Ram Rebel: Off-road workhorse
Ram is about to add a tasty new flavor to its menu of full-size pickups: the 2023 2500 Rebel.
The Rebel trim level is already a hit on light-duty Ram 1500s. The 2500 brings it to Stellantis’ pickup brand’s medium-duty pickup lineup.
Ram calls the 2500 a heavy-duty pickup, but that’s marketing. It is a medium-duty vehicle by official regulatory standards, as are nearly all the pickups Ford, Chevy and GMC call heavy duty or HD. Don’t worry about that; they’re all heinously capable vehicles. Just please don’t email me asking why I call them all medium duty.
The 2500 Rebel competes with off-road models of the Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Ford F-250 and GMC Sierra 2500.
Off-road features, but with a diesel engine
What matters is that the 2500 Rebel combines serious off-road hardware with the popular Cummins diesel engine that has been one of Ram’s hallmarks for decades.
Ram already has a medium-duty off-road model, the Power Wagon, but it costs about $2,300 more, doesn’t offer a diesel, and tows and hauls less than the Rebel.
The Rebel intentionally borrows some Power Wagon design cues, including black powder coating for the grille and bumpers and a Mopar Sport hood.
New features include an optional video rearview mirror with three views – conventional, from the sideview mirrors for towing, and an auxiliary camera that can be mounted on the bumper, or on trailers. The cameras can also provide a 360-degree view for parking.
Driver assistance features:
● Automatic high beams
● Adaptive cruise control
● Blind spot and cross traffic alert
● Forward collision alert and assist
● Lane keeping assist
Running gear and interior features
The base engine is a 6.4L Hemi gasoline V8 that produces 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. The 6.7L straight-six Cummins diesel – a $9,995 option – produces 370 hp and 850 pound-feet of torque.
The diesel Rebel can tow up to 14,920 pounds and carry as much as 1,970 pounds in its cab and bed. The Hemi can tow 16,870 pounds and haul 3,140.
The Rebel comes with 20-inch tries, 33-inch tires and skid plates to protect the fuel tank and skid plates.
The pickup can shift from rear- to four-wheel drive on the fly. A transfer case provides a low range of gears for rugged territory.
As with other pickups with advanced 4WD systems, you have to stop and shift into neutral to activate the low range of gears.
Features likely to be popular include:
● Locking rear axle
● Electronic limited slip rear differential
● Independent rear suspension with coil springs
● Optional Warn winch (with gasoline engine only)
● Optional Ram box storage in rear fenders
The roomy crew cab can seat five or six people, depending on whether you get a front bench seat. Materials range from cloth seats to leather.
Interior features include:
● Configurable 12-inch instrument cluster
● 12-inch touch screen
● 17-speaker Harmon-Kardon audio
Power adjustable pedals and outside mirror
On and off-road with the Ram 2500 Rebel
I spent a day driving a pair of 2500 Rebels from California’s baking high desert into the San Bernardino National Forest to the equally parched – thanks, climate change – Big Bear Lake, a sometime boating destination that’s currently largely dry.
I spent most of the day in a diesel Rebel
loaded with features including 17speaker Harman Kardon audio and the towing and safety packages. It stickered at $89,835.
All prices exclude destination charges.
Departing Pioneertown, a 1940s recreation of the 1800s West that served as the set for numerous movies and TV shows, the Rebel was surprisingly smooth and quiet on a series of winding and rolling secondary roads through the desert. Despite rugged 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler off-road tires, there was little road noise at high speed. The diesel was effectively muffled by insulation in the engine compartment.
The diesel accelerated confidently, including pulling up a couple of long grades up to 10%.
Off-road, the diesel’s torque combined with the low range of gears and locking rear differential to make easy work of a long haul on forest trails as the pickup descended from 8,000 feet elevation to Pioneertown’s 4,000.
The Ram 2500 is a big, long vehicle so the Rebel is at home on wider trails without a lot of tight switchbacks. The narrow twisties favored by recreational off-roaders are a better match for smaller vehicles.
Ford electronically locks the inside rear wheel of some big SUVs to help them negotiate tight trails. The Rebel seems better suited as a working vehicle than weekend warrior. Expect to see it heading into the back country to repair fences, wells or check on livestock, not for family outings.
I also drove a Hemi-powered Rebel – sticker price $79,395 – for a couple of hours, including on some narrow and deeply rutted dirt roads clinging to mountain sides.
It was more than capable, and proved quick and pleasant when I reached paved surfaces.