Ram recently pulled the plug on its supercharged V8 off-road tier, replacing it with the Hurricane turbocharged inline-six for the new RHO. Truck purists were not thrilled. Enter Roush Performance. The legendary tuning house officially unveiled the 2027 Ram 1500 Direct Connection by Roush on Monday.
Built on the Big Horn Crew Cab 4×4 platform, this package intentionally retains the factory 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine. It pushes 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque straight to the dirt. Roush is filling the exact eight-cylinder vacuum Ram created.
Under the Hood and Over the Dirt
The upgrades are intensely mechanical. Roush installed its 2.0 Coil-Over Suspension System, outfitting the truck with custom-tuned twin-tube hydraulic dampers. You also get an active cat-back performance exhaust with selectable volume modes, ensuring the truck sounds exactly how a V8 should. A 3.92 rear axle and an electronic locking rear differential keep the power grounded.
Visually, the truck borrows heavily from the top tier. It features a Sport Performance Hood, oversized vents, wider fender flares, and actual TRX-sourced running boards. Red tow hooks pop against the front fascia, while 18-inch performance wheels wear 33-inch General Tire Grabber A/TX rubber.
The package adds $15,995 to the base vehicle cost, pushing the estimated MSRP to $78,960. You can order it now directly through Ram dealerships, and it maintains a factory-backed 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
The Detroit Tuning Realignment
This release highlights a stunning shift across the Detroit truck tuning wars. Roush Performance is historically famous for modifying Ford Mustangs and F-150s. But Ford is aggressively pulling its high-performance development entirely in-house.
Looking for new partnerships, Roush jumped the fence. This new build, which includes premium cabin additions like Mopar leather seats, is the tuner’s first official factory-backed partnership with Ram. It provides buyers with a fully warrantied V8 off-roader at a time when automakers are aggressively downsizing cylinder counts.