We can attest here at Landmark Dodge of Morrow that “Hellcat crazed” is most definitely a thing, as the Car and Driver crew billed it as doling out “reality-altering” horsepower. The 707-horsepower Challenger SRT Hellcat and its 800-plus horsepower iterations did a fantastic job showing up to the party completely over the top, proving that there's no such thing as “too much juice.” It did a thoroughly polished job of powering the 2023 Challenger as one of the last coupes with full-on American muscle under the hood.
With the official arrival of the Ram 1500 RHO, it’s time to accept that perhaps not even voodoo will save the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 from its imminent fate. The Ram High Output boasts very similar grit and glory when compared to the TRX, but there are enough differences to separate it a bit from the Hellcat's looming shadow. The Motor Trend crew adamantly admitted that they thought this was, hands down, the best Ram yet.
Under the hood is the brand-new Hurricane inline-six engine, employing the strength of twin low-inertia Garrett turbos to crank out 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque eagerly. Air on its eventual journey through the Hurricane’s combustion chambers enters through a water-draining hood scoop before being expertly routed to a high-flow filter. The open-top air box design makes the task of changing the filter or shaking out dune debris a snap, and there’s also an equal-length dual exhaust with an H-pipe in the middle which creates a pressure differential that derives the next pulse from the bank.
There are also oil pickups at the front and rear of the oil pan to ensure the valuable lube keeps flowing when it’s time to take on very steep inclines. Properly rounding off the RHO’s sport-tuned exhaust is a flow-activated valve that cuts down on restriction and maximizes the engine’s pleasant and gritty trademark sound. The Hurricane inline-six weighs 150 lbs. less than the TRX’s Hellcat engine and resides far enough behind the front axle to skillfully shift 30 lbs. to the rear.
In ever-so-precious “truck measurements”, there are 180 pounds now taken off the front end, which greatly improves handling. The 8-speed automatic is bolted directly to this fantastic Hurricane engine, and the independent front suspension features forged aluminum control arms and a foot of necessary wheel travel. After a 2-inch ride height increase, ground clearance is 11.8 inches, and 35-inch tires are boisterous and adequately trail-bound wrap for 18-inch beadlock-capable wheels. This extra height allows the RHO to forge 32 inches of water, making for a quite proper spring raging-stream crossing party.
You can easily switch through 9 drive modes with the touch of a button, in the same place you’ll find the very celebratory launch control and 4-wheel drive settings. Hydraulic jounce controls prevent bottoming out the Bilstein dampers when gravity inevitably works its gradual magic on the truck’s entire frame. Baja mode sends 75 percent of available torque to the rear, which makes for better throttle steering on surfaces such as sand. With the Hurricane engine’s lighter weight, the towing capacity is boosted from 8,130 to 8,380 lbs.
These very important figures make the Ram RHO an even more powerful and competent hauler than the TRX and Ford F-150 Raptor. The optional 14.5-inch vertical center touch screen is the largest display inside, with the 10.0-inch head-up display putting some extreme valuables such as the navigational tachometer in sight. In closing, the Motor Trend experts loved the price tag significantly lower than the previous year’s TRX and concluded that the incoming 2025 Ram 1500 RHO is a sheer marvel of modern steel and carbon creation!
