on the console with the truck’s vehicle identification number. A variety of technology will be offered on the new RHO, as well, including Stellantis’ Hands-Free Driving Assist Level 2-plus semi-autonomous driving system and a Harman Kardon 900-watt premium audio system with 19 speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer.

​​Order One Now, Arriving This Summer

Pricing for the new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO will start at $71,990 (including $1,995 destination charge), more than $8,300 less than the starting price of a 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor. That’s for a truck that has all of the off-road goodies and capabilities of a Raptor with more power. Order books are open for the new 2025 1500 RHO, with deliveries expected to start in the third quarter of 2024.

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