All the truck-loving gearheads who’ve been pining for a Ram Heavy Duty pickup but didn’t want to spring for a Power Wagon have officially run out of excuses. For the 2023 model year, a Rebel trim joins the fray, complete with off-road tires and an optional winch plus a yaffle of skid plates.
It starts with an aggressive look that’s all Ram, sharing some styling cues with the Power Wagon but bearing unique badges and a sport performance hood from Mopar. That frowny face grille, with which any resemblance to a Tough Guy handlebar moustache is purely coincidental, is patterned after other brawny trims in the range, pairing well with the flared nostril on that new engine bonnet.
Off-road gear includes the aforementioned off-road LT-grade Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and an available Warn-branded winch, the latter of which is rated to 12,000 pounds. An electronic rear locking diff helps put power down to dirt and an available rear air suspension should permit ride characteristics which won’t rattle the teeth out of your head. There is no mention of a front locker as found in the Power Wagon. Gotta give customers some reason to trade up, eh?
2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel Photo by Stellantis
2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel Photo by Stellantis
2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel Photo by Stellantis
2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel Photo by Stellantis
Standard kit under the hood of this Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel is a 6.4L Hemi V8, making 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque as it has since Jesus was a cowboy. The mighty 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel (370 hp, 850 tq) is an option, one which is not currently selectable by customers of the Power Wagon. Conspicuous by its absence is the High Output variant which makes 420 ponies and a scarcely believable 1,075 lb-ft of twist.
Notably, the Rebel’s towing capacity far outstrips that of its Power Wagon cousin, checking in at a claimed 16,870 lbs compared to less than 11,000 pounds. Max payload tops out at 3,140 lbs — again far exceeding that of the Power Wagon. How? Slight suspension differences and the addition of the diesel option are the likely answers.
There’s no mention of a factory lift with the Rebel, for example, suggesting the truck will share a 13.1-inch ground clearance with other trims compared to the 14.2-inch measure on Power Wagon. Don’t expect those trailering and payload numbers to appear on the same truck — history teaches us one will be on the Cummins and the other on the Hemi.
Rebel will have the usual Ram accoutrements in its cabin, including the choice of bench or bucket seats up front (one can even spec a leather bench — that’ll be a rare bird at Barrett-Jackson in 2065). Lane-keeping, adaptive cruise, and a forward-collision warning system remain options. An available 360-degree camera setup is on the options sheet, but the brand’s 12-inch frameless digital gauge cluster is standard.
The 2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel will have a sticker price of $75,450 plus $2,095 destination on this side of the border and is planned to hit showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Keyword: Rebel Yell: Ram adds off-road Rebel trim to 2023 Heavy Duty trucks