2015 Ram 1500 Rebel: First Drive
Ram's pickup truck formula seems to be working pretty well. With so many standard and optional parts and pieces on the 10 different Ram 1500 trim packages, it is able to add a few more with some clever mixing and matching. Thankfully, the Ram engineers did more than that for the new 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel.
From our , you probably have a good idea of what makes this vehicle special. Lots of the original chatter centered on the swooping grille and large Ram lettering stamped on the tailgate, but this truck is definitely more than just a pretty face. But before we get into how it performed during our early off-road drive in the volcanic northwestern part of Arizona, let's talk about what makes this Ram 1500 a Rebel.
What It Is
The new pickup is a trim package that takes many of the technology options available on other Ram 1500s and mixes them with some unique features and options. Rather than being something "all-new," this Rebel really is something well-tuned and optimized.
Designed to slot into the middle of Ram's half-ton lineup — between the entry-level Tradesman and top-of-the-line Laramie Limited — all Rebels will have the adjustable four-corner airbag suspension (offered as an option at every level), 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires, the eight-speed ZF transmission and a set of heavy-duty skid plates (under the bumper and engine, front axle and transfer case). The high-performance monotube Bilstein shocks have been uniquely tuned to handle relatively harsh inputs (like you might find when running over an uneven volcanic ash field) as well as keeping things controlled when carving mountain canyons. Likewise, the front and rear sway bars have been retuned (in fact, softened) to better complement the stiffer and firmer capabilities of the shocks and airbags.
All Rebels offer an optional clutch-pack limited-slip differential and a completely unique interior that will include red anodized aluminum trim accents in the console, dash and doors. The Rebel, along with the new Laramie Limited (HD and 1500), will have the black headliner and pillars, and it will have a brand-new set of molded front seats that offer a seat bottom and seatback with the actual tread pattern of the Open Country tires that come with the truck.
With as much standard content as the new Rebel offers, there are still plenty of choices to make. In terms of powertrains, the Rebel can be ordered with either the 3.6-liter Pentastar DOHC V-6 (only with 3.92:1 gears and in 4×4) or the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 (offered with 3.21:1 or 3.92:1 gears, in 4×2 or 4×4 drivetrains). We're told no final decision has been made to eliminate the EcoDiesel engine as a possible future option (that decision depends largely on if Fiat Chrysler Automobiles can allocate more turbo-diesel production to Ram). Finally, the Ram Rebel will be offered in five unique colors.
How It Drives
Our test vehicles for this early media drive were all preproduction units built as some of the first vehicles off the line. But we were assured that, mechanically, these vehicles were as close to production vehicles as it gets. All our Rebels were red with 3.92:1 gears, the 5.7-liter V-8 and eight-speed transmission, so they felt quite snappy off the line, even doing a decent job cruising at less than 2,000 rpm at 70 mph.
The Toyo tires are actually the same size as the Goodyear Duratrac tires offered on the Ram Power Wagon, but that's where the similarities end. The Toyo tires are much less noisy on pavement, yet do a good job of grabbing loose gravel, sand and rock. The key feature to the Rebel's abilities rest with the air suspension that offers four different settings, each delivering a different level of ground clearance: Kneel, Aero, Normal and Off-Road.
Like all airbag suspensions, the tradeoff to adjustability comes with the fact that the higher the ride height, the firmer the suspension feels and the less wheel travel it allows. When the terrain is deeply rutted or filled with large rocks or other boulder-like obstacles, the amount of wheel travel or axle flex in the upper Off-Road position can determine whether you make it out or get stuck. Thankfully we never got stuck while driving in the Cinder Hills Off Highway Vehicle Area, but much of the terrain was loose volcanic rock similar to coarse beach sand. To give us a more contact patch on the loose rock, we let out a bit of air from the tires. That certainly helped.
The Ram Rebel's electronic push-button part-time four-wheel-drive system is identical to those offered in other Ram 1500 models, with a high-range lock, low range and two-wheel-drive mode.
The extra low-range gearing and grippy 10.5-inch-wide tires kept our truck right-side up and moving up the loose rock and rutted trails — at one point up the side of a dormant volcano. We especially liked the dedicated GPS coordinate info (four screens deep) in the UConnect multimedia/navigation system that gave us our exact location and at what altitude our truck sat, all with the help of more than 20 satellites circling the Earth (a picture on the screen shows all of them).
At higher speeds, the suspension did a good job soaking up the whoop-de-dos and dirt chop; however we did have to be hyper aware of our speed. In certain situations with certain-sized trail ruts, it was easy to overcome the airbags' and shocks' absorbing abilities and find ourselves uncomfortably off the ground and experiencing bumpy stops when crashing back onto the ground.
When navigating down the steepest part of the trail after we circumnavigated the rim of a dead volcano, we found the 1st-gear/low-range downhill crawling speed quite manageable, but we were surprised that no electronically controlled hill descent feature is available. Still, there didn't seem to be much need for it on the terrain we conquered.
Unfortunately, the Cinder Hills off-road park doesn't offer much diversity, so we didn't get to do any technical, full-articulation type of 4×4 trails, where we would have been able to see how well the suspension travel handled hard rocks. In the areas we navigated, we found ourselves not needing more than 8 inches of ground clearance, so we spent much of our time in the more comfortable Normal suspension setting rather than use the 1-inch taller (and firmer) Off-Road setting (which can be engaged in two-wheel drive and high- and low-range, as long as you stay below 25 mph). We like the idea of having that kind of height adjustability just in case, but it seems to us the setup could also come in handy had we buried a tire or two or gotten centered on a log. We've heard some people call the four-corner air suspension an active jack.
Where It Fits
After our drive time with the new Ram Rebel, we have no doubt this is the most trail-capable and off-road-ready Ram 1500 offered, but then again the bar was not set exceptionally high. The previous Ram 1500 off-road leader was probably the Ram Outdoorsman 4×4 with all the options (air suspension, 4×4, Hemi, etc.). The Ram Rebel is clearly a better and more focused four-wheeler, but it's also a better example of a fully integrated package whose sum is greater than its parts list.
The Rebel is not nearly as extreme ready as the Power Wagon is with its sway bar disconnects, live axles and locking differentials. Nor is it set up for desert running or rock crawling like the Ford F-150 Raptor. But from what we've experienced, this new Ram Rebel is not too far underneath, and it offers a certain level of civility that neither of those two examples can match. For the small group of pickups that have off-road credibility, the Rebel seems to offer a good balance of parts and technology. What the engineers have done here is optimize a collection of available technologies to create a well-tuned and well-designed traction package that would make any backcountry explorer or remote campsite lover happy.
Although pricing will not be announced until the end of June, it is likely to hover between $45,000 and $50,000 depending on how you option the truck. Since the Rebel is new, we're guessing the marketing experts might have a bit of pricing flexibility because it is somewhat of an experimental vehicle. This is the first Ram — along with the Ram Heavy Duty Laramie Limited — to have the new face and tailgate design. Without knowing exactly how the public will respond, Ram is guessing the Rebel take in the overall Ram 1500 lineup could be around 5 or 10 percent. Of course, that's the same guess Ram had for the EcoDiesel when it was introduced; based on demand that number was bumped up to 15 and eventually 20 percent.
We'll have more on the Ram Rebel when we get to spend more quality time with it, which we think will have to be with its other off-road competitors. But for now, we are encouraged by how much work Ram engineers have done, and how well the Rebel turned out. This is clearly a new pickup that will push other truckmakers to do better.
Editor's note: This story was updated May 19 to correct information about content and features.
Manufacturer photos
