Have we reached the pinnacle of pickup trucks with this 2026 Ram 1500 RHO?
The new Ram 1500 RHO has been a controversial truck since it came on the scene, effectively replacing the former, supercharged TRX as the pinnacle truck in the brand’s half-ton lineup. Now, we obviously know the V8 powerhouse’s return is imminent. That doesn’t mean you should just write off the twin-turbo RHO entirely…especially when Ram threw absolutely everything it currently offers to create what could just be the zenith of the modern pickup.
In the review below, Andre checks out the latest fully loaded RHO. And when we say “fully loaded”, you need look no further than the price tag. The particular truck Andre has to review here may start at $73,045 before destination. However, after you tack on a host of packages and standalone options, that MSRP rises to a stratospheric $96,135. You guys keep echoing the point that trucks are insanely expensive anymore, and this RHO really does ram that home with an exclamation point.
Andre refers to the nearly six-figure cost as “eye-opening”, but eye-popping is probably more like it.
Along with the RHO’s standard features list, the $9,995 RHO Level 1 Equipment Group adds in a host of extra creature comforts like massaging front seats, ventilated rear seats, hands-free driving assist and a head-up display, just to name a few. The 18-by-9-inch beadlock capable wheels are another $2,495, and you can keep pushing the envelope with the exterior graphics. Those add a few thousand dollars to the price, and at the end of the day, you have to pay a considerable $2,595 destination charge — a hefty figure the other Big Three automakers are also commanding — on the whole shebang.
Under the hood, the 2026 Ram 1500 RHO does pack the 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six engine. That means you get a solid 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque, even if you’re missing a couple extra cylinders. You do still get a low range transfer case, a rear axle locker, 4WD Auto and launch control as part of the mix, along with several other drive modes.
The premise in the video below is this: Can automakers really do more to make the crop of feature-rich and high-priced off-roaders any more? That is, any cooler, any jam packed with equipment, or any more expensive?
In Ram’s case, we have a pretty loud answer to that: Toss a supercharged V8 back into the mix. But if the RHO is already just about $100,000, you better brace yourself for what a new fully loaded TRX would cost whenever it actually hits the streets, as well as what you’ll have to spend in gas bills to run it.
