2016 RAM 1500 Rebel review

2016 RAM 1500 Rebel

Retail price $45,095.00

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“Luxury yet effortlessly capable, the Ram 1500 Rebel is a thug’s best friend.”

Advantage

• Luxury car quality

• Abundant interior volume

• Strong off-road capabilities

• Lots of power

Defect

• Awkward front

• Big sticker price

There are a few different ways to evaluate a truck’s off-road capabilities, but comparing hardware, build quality or heritage doesn’t quite capture a vehicle’s true mettle. Sometimes you just have to get the damn thing dirty, nasty, and far away from urban terrain to fully appreciate its remarkable capabilities. That’s why I took the 2016 RAM 1500 Rebel to the mountains and deserts of Southern California to get into the action.

Don’t make a style profile

With its distinctive face, all-terrain tires and proud badging, it’s easy to mistake the RAM Rebel for its rival Ford F-150 Raptor, but in reality the packaging is completely different. Yes, the Rebel uses a proprietary air suspension with four different ride heights, the highest of which is 1.0 inches higher than the standard RAM 1500. Yes, the Rebel rides on 33.0-inch tires and uses underbody skid plates. Yes, it has a 3.92 axle ratio and makes 396 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque from a 5.7-liter HEMI V8. But…and it’s a big but…the Rebel is designed primarily to be an aesthetic departure from the rest of the RAM line while the Raptor is only loosely related to the house’s F-150 platform sponsor.

“Offering an off-road styling package for the Ram 1500 has been on our to-do list for some time, but the The right fit has not appeared until now.” See, that whole “off-road styling” bit alludes to the vehicle’s purpose. You can option the RAM Rebel to the F-150 Raptor’s price point, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a competitive frontrunner.

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Long disclaimers aside, I set out to learn the capabilities of the boosted RAM 1500 – and in the process, I developed a lot of respect for the Rebel.

A better baseline

While the Rebel may not be a significant departure from the standard RAM line, that fact works in the truck’s favor when it comes to ride quality, cabin refinement, and interior volume.

Although the Rebel fills every inch of space between rows of parking spots, placing the rig between them is a breeze.

It’s hard not to feel comfortable in the Rebel’s cockpit. If you’re sitting in the front, Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system is a joy to operate with impressive features packed into an extremely simple module. If you find yourself in the back seat instead, it’s more of a test to see how spread out you can be among the 40.3 inches of legroom. If you somehow manage to load up 125.3 cubic feet of interior space, including a pair of cubes under the rear seats, the optional lockable, lighted, weather-resistant Ram Boxes Rebel’s will eat more goods.

Before the road got rough, I was able to appreciate the Rebel’s suburban demeanor. In short, driving this truck every day will be a breeze. Thanks to the Rebel’s adaptive air suspension – which automatically lowers to an “aerodynamic height” according to speed – plus a smooth, communicative steering rack, the only clue that you’re driving anything What’s more than the standard RAM is a drone that pales from its oversized tires. Additionally, the Rebel’s large windows and minimal blind spots (aided by a backup camera) make the giant truck feel dwarfed on the road. Although the Rebel fills every inch of space between the rows of a parking spot, placing the rig between them is surprisingly painless.

RAM’s Rebel can be optioned with a 3.0-liter Ecodiesel V6 making 240 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque or the aforementioned HEMI V8. If economy is more of a concern than punchy sound and serious power, the Ecodiesel mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission will return up to 25 mpg on the highway – but even the powertrain The more powerful V8 also averages 22 mpg on the highway. I didn’t actually hit that number in my time behind the wheel, but the HEMI only seemed to bring out the thug in me, so don’t take my tests as standardized.

Kick up dust

The stage was set: after loading up at dawn, a few adventurous peers and I would tackle a moderately challenging off-road trail in Big Bear before heading to the dry lake bed in Lucerne Valley.

The first few miles off tarmac required only two-wheel drive, giving me and my passenger a chance to evaluate the Rebel’s ride quality over rough terrain at the air suspension’s normal height. While not quite as luxurious as Toyota’s TRD-series trucks, the RAM still moves gracefully along the trail at a modest pace without transmitting bumps into the cabin. With greater speed, the truck was more stable, demonstrating rapid damper recovery and improved driving comfort. Even though I turned off the traction control, the Toyo Open Country tires still grabbed dirt and slippery rocks impressively under acceleration and braking.

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As our route transitioned from a fire road to a series of steeper hills and larger boulders, I stopped to raise the suspension, four-wheel drive, and plot my route more carefully. While for some off-road vehicles this transition would be more dramatic, the Rebel just feels more solid. The constant smoothness and effortless ride helped our group overcome obstacles large and small alike. While there were times when I was sure the Rebel lacked enough clearance or would get bogged in deep sand, it still sailed as easily as a container ship in temperate waters. The same nimble handling I experienced in tight parking lots also allowed me to confidently squeeze the Rebel through narrow rocky corridors.

Miles Branman/Digital Trends

Miles Branman/Digital Trends

In a moment of youthful curiosity, I discovered some steep mounds and came up with the idea of ​​climbing them to take some impressive photos. Without hesitation, RAM crawled up the loose soil and perched on the top of the slope like a king surveying his domain. Without the differential lock, the Rebel would likely have difficulty climbing a larger, similarly steep ridge, but our ride didn’t offer any opportunity to test my theory.

After exiting the undulating mountain terrain, our group rushed down to the dry lake bed, eager to let the RAM’s sizable powertrain suck in gulps of air at a higher speed. With three miles of abandoned, broken land between each end of the lake, the Rebels charged forward, trailing a cloud of rooster tail brush behind them. I’d love to convince you that my shenanigans were purely for the purpose of a factual review, but I had too much fun to believe that was true. Still, the desert runs revealed the Rebel’s penchant for speed, characterized by the same stability I’d noted on rough ground.

Great

After many hours at the wheel of RAM’s heaviest light-duty pickup, I’m sure of one thing: The Rebel may be a styling package with a fancy suspension, but because it’s based on an incredible platform, it’s still work. The Rebel not only offers the same excellent cabin, ride quality and interior volume as the standard 1500, but also has just rugged enough aesthetics to encourage owners to tackle terrain that the normal RAM can’t handle. reasonable.

Editor’s recommendation

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