2025 Ram 1500 RHO First Drive Review: So Good You Don’t Need a Hellcat V8

Perched at the top of the hill, I looked at the three successive jumps I was getting ready to fly over. I was given explicit instructions to complete the jumps at 37 mph, 55 mph, and then 45 mph. I’d jumped trucks before—both accidentally and in controlled situations—but never three in a row in the space of about a half mile. But they wouldn’t have us do it if the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO couldn’t take it, right?

So, I took a deep breath, hit the gas pedal, and went for it. The next 60 seconds felt like they were in slow motion as the instructor in the right seat yelled at me to go faster, so I did, then to slow down, which I didn’t quite manage. I hit the last jump at about 50 mph and was stunned at how easily the RHO took flight, and how nonchalantly it landed. 

Again. I had to do that again. The second instructor also encouraged me to go faster, and when I didn’t quite slow down enough for the last jump, he smiled and said, “See, you just took this truck to its limits. Isn’t that great?”

Yeah. It is.

[Editor’s Note: We asked Jill to review the new RHO for a couple of reasons: 1.) Because she knows trucks and 2.) because she has more seat time in it than just about anyone else. She and her Rebelle Rally partner Kristin V. Shaw spent more than a week flogging one through the friggin’ desert before the official media launch, so if anyone can confidently say how the TRX replacement performs in the toughest conditions, it’s her. And Kristin, of course. Enjoy! –CJ]

The entire off-road course the Ram team created for us at Holly Oaks ORV Park was designed to push the truck with fast turns as well as higher-speed straights filled with rocks, rumble strips, and sand. I had just spent 10 days in the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO competing off-road in the Rebelle Rally, so I kind of knew what to expect in terms of rocks, sand, and mud. We had even managed to catch air a couple of times, but going about 35 mph, not 55. I walked away from Rebelle impressed with the RHO’s overall comfort and capability. But after completing the course at Holly Oaks, I immediately texted my rally co-driver and said, “We could have pushed this truck much, much harder than we did.”

The Basics

The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is ostensibly the TRX replacement as it steps in as the brand’s new top-tier sport truck. While some might grumble about missing the supercharged Hellcat V8 and all its power, the RHO holds its own with a 3.0-liter high-output twin-turbo inline-six. Its 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque are plenty to do all the sport-truck things with ease and believe me, we did them all during the Rebelle Rally. Never once did we think, “Dang, I wish this had more power.”

The exterior of the RHO is beefy at 88 inches wide, but it isn’t designed to look like a monster. In fact, without the three amber lights on the hood scoop, you might not realize it’s as wide as it is. The RHO badging on the rear quarter panels and hood scoop are optional and nicely executed, and the hood lines aren’t as prominent or bumped up as they are on the Rebel. The knobby 35-inch Goodyear Wranglers are the one thing that might give you pause, marking this truck as something special.

The interior is well appointed at a base level with leather seats and a 12-inch infotainment screen. The stitching details on the seats and steering wheel are well done, and all the touch points throughout the cabin feel solid and up-level. Even the armrest lid and glove box shut with an authoritative thwap. There are plenty of cubbies and storage spaces throughout the cabin for phones and miscellaneous papers, and the overall effect is a feeling of organization.

Then there’s the stuff you don’t see. Ram paid particular attention to features and parts that would make the RHO a great off-road truck. Things like the long-travel suspension with Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks, a new exhaust system that is unique to the RHO and incorporates a “Sport Tune” low-restriction system with true dual pipes, a BorgWarner 43-13 full-time active transfer case, and a Dana 60 rear axle. The end result is a smoother ride over rough surfaces and the ability to clear obstacles at higher speeds. 

Driving the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO

While I wasn’t the primary driver during the Rebelle Rally, I got to spend about six hours behind the wheel, and I certainly felt the effects of my partner’s driving in the navigator’s seat over a series of eight 10-hour days through Death Valley, the Mojave Desert, Glamis Sand Dunes and Johnson Valley. At the end of more than 2,000 miles and 100 hours in both the driver and passenger seat, I’m impressed with the comfort of the seats specifically and the ride in general. There were several times when we were off pavement, especially in Johnson Valley, when my partner would be driving quickly over rocky terrain, and she’d keep apologizing for the bumps as I was bent over my map board and trying to look for trails with a magnifying glass. Then she’d quickly follow up with: Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. 

From the suspension to the shocks, it’s the stuff you don’t see that matters most. On the road, the RHO felt stable and smooth, and oddly, it drives like a much smaller truck. I had the opportunity to drive the 2025 Toyota Tacoma just before I attended the RHO media drive, and the midsize truck felt much bigger and clumsier than the RHO. Plus, as a petite driver, I can say the sight lines out of all the windows of the RHO are excellent, and I’m particularly fond of the adjustable pedals that helped me fine-tune my driving position. 

When I had the opportunity to drive the RHO off-road at the media program, I was just as impressed. My partner kept telling me how smooth and easy to maneuver the RHO was, but given the size, I was a bit skeptical – until I arrived at Holly Oaks. From the jumps to the maneuverability in sand and over rocks, “smooth” is the recurring word I find to describe the RHO. 

The loop at Holly Oaks was short, but filled with slaloms, hairpins, sweeping curves, and steep declines. We switched into Baja mode for the course, and throughout the entire loop, my right-seat instructor kept saying: You can go faster than that. So, I’d mash the gas in a sandy curve and drift out the back end. Then when I’d hit a rocky pass, I’d slow down, and the instructor would once again tell me to go faster. I am not a slow driver, but I kept feeling that I needed to protect the truck. Clearly, I did not need to protect anything. I should have known that after all the punishment we threw at the RHO during Rebelle. Other than some desert rash and a single punctured tire, our RHO walked away relatively unscathed.

So, on my second pass, I gleefully hit the rocks at 40 to 45 mph, and the suspension/shocks combo smoothed out the worst of the bumps. Sitting in the driver’s seat, it’s easy to ignore the jostling, and when I worried about my passenger, though he was holding on to the handgrip and braced against the passenger door, he was smiling. This truck is designed to take heaps of punishment and go fast while doing it. 

In my extended time with the RHO, I kept trying to figure out what I didn’t like about it. I can usually find something, whether it has to do with the power or the seat comfort or even the wireless chargers. But I walked away from the RHO without finding that thing.  

Ram 1500 RHO Features, Options, and Competition

The base price of the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is $71,990 including destination. That’s definitely pricey enough to give truck buyers pause. However, when you consider the base price of the outgoing TRX was $98,580, well, the RHO price seems like a steal. It’s also about $10,000 less than its primary competitor, the Ford F-150 Raptor, which has a base price of $81,595.

Plus, the base truck is well equipped with leather seats, a 12-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, launch control, nine drive modes, a special RHO badge on the armrest, under-seat storage in the back, and a lever-style gearshift on the center console. 

Our Rebelle truck added the RHO Level 1 Equipment Group for $9,995, and it was worth the money. It added the 14.4-inch infotainment screen, dual wireless phone chargers, 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, adjustable pedals, driver’s memory seat, hands-free highway driving, head-up display, surround-view camera, heated-and-ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and massaging front seats. There was more than one day that we arrived back at base camp during the Rebelle with our massaging seats activated, sipping on a chilled sparkling water courtesy of the cooler we had plugged in behind the driver’s seat. That right there showcases the dual personality of the RHO – it can handle the toughest off-road terrain you can imagine with ease but still be bougie enough for a massage and chilled drink at the end of a long, hot day. 

The Ford F-150 Raptor seems somehow modest in comparison to the RHO. Yes, the Raptor comes standard with 35-inch all-terrain tires, trail one-pedal driving capability, and Ford’s trail control. It also has available dual Fox Live Valve shocks when you spec it with 37-inch tires. But even with all these things, I don’t feel like it matches the RHO’s finesse. It also has a 90-hp deficit to the RHO and costs more. Plus, as far as I can tell, massaging seats are not an option. You may think you don’t care about that, but once you experience them, you’ll want them in everything – including a sport truck costing more than $80,000.

The Early Verdict

I don’t mean to be overly gushy about the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO, but it really is that good. Sure, the Hemi is dead, but the RHO is only 0.1 seconds slower in a zero-to-60-mph run than the 2024 TRX. And with the Level 1 Equipment Group, you add pretty much everything you could want in a high-end truck—except maybe the kitchen sink.

So, in case you missed it, the early verdict is incredibly favorable. In fact, I walked away from the RHO after Rebelle and the media drive thinking it’s probably the best truck I’ve ever driven.