By J.G. Pasterjak
Rho, as I’m sure you all know, is the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. Stylized as RHO, it’s also the designator for this Ram 1500 4x4 package.
Rho is also used in the sciences to denote densities such as mass density or air density. Perhaps Ram used this designator to allude to the twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six under the hood, which cranks out more than 500 horsepower and results in what Ram claims is the most power per dollar of any truck on the market.
Rho is also used to denote the amount of electrical resistance of a specific component of an electrical system, perhaps Ram’s clever allusion to the RHO’s Bilstein-based off-road suspension package resisting the many heaves and bumps of a rough, rocky trail or the washboards of a dry desert road.
But rho can also represent a concept in economic theory that correlates the rate of change of a fixed portfolio of securities with respect to prevailing interest rates. Perhaps a subtle nod to Ram’s current offer of a generous $2000 total cash allowance and 3.9% APR financing for 72 months* for qualified buyers (offer ends 6/2/25. Act now!).
Oh, maybe the Ram 1500 RHO is a… hang on… being told that Stellantis says the RHO doesn’t actually stand for anything. Okay never mind that whole intro. It was just something that sounded cool, I guess?
The most likely scenario comes from the internal codename for the 3.0-liter, 540-horsepower pressurized straight six: Rhino. The horned beast on the console-mounted VIN tag would lend some credibility here, although there’s no official confirmation. And now it’s called the “Hurricane,” so who knows.
And all this really fits in well with the overall character of the truck, which is a lot of knobs going all the way to 11. The 1500 RHO is the vehicular equivalent of a guy in a tank top with sunglasses on the back of his head. When he walks up to you, you think he might be a really cool dude or he might be a real pain in the ass, but one thing you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is he’s going to be A LOT.
Indeed, this truck is A LOT. Some of it good, some of it, I dunno, good-adjacent?
Like, good but in the wrong context? For example, this thing has launch control. This truck. Has launch control. It goes zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds. It’s a truck. A truck. I guess for when you need to be the first dad at the boat ramp on Memorial Day?
It’s also got Stellantis’ hands-free driver assist that pilots the vehicle on limited access highways as well as GM’s Supercruise. But unlike GM’s system, this implementation doesn’t function while towing. So if you want to RHO your boat to the shore, you’ll have to be in command the whole way there.
Man, I don’t even know anymore. I’m just so tired and this truck is just so much. I just want it to do truck stuff, and it has all the ingredients to do that well but it keeps showing up to my peaceful cookout and yelling, “HELL YEAH, PARTY!” and tossing cans of beer and Monster Energy to everyone and putting on some Molly Hatchet and, oh my God, can’t I just enjoy a hotd og with my family!?
Look, there are some cool ideas here. I love Ram’s implementation of their rear bed assist step, which is manually deployed and decoupled from the tailgate, meaning it can be used even when the tailgate is up, unlike, say, Ford’s rear step. I also like the amount of connectivity, with its USB-A and USB-C ports, as well as an HDMI port prominently located on the dash.
The max tow capacity of 8380 pounds seems a bit low in a marketplace where 10,000 or even 12,000-plus pounds are more the standard for a half-ton pickup, but I get the feeling the focus here was more on desert carving and rock crawling than towing with the fancy remote-reservoir shocks and all.
Although the main implementation for this $88,100-as-equipped truck will likely be more of the hard parking/mall cruising variety, the serious off-roaders will certainly appreciate the massaging seats.
Really, I guess I’m just bitter that a company that clearly has cool people working there–the kind that implement things like launch control and trick suspension systems–doesn’t have a proper sports car or even a proper muscle car in the lineup to implement some of those trick features on and instead they have to use a VERY EXTREME® truck as their palette.
The RHO has cool bits, and the basic truck is competent and substantial feeling. This particular execution is a bit … much, but I can’t fault the enthusiasm of its creators.
*Residency restrictions apply. Not all applicants will qualify.
