Video: 2025 Ram 1500 RHO Up Close: Finally, Ram Builds a Proper Raptor Fighter

And that's something that directly competed with these $78,000 twin Turbo V6 F-150 Raptor. Well, Ram has decided with this new 2025 Ram 1500 to change that situation. Look at this. This is the new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO. It basically has a lot of the goods of the TRX, but the new straight six turbo from the 2025 Ram. What else have they changed? What else have they created? Well, if you're a fan of off-road trucks, you're gonna like this. (upbeat music) In the looks department, it certainly looks like a new TRX would, but again, not a TRX, this is the RHO, what's different? Well upfront you've got this brand new hood and it's got an air intake right here. It has a cold air intake and you'll notice these yellow marker lights, but we'll get into that in a second. You've also got a new grill that's unique to the RHO and you've got a bumper underneath, which is actually shared with the Rebel, but it's good for approach angles, 'cause this thing is a monster off-road. Down the side, you've got 18 inch beadlock capable wheels wearing 35 inch Goodyear Territory all-terrain tires, and they are wide. So you've got new sheet metal. These fenders are absolutely enormous. The entire truck is 88 inches wide, which is eight inches wider than a standard Ram 1500 and that's why you've got those little LED marker lights. You kind of have to, because of federal regulations on a vehicle this wide. So why is the RHO less expensive than the TRX otherwise would be? It's what's under the hood. There's no more supercharged V8 here, we've already told you that the hemi is dead. Well, it's not here either. This is the SST H.O, the three liter turbocharged straight six engine that we've seen in other models in the Ram 1500 lineup for 2025. Here, it's making the same horsepower and torque as it does in say a Ram 1500 Tungsten, 540 horsepower, 521 pounds feet of torque. Now it's the same power output, which is kind of a little bit disappointing, but it does breathe better. This thing has basically a cold air intake, air actually flows through from that intake in the hood and it's also got a freer flowing exhaust with an actual H pipe and an actuator valve to open up the muffler when you're really getting on it in off-road situations in Baja mode specifically. So it's not making any more power than you would get in other versions of the Ram 1500, but Ram assures us that it feels like it's making a lot more power. It does supposedly go from zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds, but well, we're gonna have to test that out ourselves sometime soon. What makes the RHO a little bit more special than your standard off-road ram? Well, it's got the suspension from the TRX. Now that means remote reservoir Bilstein Blackhawk e2 shock absorbers at all four corners and they're electronically controlled as well. It changes the damping, based on whatever drive mode you're in. You've also got 13 inches of articulation up front and 14 inches of wheel articulation in the back, which is about a 50% improvement or about your standard Ram 1500s. Inside the RHO has a lot of upgrades. This is basically one of the more expensive versions of the '25 Ram 1500. You've got a unique interior to the RHO and it's got things like putting some leather everywhere. You've got really nice inserts in the seats. You've got suede and leather everywhere. You've also got some interesting screens, there's a 12.3 inch digital screen in front of me that's the new instrument cluster. It's reconfigurable, looks really good, big and bright and clear and over here you have the optional 14.5 inch vertical touchscreen. They're still keeping the vertical orientation for all the new rams in the Uconnect five system, but it's okay because not everything has gone touch sensitive. You still have a line of actual truck specific buttons and controls that are south of this screen, which are really great to actually use. Now this being their premier off-road sport truck for now, wink, wink, they've got some special buttons in here as well. The drive mode selectors are really interesting, because there are nine drive modes for the RHO. Technically there are eight drive modes and one valet mode, which is kind of a you're not allowed to drive mode, but things like Baja in sand and mud and all other things that really change how the vehicle drives in terms of its suspension damping, in terms of its shift points, throttle control, all those things that are helping this thing go off road or even on road that much better, because Ram has actually said that when you switch this thing over from say, Baja mode to sport mode, what it does to the suspension damping is almost magical. "It turns the thing into a canyon carver," is what they've said. How well it works as a canyon carver on road with these kinds of off-road tires, again, that remains to be seen, but in terms of the rest of this interior, it is really quite fantastic as are all the new '25 Ram models. You've got screens here, here, and you've also got a screen in front of the passenger as well. That's an ancillary 10.25 inch screen that does things like shows camera angles, can actually be paired with a phone to show entertainment. But what you can't do is see it from the driver's seat. You've also got things like a full color heads up display in front of you as well. So in terms of information delivery, you're not doing any better than what you got here. So what's the ultimate magic number for the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO? It's not the 540 horsepower, it's not the 13 inch front wheel articulation, it's 72. $72,000, that's the starting price, well, it's $69,995 plus destination and delivery, but that is several thousand dollars cheaper than the base Ford F-150 Raptor. And for that money you get all of this really great off-road equipment and more horsepower and torque than the Ford. Isn't that interesting? It's gonna be available for order immediately and they're gonna start deliveries around the third quarter. So it could be sometime this summer of 2024. If you'd like to learn more about the new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO, you can look everything up on cars.com.