Off-road review: 2016 Ram Rebel loves the dirt
MALIBU, Calif. — As soon as you see it tear through the dirt, you know there's a lot to love about the Ram 1500 Rebel.
For this off-road-oriented pickup, the attraction takes three chief forms: functionality and beauty and the intersection of the two.
In the rugged hills above this seaside city known as a movie industry playground, we took a Ram up and down steep roads with plenty of loose dirt and ample opportunities to slip into trouble. Whether it was twisting around the sharpest of corners or kicking up a roostertail of dust (at the able hands of an experienced Ram driver, not us), the Rebel could handle it.
The key to its off-road prowess is 33-inch Toyo tires and Bilstein shocks, both of which come standard. The big tires give the truck its tremendous 11.1 inches of ground clearance and rock-climbing ability, and the shocks handle the worst, repeated jolts without fatigue.
Also in the functionality category is an impressive amount of storage in unexpected places. There's spaces underneath the second-row seats and the optional storage boxes built into the sides of the truck bed, called RamBoxes, and a cool divider for the bed that doubles as a rear gate extender. They are so handy that they are worth the extra $1,295.
When it comes to looks, this truck is loaded with attitude. It starts with the blacked-out grille and the blacked-out space behind the halogen projector headlights and fake hood scoops. Our favorite touch: The seats are imprinted with a design that mirrors the tire tread on those big 33s.
A pair of hulking black tow hooks cry out that this no normal street truck.
So Rebel appears aimed at both hardcore off-roaders or those who just venture into the dirt occasionally and love its rugged look. Sure enough, there's a two-wheel-drive version for them, but all Rebels come in the big crew cab. Rebel competes against Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and Nissan's Titan XD Pro-4X, which also have off-road capability. There's also a new version of Ford's awesome Raptor pickup on the way.
The Rebel — a version of the regular Ram full-size pickup — can be a power monster. It packs a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. In the dirt, we weren't hurting for power or torque with the V-8. It helped that it was paired with Ram's rotary automatic-transmission dial on the dash, allowing us to easily click between gears. On a narrow dirt trail with sharp turns, we had to do some backing up along the way.
The Ram Rebel is priced at $43,270, plus $1,195 in delivery charges, for the two-wheel-drive with a standard V-8, or $45,200 for the four-wheel-drive version with a standard V-6. The Hemi is a $1,150 option.
All in all, the Rebel lives up to its name — a beast of a truck meant to defiantly take on steep hills.
What stands out
Trail capability: At home in the dirt
Looks: Blacked-out badness
Size: Big 33-inch tires make this a tall truck
2016 Ram 1500 Rebel
What? A full-size, off-road capability crew-cab pickup
When? Went on sale last year
Where? Made in Warren, Mich.
How much: $43,270 to start, plus $1,195 in delivery charges
What makes it go? A 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 in the four-wheel-drive version
How big? 19 feet
How thirsty? 15 miles per gallon in the city, 21 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined on the V-8 in the four-wheel drive version.
Overall: For those who spend a lot of time off-roading, this could be their truck