For all the turmoil facing Stellantis and its automotive brands and its desperate need to achieve profitability, the Ram brand has been pulling heavy duty all along. Second only to Jeep in sales volume, Ram delivered nearly 432,000 trucks and vans in the US in 2025, representing a modest 2% decline in a tumultuous year.But its light-duty pickup trucks actually grew volume by 9%, finding their way to more than 204,000 US driveways in 2025. And looking further out, Ram will launch an all-new midsize pickup in 2027, reviving the Dakota nameplate for the 2028 model year. Rubber That Prefers Dirt StellantisBut there's no time to waste, so Ram is spinning yet another variant of its popular full-size pickup. The 2026 Ram 1500 BackCountry is a purpose-built off-roader, positioned between the entry-level Warlock and premium Rebel trims and building on the Big Horn variant with a number of factory upgrades and trail-ready hardware. The 2026 Ram 1500 BackCountry is available now, and will be through 2027, Ram tells CarBuzz.Clearly geared for venturing far from the pavement, the new BackCountry gets a one-inch suspension lift, heavy-duty shocks, underbody skid plates, front tow hooks, rear ELocker differential, and 32-inch off-road tires. Sumitomo Falken WildPeak A/T OWL Off-Road Tires (275/65R18) will be standard for customer deliveries, mounted on 18-inch Satin Black rims.Stellantis The 32-inch knobbies and black rims add some visual flair, while the bold, blacked-out grille surrounded by body-color accents are an attractive, tasteful addition. The black lower body, bumpers, and fender flares give the BackCountry a fairly menacing stance.Power comes from either the standard 3.0-liter SO Hurricane Twin Turbo inline-six or the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 eTorque, which returned to the Ram portfolio last year and will cost an extra $1,200 on BackCountry. That price includes the GT Performance Exhaust, if the soundtrack is important to you. Rugged Seats, Small Center Screen Ram The dark accents on the exterior find their way inside with the rugged black vinyl bucket seats with white contrast stitching and alloy printed mesh inserts, a MOLLE panel seatback storage system, all‑weather rubber floor mats, and BackCountry badging on the instrument panel. The user interface veers retro, with loads of chunky old-school buttons and knobs and a central Uconnect horizontal display screen that looks small by today's standards. A TFT digital cluster between the speedometer and tachometer delivers more vehicle information to the driver.Priced at $2,995, the BackCountry package (pictured above) is offered as an upgrade on the Ram 1500 Big Horn 4X4 Crew Cab with the Level 1 or Level 2 Equipment Group, and it and builds on the Off-Road Group and Bed Utility Group. Add it all up and the 2026 Ram 1500 BackCountry starts with pricing at $62,410 (including destination charges).Jeep says this sticker is similar to the Warlock, which is technically an off-road and styling upgrade package for the 1500 Tradesman with the Level 1 Equipment Group. Orders are now open for the BackCountry, which will be built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan.“BackCountry is another option from Ram for customers looking to get into this growing part of the market without breaking the bank," said Tim Kuniskis, Stellantis' head of American brands, SRT Performance, NA marketing and retail strategy.