2015 Ram 1500 Rebel Review

And the kid inside of me is infatuated with the Ram 1500 Rebel. This package was put together to make the Ram 1500 a capable truck off-road, but it also focuses on style, offering more in-your-face attitude than just about any other truck in Ram’s arsenal.

A unique blacked out grille that is only available on the Rebel is the most stark change, while larger wheel arch moldings and unique 17-wheels with matte black accents also call to your eye screaming out to be noticed.

So what makes the Rebel so rebellious? First off, the truck sits 1-inch taller than the standard Ram to help clear obstacles that the 33-inch (LT285/70R17E) Toyo Open Country A/T all-terrain tires are climbing over. The tires provide a decent mix between pavement and dirt, staying fairly comfortable in the city while still managing to pull us through some deep mud. More on that later.

Driving the Rebel on-road is a little different from the standard truck in a few ways. The slight lift, but mostly the retuned suspension lets this truck lean a little bit more through the corners, taking away a little bit of the planted, confident feeling the standard Ram provides.

Shocks for the front and rear come from Bilstein, which are uniquely tuned for the Rebel to compensate for its ride height, but also to help eat up bumps on off-road trails.

Power is great, with 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque coming from the 5.7-liter HEMI V8. Throttle response is immediate and the eight-speed automatic keeps the truck right in the meat of its power band at all times with smooth shifts.

The heavy weighted steering from every other Ram 1500 is not lost in the rebel, providing an excellent planted feeling with a fair amount of feedback. It does require a firm grip to keep the wheel straight when tackling rocks and other obstacles, but the upside is a very clear picture of what the front wheels are doing.

The lift also did not go unnoticed, with more than one sharp rock avoided thanks to the added clearance. Our truck was fitted with the optional air suspension, another great addition when leaving the roads. Lifted in off-road mode, the Rebel gains another inch of ground clearance, climbing up to 10.3-inches. It’s good to know that skid plate is up front, but we never needed it.

When boosted up, the truck’s approach angle sits at 25.3 degress, while departure is pegged at 23 degrees. Fording a shallow pond was nothing for the Rebel and climbing in and out didn’t have the truck anywhere near the ground.

As it was, our tester comes with an MSRP of $47,565. That puts it on par with its competition in terms pf price, but which one of those trucks is really the Rebel’s most direct competitor? Looking around at the other off-road half-tons, GM’s Z71 and Ford’s FX4 package don’t feel nearly as capable as this truck did and don’t take their packages quite this far.

On the other hand, Toyota’s TRD Pro models and the Ford Raptor both feel a little more capable than the Rebel does, especially if this were a desert off-roading situation. But, the Rebel manages to retain its on-road manners surprisingly well, definitely better than both Toyota’s TRD Pro Tundra and Ford’s Raptor, allowing it to be the better truck in a best-of-both worlds situation.