2023 RAM 2500 Rebel

Ram was the first company to bring a heavy-duty off-road pickup truck to market with the Ram 2500 Power Wagon, but there are a few limitations that have caused customers to look towards perhaps a Ford F-250 Tremor or the upcoming Silverado ZR2, namely the fact that because this model is so dedicated at off-road capability with the electronically disconnectable sway bar up front, a front locker, etc., and off-road suspension, that it doesn't have the kind of payload and towing ability that you might expect out of a three-quarter ton truck. This model, just over 1,300 pounds of payload. In steps the Ram Rebel 2500. This is the solution if you want to do three-quarter ton truck things and have extra off-road capability. This is going to give you up to 3,100 pounds of payload ability, towing capability right in line with the rest of the 2500 lineup, and extra off-road capability with the option of the Ram Cummins turbo diesel engine. That's the way this model is equipped, and you can see the difference between this model and the Rebel up front. We have a slightly different grill insert right here, big Ram logo. The front end is definitely based off of the Power Wagon, but if we go over to the Power Wagon again, you'll notice we have this 12,000 pound winch up front. This is going to be available in the Rebel, but only with the gasoline engine because of the same reason that we don't find the Cummins turbo diesel in the Power Wagon. The Cummins turbo diesel is a long inline six engine, and because of the length and the weight of that, it compromises the area where that winch would have to be installed. The Rebel will start out with a 6.4 liter naturally aspirated gas engine, producing 410 horsepower, but really this model is all about this Cummins turbo diesel because you can't get it in the Power Wagon. 370 horsepower, 850 pound feet of torque when located under this hood. You can really see how big and long this 6.7 liter engine is. It ends right around here in the vehicle, and that's why we can't have that winch up front because all the cooling that's required for this massive diesel engine. The inline six has a very, very distinctive sound to it, and I love the way this sounds, but an inline six engine under this hood is considerably longer and a little bit more difficult to package than the V8 engines we find in the Ford and the Chevy line. But if you want a Cummins, this is the only option. Up until now, the big advantage for getting an F-250 Tremor was the ability to do three quarter ton truck things, but that's where the Rebel steps in now. We have the availability of things like the Ram boxes here, lots of payload, and lots of towing ability as well. Payload ability is going to come in over 3,100 pounds when properly equipped, towing capability just under 17,000 pounds when properly equipped, and of course, we have the same sort of bed arrangements that you find in the rest of the Ram 2500 lineup. So moving all the way around to the rear, you can see that the rear end design is pretty similar to the rest of the three quarter ton truck lineup, big Ram logo right there, same sort of Rebel logo that we find in the Ram 1500. No power tailgate back here, but it is nicely damped, and of course, a bigger bed available than you'll find in the average half ton off-road truck. It is not the longest bed available though, so keep that in mind. Now, when we take a look at the suspension, you'll definitely notice that we have a different kind of suspension arrangement in the Ram 2500 Rebel. We have the available rear air suspension, that's part of how this gets to that excellent payload ability. It's also likely going to give you a better ride than we find in the Tremor, although I haven't been able to drive it just yet. The air suspension has been a big, big advantage for Ram's heavy duty trucks as far as ride quality goes, because it can load level the rear suspension, allow them to give you slightly softer springs for better ride, but then compensate for that with the airlift in the rear. No airlift up front, so this is not a four corner air suspension like you find available in the Ram 1500. The wheels and tires are also going to be a little bit different, 18 inch wheels are going to be available later, we have 20 inch wheels in this, versus the 17s that we find over here in the Power Wagon. Different tires, because the mission is definitely a little bit different. And the softer suspension tune that we find in the Power Wagon is the big reason that towing and payload end up being compromised in this model. I checked the door sticker, this particular Power Wagon comes in at just 1300 pounds of payload ability, and it's pretty common to find a Ram 1500 Rebel with higher payload and higher towing ability than the Power Wagon. This generation of the heavy duty Ram pickup truck line was really more of a heavy refresh than a complete redesign, so we find the same seat frames that we found in the pre-refresh Ram 2500 and 3500, meaning these are not as adjustable nor as comfortable as the current generation 1500, definitely something to keep in mind. But the rest of the interior has been brought in line with the rest of the Ram lineup. The doors in the dashboard still definitely have a more premium feel than we find even in the new refreshed Ford Super Duty lineup. So stitched leather dashboard components, upper and lower, dual glove box arrangement here. We have a small one up top there, and then a larger one below. But the dashboard is not exactly the same as the Ram 1500's dash. It's pretty darn similar though, including this large touchscreen system that we have right here in the center console, running basically the same software that we find in the Ram 1500. Unfortunately, I don't have the keys, so I can't show you this particular one in person. There's a small storage bin right up there up top. We have a column shifter right here rather than the center console shifter, engine start stop button there, controls for the four-wheel drive system there. You'll notice we just have an axle lock button, so a little bit different than the Power Wagon because we don't have that front locker. Down here we have multiple USB inputs, some toggle switches for various functions there, trailer brake controller, lots of storage room, cubby sliding compartment right there like that. Very practical center console. And then a big, large storage area there. That's where that portion of the center console recedes into. And then over on the dashboard, we have the new full LCD instrument cluster that's available in other Rams as well. That's really a nice improvement over what we had before. There's a ring of the status lights around each side, and then there's some sort of chrome accents and ambient lighting there as well. Moving out from there, we have a steering wheel that is pretty similar to the rest of the heavy-duty lineup. Again, not quite the same as the one that we find in the 1500. You'll find infotainment controls on the back, controls for things like the adaptive cruise control over here on this side, gear limiter, and then the controls for that multifunction LCD. We have the same sort of tableau button that we find in the new Grand Cherokee because the software of this LCD instrument cluster is more closely related to what we find in the Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, and Grand Wagoneer than we've found in the Ram 1500 in the past. The Rebel is only going to be available in this format to start, so we don't have the biggest cab available, which is really one of the hallmarks of the Ram 2500 lineup. The fact that you can get that mega cab that's another approximately foot larger with the reclining rear seats, etc. There's still plenty of legroom back here and plenty of width, but surprisingly, not as much headroom as you might think. If I try and put my head back there to the headrest, I do have to crane to one side, but if I'm sitting in a more natural position, I have about an inch of headroom left. No panoramic moonroof in here or anything like that. You'll find that only in Ram's half-ton truck. Rounding out the changes to the Rebel, we have the latest tow mirror from Ram. This is a new design than they've had before. It's a power retractable mirror, so if I press the button over here on the inside, you can see that it powers in and out, and we have interesting new features like the LED perimeter lighting integrated into the front, and if you come around to the back, also integrated into the, I guess, human-facing side of the mirror itself. That's going to illuminate the ground and give you a little bit better idea of what's going on around you if you're parking the vehicle, towing things, or if you're out off-roading. If you want to get your hands on the new Ram 2500 Rebel, these are going to be on dealer showroom floors right around the time you're watching this video. The price tag is going to start at about $67,000, plus an approximately $1,900 destination charge. That's going to get you the base 6.4 liter gasoline V8 engine, around 410 horsepower. Basically the same engine that we find in the Ram 2500 Power Wagon, which is of course next to it, but the Ram 2500 Power Wagon, it's going to be about $2,000 or so more expensive because it's going to get you the front locker and the electronically disconnecting sway bar. As far as capability goes, that's the prime difference between the two, and then of course we have the suspension tweaks that make the Power Wagon a lot softer, a lot more suitable for longer distance off-road kind of travel, etc. The Rebel over here, it's probably going to feel a bit like a Ford Tremor out on the trail. Obviously we haven't driven it yet, but that's probably going to be the closest corollary because in order to preserve the handling as well as the towing and payload ability that you would expect out of a three-quarter ton truck, the suspension is probably going to be stiffer than the one that we find in the Power Wagon. The Power Wagon has a really supple ride to it, it's really great for longer road trips. This I suspect is going to feel probably more like a regular Ram 2500, although with the rear air suspension that we find in this model, it's probably going to have a better ride than we find in the new off-road trims of the Silverado, or of course that refreshed 2023 Ford F-250 Tremor. It seems like a real mouthful there. So if you're looking for one of the most capable trucks in this segment, and you're looking for a diesel, definitely put this on your shopping list. Only thing to keep in mind is that we still just have a six-speed automatic transmission behind that Cummins turbo diesel, and that's something that I really wish Ram would address soon, because now all of the competition has a 10-speed automatic transmission behind their diesel engine, and that really does have a big advantage when you're actually towing or hauling at the limit. If you haven't already done so, hit that subscribe button down there at the bottom of your screen so you can be updated on all of our videos, including tons of content from the Texas State Fair. And if you want to see one of these in person, come out to the State Fair. You can get your hands on one, see it in person, see it right next to the Power Wagon, and of course, next to the ultimate in bonkers truck, the Ram TRX right next to it. So be sure and find us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et cetera. Head on down to the fair and take a look at the Rebel if you're interested in three-quarter ton off-road capability with just a touch of towing ability as well. See all of you later.