Dodge may not be interested in creating a truck from the ground up to compete with the Ford F-150 Raptor but they do have something aimed at those customers who are interested in taking their pickups on off-road trails. The 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel was unveiled at this years Detroit Auto Show and features extras not found on the standard Ram.
Some trail-ready equipment includes items such as 17-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain Toyo tires and equipped with factory lift, new skid plates, front tow hooks, a 3.92 axle ratio (V6 only), and an exclusive air suspension which increases the ride height by one inch bringing it to a clearance of 10.3 inches. This suspension system improves off-road approach, departure, and break over angles.
The Ram 1500 Rebel package is available in a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 producing 305 horsepower while the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is able to put down 395 horsepower. According to Bob Hegbloom, CEO of Ram Trucks, “The Rebel drops right into a core segment of the truck market with unique design cues and can-do attitude backed by Ram Truck engineering”.
The front end of the Ram 1500 has been revamped and features a RAM adorned blacked-out front grille which replaces the stock “cross-hair” design. The truck now looks more aggressive and modern, accentuated by new projector headlights, LED fog lamps, and a pretty cool twin-snorkel aluminum hood. There are also flat black badges and the rear is highlighted by a power coated rear bumper with flared cutouts.
The rugged off-road yet modern theme can also be experienced inside the cabin as well with a tire tread pattern on the high-durability technical grain vinyl seats which match the Toyo rubber touching the pavement. Throughout the interior, there are ‘radar red’ accents including the seats, an all-black instrument panel, and a center stack & console are finished in Iron Gray metallic paint.
The Ram 1500 Rebel will hit the show room floors in the summer of 2015 and will be available in five colors, including Bright Silver Metallic, Granite Crystal Metallic, Bright White, Brilliant Black, and Flame Red. The truck will be exclusively available as a crew cab model with a 5-ft 7-inch bed and come standard with a 4×4 configuration while the HEMI will be also available in a 4×2. Both engines will feature an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the V6 model returning fuel economy of 25mpg (9.4L/100km).
2015 Ram 1500 Rebel Gallery
I want the cross hairs back! Also the front of the truck looks a little “fordish” to me.
This looks like such a sporty and smart vehicle – very sturdy. Both the interiors and the exteriors are so sleek. We’ll have to see how it performs, if it is able to catch up with the hype of its appearance.