The six-cylinder replacement for the V8-powered Ram 1500 TRX, which was billed as the world’s quickest and most powerful mass-produced pickup when it debuted in 2021, has been spotted in Australia for the first time.
What’s more, the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO has been caught on camera in right-hand drive form – parked at and driving around the Walkinshaw Automotive HQ in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton where all Ram Trucks Australia vehicles are remanufactured – as these exclusive images show.
That’s proof that Ram Trucks Australia has at least engineered and is developing a RHD version of the performance flagship of the facelifted 2025 Ram pickup range, which will go on sale in Australia exclusively in six-cylinder form by mid-2025.
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However, the Ram RHO is yet to be confirmed for the Australian market.
“The Ram 1500 RHO is under evaluation for Australia,” Ram Trucks Australia general manager Jeff Barber said in a statement to CarExpert.
The first 2025 Ram 1500 vehicles powered exclusively by the Stellantis truck brand’s all-new Hurricane straight six are expected on sale here in the second quarter of this year (April-June), but it’s not yet clear which variants will come first in what’s expected to be a staggered model range rollout.
The last V8-powered Ram 1500 was produced at Clayton in December and although Ram Trucks Australia says sales of the outgoing model are stronger than expected, it expects to sell V8s alongside the first updated Hurricane six-powered vehicles at least initially.
However, depending on demand for the 5.7-litre Hemi V8, which has powered the Ram 1500 since its official release here in July 2018, it’s possible Ram Trucks Australia could run out of stock amid the model changeover.
The Ram 1500 has been Australia’s most popular full-size American pickup for the past seven years.
Combined with the 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty dual-cabs, more than 30,000 Ram vehicles have been converted by Walkinshaw – initially as part of a joint-venture with Ateco Automotive but now on a contract basis for the distributor’s Ram Tracks Australia franchise – in Australia and New Zealand since 2016.
The range-topping Ram TRX bowed out in Australia with 130 examples of the Final Edition, powered by the same 6.2-litre supercharged Hellcat V8, which produced a mammoth 523kW of power and 882Nm of torque – enough to propel the 3.0-tonne TRX to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.
The RHO replaces the TRX and is powered by a 402KW/706Nm version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline Hurricane six, which also powers the updated 2025 Ram 1500 Limited.
That gives the RHO 121kW less power and 176Nm less torque than the now-defunct TRX, and makes it about half a second slower to 100km/h despite its lower kerb weight.
US reviews of the new Ram 1500 RHO lament the loss of pace and the TRX’s snarling supercharged V8 engine note, but say it handles better due to improved front/rear weight balance with less mass over the nose.
The RHO is also about US$25,000 (~A$40,000) cheaper than the old TRX in North America, where it’s priced from around US$70,000 (~$112,000).
For reference, the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX had a base price of about US$99,000 (~A$159,000) in North America, and about A$225,000 in Australia.
If the RHO gets the green light for Australian release, it’s unlikely to become available here until early 2026, based on the previous 12- to 18-month gap between US and local launches of new Ram models.
Revealed in April 2024, the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO comes standard with 35-inch off-road tyres and 18-inch beadlock-capable wheels, plus off-road suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, almost 300mm of ground clearance, 330mm of front wheel travel, and 350mm of rear wheel travel.
There are nine drive modes – Mud/Sand, Rock, Baja, Valet, Auto, Tow, Snow, Sport and Custom – as well as a launch control mode, plus larger wheel-arch flares, dual 5.0-inch black-painted exhaust outlets and RHO badging.
Standard features for premium versions of the 2025 Ram 1500 including the RHO and Limited include a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, and the option of a 10.25-inch front passenger touchscreen.
There’s also onboard power, a power tailgate, a flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, a 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, dual wireless phone chargers, and a digital rear-view mirror.
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