The 2027 model year just got interesting.
Roush Performance is no longer playing with just Fords and Nissans. They have officially added the Ram 150 to their roster of factory-backed collaborations. It’s called the Ram 1500 Direct Connection.
If the RHO is the inline-six future, this is the V-8 holdout.
The build is simple in theory but heavy on hardware. You start with a Ram that already wants to get dirty, then you add Roush suspension, different wheels, and a lot of noise.
Building the Foundation
Think of this as a TRX that accepts Hemi engines.
The base vehicle is a 4×4 Big Horn crew cab. It comes stock with the 5.7-liter Hemi V‑8. That alone makes it different from the Ram HO. That trim only offers the Hurricane inline-six. Here, you keep the big eight-cylinder and add Ram’s Level II equipment group and the Direct Connection package.
Ram’s own package does the heavy lifting for off-road basics. It gives you:
– Highly ventilated Sport Performance hood
– Night Edition blackout treatment
– Front and rear skid plates
– Mopar leather interior
– TRX-style running boards
– Electronic-locking rear differential
– Trailer-brake controller
– Rear wheel-well liners
Then Roush gets its turn.
They swap out the stock shocks for the Roush Performance 2.0 coil-over system. It uses twin-tube dampers. Ground clearance goes up. The standard 20-inch Night Edition wheels leave. They get replaced by 18-inch Roush designs. The rubber is meaty—33-inch General Grabber ATX all-terrains.
Visually, it turns up the volume too. New fender flares add clearance lights at all four corners. The hood ventilation looks aggressive enough to double as aerodynamic aids or just pure style.
Aesthetics and Exhaust Notes
You can pick from five colors: Bright White, Diamond Black, Forged Blue, Granite Crystal, or Molten Red.
Decals cover the hood, door sills, and tailgate. There are even US flags on the truck bedsides. The grille features three extra lights and a Ram logo outlined in red. A color-matched bumper hides red tow hooks underneath. Inside, you get floor mats and badging that screams “Direct Connection by Roush.”
But the real story is what you hear.
Roush installed an active cat-back exhaust system. The driver controls it. You can choose how much noise bypasses the muffler. It’s an exhaust bypass. Some might call it juvenile. Others, like our team who ran the same setup on a 2009 long-term test truck, call it glorious. A Hemi with cutouts sounds right. The tips at the back are black and branded with Roush’s logo.
The Price Tag
Everything costs something.
The Roush-specific package is $15,995.
Add that to the base Big Horn configuration of $64,305.
You are looking at $80,300.
Compare that to a 2027 Ram HO at $78,080. They are close.
Roush backs the parts with a three-year, 36,000-mile limited warranty. You have to go through a dealer to order it.
The question remains. When the industry is chasing electric trucks and downsized engines, who is actually buying an $80k V-8 truck with aftermarket tires? Probably people who want their engines to scream rather than whine.
It works.
