For the majority of work truck jobs, a work truck trim is all you will ever need. Sure, some bells whistles are nice to have on the truck, to make life easier; however, for most fleets these are seen as luxuries and not necessaries. That being said, while the majority of the fleet may well be optioned out to be work trucks, almost every fleet will have a ‘unicorn’ truck that is a top-of-the-line or special edition model.
While these trucks are usually reserved for a manager, foreman, or even the owner of the company, they do serve a purpose for every fleet. They may also be needed if the fleet is down a vehicle or needed on a job that may need an ‘off-road’ truck.
One such vehicle is Ram’s new 1500 RHO, the spiritual successor to the 1500 TRX, a performance-oriented and off-road-capable pickup truck. MWS had the opportunity to drive the RHO recently, and while not the overall insane truck that the TRX was, it is definitely a great off-road truck that is more subtle.
“The 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is the latest result of a relentless pursuit to engineer, design and deliver a truck that charges into the segment head down and horn up,” says Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO – Stellantis. “All that we’ve learned from developing every truck in Ram’s legendary lineup has led us to the most capable light-duty pick-up truck, offering the best value with more horsepower per dollar than any other off-road truck.”
The RHO ….
PERFORMANCE
RHO comes with Stellantis’ 3.0 liter Hurricane high output straight-six twin turbocharged engine. This version comes with 540 horsepower and 521 pounds/feet of torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination powers the RHO to a quarter mile time of 13.1 seconds, a top speed of 118 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds.
In addition to the engine, the RHO also features many other unique hardware.
A high-flow air induction system with a hood duct allows for the RHO to drains water and filter debris from getting to the engine. Also, a high-capacity radial air filter is housed in an open-top air box. Next, a unique exhaust system with a Sport Tune low-restriction system has dual pipes running the length of the truck.
The suspension features active performance damping on the independent front suspension, and Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks; additionally, dual electronic proportional values continuously adjust damping forces. Much more upgrades have been made to the suspension as compared to the standard 1500 lineup.
We would be remiss to not mention that the RHO can tow up to 8,380 lbs, while also having a payload of 1,520 lbs, and can water ford in up to 32 inches of water.
TECHNOLOGY
Today, the interior of a pickup truck, is not what it used to be years ago. Gone are the days when even something like a radio or air conditioning was an afterthought, as many fleets wanted to be as economical as possible. Now, a big touchscreen, digital gauge cluster, premium audio, heads-up display, hand-free driving, and more are the options, as things that used to be considered premium are now standard features.
The RHO features what Ram says is over 50” of digital displays. That includes a 14.5” touchscreen display, 10.5” passenger screen, 12.3” digital gauge cluster, and a color head-up display (up to 10” of display).
A drive mode selector allows the driver to select between auto, tow, mud/sand, rock, snow, sport, baja, custom, and valet. A launch control button, and transfer case switches are also standard. An optional trailer reverse steer control sits under the touchscreen along with a multifunction switch bank.
Also, hands-free driving assist, Ram speak for semi-autonomous driving, allows for hands-free driving and lane centering on approved roads. The system also slow the vehicle on tight turns, automatically resumes control after driver override, and monitors that the driver is paying attention to the road.
MOPAR PACKAGE
One of the things that Stellantis is known for is releasing many special edition versions of their vehicles from many brands, be it Ram, Dodge, Jeep, or Chrysler. Many are designed and customized by the company’s in-house accessory brand, Mopar.
“The inspiration for the new Mopar ’25 flows directly from the concept truck we showed at the SEMA Show last November, which generated strong positive feedback on how well the Ram 1500 RHO was ‘Moparized’ by our design team,” says Darren Bradshaw, senior vice president, Stellantis parts and services – North America. “We’re proud to continue our annual Mopar customization program with innovations and exclusive appearance features that our enthusiast customers and collectors crave.”
The Mopar package offers a bed-mounted spare-tire carrier, RamBar accessory bar, off-road style running boards, and blue tow hooks front and rear. The truck-bed has a Mopar spray-in textured bedliner. Additionally, Mopar graphics are affixed to the side of the black colored vehicle, as well as on the interior, which also has a multi-function instrument panel accessory rail. A total of 250 units of the Mopar package will be available (225 for US, and 25 for Canada).
about the author
Mario Cywinski is the editor of Modern Work Truck Solutions and has worked in the automotive industry for over 20 years, both as an automotive journalist and working for a local dealership. He is a member of the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada. He can be reached at mario@mwsmag.com.
