I always enjoyed any time I spent with the Ram TRX. It’s a 702-hp monster truck you can buy with a factory warranty and the out-of-box ability to go run Baja. Ram is downsizing some of its engine offerings, however, so the TRX had to go away. Stepping up to take its place as the halo vehicle of the sport truck side of the family is the 2025 Ram RHO. It packs turbo straight-six power but also the same I Will Go Where I Damn Well Please attitude… and it’s an absolute blast to drive.

The basic numbers here are 540 horsepower, 521 lb-ft of torque, 14″ of rear-axle travel, 35″ all-terrain tires, and a top speed of 118 mph. Dive deeper, though, and you can learn that Ram took 150 pounds off the nose, recalibrated the Bilstein Hawk e2 active dampers to compensate, and now has a smarter version of the TRX formula.

With the Ram RHO, you have a more balanced machine. It makes less power, but the available power serves the truck very well. It’s remarkably composed over fast whoop and wash sections, yet you can still scramble slowly over rocky climbs and descents. Steering feel is excellent in a rig this large, while the brakes inspire more than enough confidence to huck the RHO through rough stuff at speeds that would otherwise feel a bit too aggressive.

Slide inside, and you can see why Ram is known for the nicest interiors in the truck segment. The RHO is no different, with great use of materials and tech. Plus, running OnX Off-Road on that large center-screen allows me to know exactly where I am out in Johnson Valley, where the fun running went down.

It’s not cheap, certainly. The starting price is just over $71,000. But in the days when folks are dropping $100k on a pickup, this almost seems like a bargain. I said almost. I’m not that blinded by modern pricing yet. Still, I think the Ram RHO slots in the hierarchy of bad-ass off-road trucks ahead of the standard Raptor. The Raptor R is still the current king… but maybe Ram can pull one more trick from its bag, and try and compete for the top of the throne.

If you remove the V8-powered machines from the list, however, the Ram RHO may be the new king of high-speed off-road fun.