DRIVING Ram Rebel more than enough
First Drive: 2017 Ram 1500 Rebel
SEDONA, Ariz. — It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were flogging the Ram Power Wagon in the Mojave Desert, clambering over boulders the size of garden sheds, and picking our way down through canyons like pachyderm versions of mountain goats. And now here we are — one of only two Rebels in a convoy of Power Wagons — on a quest to see if Ram’s smaller offroader has what it takes to keep up with its mighty big brothers.
While regular Rebels come standard with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, good for 305 horsepower, the limited edition Mojave Sand model we drove got the 5.7-L V8 Hemi, producing 395 hp and 410 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. At all four corners are Ram’s air suspension and beefy Bilstein shocks, while its underbelly is protected by tough skid plates. Rear axle ratio is the optional 3.92:1, and it includes a limited-slip differential.
After a short jaunt up Highway 89 from Flagstaff, we leave the pavement somewhere near Jerome and head into the Sedona Desert.
Once we’d left the pavement and were on the trail head, we dropped the tire pressure of our Toyo all-terrain tires from 55 to 45 psi, to give them more malleability and grip on rough surfaces. It’s not really advisable to run them so low while on paved roads, since the squirmier tires not only have an adverse effect on the vehicle’s steering and handling, but can actually pull free of the rim. But out here, the softer tire can mould itself around the rubble as deftly as a chameleon on a knobby branch.
Unlike Arizona’s desert lowlands, the Sedona region is surrounded by nearly two million acres of towering forest — the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world. But it’s also an area of great elevation changes, ranging from 2,600 feet (800 metres) to 12,633 ft (3,851 metres) with an equally diverse selection of both vegetation and geology. Fields of wiry golden grasses and prickly pear cactus gave way to red earth and sage brush as we made our way up toward House Mountain.
The Power Wagon had a bit of a power advantage with its 6.4-L Hemi V8 with 410 hp, but it’s more than offset by its 8,510-pound (3,860 kilograms) curb weight versus 5,387 (2,444 kg) for the Rebel. And without the heavy frame and beefier suspension components of the larger heavy duty truck, the Rebel’s a much more agreeable daily driver.
Certainly the Power Wagon boasts more genuine off-loading cred with its 12,000-lb (5,443-kg) winch, electronically disconnecting sway bars, front and rear locking differentials and 4.10:1 axles. But equally important is its maximum ground clearance of 14.3 inches (36 centimetres), versus our 10.3 inches (26 cm). That gives it a major advantage as a rock crawler. So far, we’ve had little difficulty, but the terrain is becoming more rugged as we work our way up the mountain. Ahead of us is a steep foothill strewn with rocks and step-like rock ledges on the descent.
We put the Rebel in 4Lo, using a rotary dial instead of the Power Wagon’s dedicated transfer case shifter, and headed up the slope. Despite its lack of locking differentials, we had no trouble climbing, although we had to be more careful choosing our line to avoid the larger rocks. On the way down, we used the gear selector stalk on the steering wheel to control our speed and stay off the brakes, since the Rebel hasn’t the hill descent control feature of the Power Wagon.
The rock ledges proved challenging and more than once there was the wince-inducing squeal of metal on rock as the side steps scraped the ledges, but the $700 tubular rails were a lot cheaper than fixing rocker panels. There were plenty of steep verticals and precarious downward slopes on our gradual ascent of the mountain, yet the Rebel had no trouble following the Power Wagons over them all.
Eventually we reached the summit of House Mountain, a 5,131-foot (1,564-m) volcanic peak with spectacular views of the Sedona Canyon and snow-capped San Francisco Peaks. Our trucks, aside from their coating of fine red dust, bore the telltale “desert pinstripes” down their flanks — hairline scratches from the wiry sage brush and twisted juniper branches.
Overall, our Rebel acquitted itself rather well over the challenging trail. But our route lacked the hard-core rock-climbing element of our previous outing with the Power Wagon. The secret to Rubicon-trail levels of rock-crawling prowess lies in axle articulation; the Power Wagon’s front axle features an extra joint called “Articulink” that increases its range of motion, and its electronically disconnecting sway bars give the truck 26 inches of articulation. This lets the truck’s wheels move at extreme angles apart from the chassis, so dropping a wheel into a deep hole causes no damage to its body.
Still, the Rebel is more than capable of fulfilling most people’s offroading needs, and is a lot more comfortable and manoeuvrable on-road than the heavy duty Power Wagon. With a $55,195 base price — or roughly $62,000 as tested — versus the Power Wagon’s starting price of $58,949, the Ram Rebel is more than enough for the weekend off-roader.