The Good and the Bad

The Ram 1500 TRX died so the Ram 1500 RHO could live. Gone is the beloved supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V-8, and in its place is a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six. But it’s not all bad news.

Although many hardcore enthusiasts will immediately knock the RHO for its six-cylinder engine and unnecessary name change, in reality, Ram’s new performance truck is about 90 percent as good as the one it replaces. It’s just missing a few things.

The Good

• Still Looks Great
• Still Insanely Capable
• Loaded With Technology
• Supremely Comfortable On-Road

Cover the “RHO” badges and you might mistake this truck for a TRX based purely on the way it looks. Only the savviest enthusiasts will be able to recognize the new front clip, the upgraded wheels, and the lightly modified back end. For the most part, the RHO is just as badass-looking as the TRX it replaces. And it’s just about as capable, too.

The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six is no slouch. With 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque paired to a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic, the RHO races off the line like a sports car and reaches illegal speeds quickly. It’s a riot.

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Although my test drive was relegated to the road, News Editor Christopher Smith put the RHO through its paces on an off-road course and found it to be just as capable (if not more so) than the TRX. It has all the same suspension equipment—Bilstein e2 Blackhawk shocks with 13.0 inches of suspension travel up front and 14.0 inches at the rear—with a retuned Active Terrain Dynamics setup for even better response times.

On the road, it’s a comfy truck. Beyond the knobby 35-inch off-road tires being a little loud on the highway, the cabin is comfortable, the technology is plentiful, and the ride is sublime. Considering this thing was made for off-roading, it soaks up even the biggest imperfections and bounds over speed bumps with no issue.

The interior is loaded with technology to keep you and your passengers comfortable over long trips. There’s a 14.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, a lovely—and highly configurable—12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Even the passenger gets a nifty 10.3-inch touchscreen with a few features.

The Bad

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

• Inline-Six Not As Charming As V-8
• Vertically Oriented Touchscreen
• Busy Interior

For as much as I went into this test hoping the new inline-six would blow me away, it’s just not as charming as the TRX’s supercharged V-8. It’s still a great engine, don’t get me wrong, but the inline-six isn’t nearly as visceral as the Hellcat motor nor does it sound as good. Maybe it’s the transmission, but there’s also some low-end lag and clunkiness when puttering around town.

The interior is premium and well worthy of the RHO’s nearly six-figure price tag, but the layout is kind of a mess. There’s black plastic, Alcantara, metal, screens, and leather, with buttons strewn about everywhere—it’s all a bit too much. Sometimes you don’t know where to look.

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

As with the outgoing TRX, the vertically oriented center touchscreen just isn’t as seamless as it could be. It looks pretty, sure, but the massive vertical orientation makes it hard to access certain options quickly, and while the touch functionality has improved with this generation of truck, it still looks cluttered.

Ultimately, the Ram 1500 RHO does plenty to keep the TRX’s spirit alive—even if it is short by two cylinders. It looks great, it’s powerful as hell, and it has excellent tech. It’s no TRX, but it might be the next best thing.