The horsepower wars came to trucks a few years back. But whether they happen in sports cars, luxury sedans, or off-road trucks, horsepower wars always run into the same problem. You can always make the engine more powerful. But there comes a point when no one can afford it.
Ram just made a clever tactical choice. They backed down – a little – and, in the process, built the off-road truck with the best bang for the buck.
Meet the 2025 Ram RHO. It doesn’t beat the Ford F-150 Raptor R on power. But it has enough guts to check into the game with the Raptor R. And it costs a lot less.
At $71,990 (including the $1,995 destination fee), it’s not just cheaper than a Raptor R ($112,250 delivered). It’s cheaper than a plain-old R-less Raptor ($80,325).
All the Comic Book Trucks
A quick history:
Ford launched the supertruck category in 2010 with the F-150 Raptor – a truck built with an emphasis on fun more than work. The Raptor could carry and haul less than most comparable full-size trucks. But it had enough suspension for two trucks – a high-speed off-roader for the weekends. Horsepower sat in the low 400s in those early years.
Ram answered by overpowering the Raptor. The Ram TRX, introduced in 2021, had a similar high-speed suspension setup. But under the hood sat a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, making 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.
That goaded Ford into a response – the Raptor R. It borrowed a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine making 700 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. It’s the same engine found in Ford’s signature muscle car, the Mustang Shelby GT500. It also pushed supertruck prices into the six-figure range.
That’s a problem, Ram has decided.
Bringing an I6 to a V8 Fight
When Ram reworked its 1500 for 2025 (not a full redesign, but close), it dropped the TRX from the lineup. In its place, we get the RHO. Ram isn’t formally calling it the “Rhino,” but they wouldn’t mind if you do. At its launch, executives told us shoppers will find some rhinoceros Easter Eggs hidden in the design.
The Rhino uses a turbocharged inline-6-cylinder engine that makes 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque. Power flows through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Payload comes in at 1,520 pounds, and max towing at 8,380, according to Ram. Both of those numbers are relatively marginal for a half-ton pickup, but that’s typical of off-road trucks, which are always a little prima donna when it’s time to get work done.
Sophisticated Suspension and Off-Road Gear
Where they excel is on bumps, in sand, and in mud. For those days, the RHO has a BorgWarner 48-13 full-time active transfer case and a low range of 2.64:1 for rock crawling. “An independent front suspension system with active performance damping uses high-strength aluminum to maintain overall strength and durability,” Ram says. Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks with “an internal three-stage progressive hydraulic Jounce Control (Jounce Cut-off) to provide bottom-out control during the most extreme compression events.”
Isn’t the word “jounce” fun to say?
In the rear, “Adaptive damping and a five-link coil system create comfortable ride characteristics no matter the road surface.” A Dana 60 rear axle with full-floating axle shafts comes standard. “A rear axle center section provides balanced performance and a locking differential for increased off-road performance.”
Standard 35-inch tires help it get to a ground clearance of nearly a foot, at 11.8 inches.
Near-Luxury Cabin, Standout Look
Big composite flares give the RHO what Ram calls an hourglass figure – the first time anyone has ever said that about a rhino. To ensure no one thinks they’re looking at an ordinary Ram, the truck gets a unique grille and even a custom hood. “The R-A-M badge is bigger when compared to the rest of the Ram 1500 lineup,” Ram says, much like every Raptor wears a FORD badge the size of a subcompact car.
Inside, 12-way power leather front seats – heated and ventilated – seem too luxurious for a mudder. A VIN-specific badge plate is another touch that seems borrowed from high-end luxury cars.
Ram promises “over 50 inches of combined available digital display screens,” which includes a 14.5-inch central touchscreen and a 10.25-inch screen for the passenger.
HP Per $
The RHO is a supertruck, just like the others. But, instead of horsepower, Ram is pushing the notion of “horsepower per dollar.” The RHO, they point out, has one horsepower for every $129.60. Their math is a bit off because they didn’t include the delivery fee. The final figure is more like $133.
But that’s still impressive. Ram didn’t calculate the Raptor R’s figure for us, but it comes out to about $160. The “ordinary” Raptor, with 450 horsepower, comes in even higher, around $178.
Ram isn’t the company we’d have guessed would back down from high horsepower. But we buy their affordability argument. So we welcome the Rhino.
