While not quite as dominant as the Blue Oval, Ram has increasingly been nipping at the heels of Ford over the last few years. And Ram now looks to gain further ground on its Michigan-based competitor via the debut of its latest full-size pickup with the all-new Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel.
Aiming to deliver an exceptional combination of turnkey off-roading prowess and impressive towing capabilities, the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel builds on the already extremely capable Ram 1500 Rebel and sits between Laramie and Power Wagon in the lineup. Good for 410hp and 429ft-lbs of torque, the truck comes equipped with a 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 engine with variable-valve timing as standard, though is also sold with an available 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel inline-six that cranks out 370hp and a whopping 850ft-lbs of torque — allowing for towing and payload capacities of 16,870lbs and 3,140lbs, respectively. The inline six comes paired with a 68RFE six-speed automatic transmission while the HEMI is mated to an 8HP75 eight-speed automatic.
The Ram pickup features an electronic rear locker and rear limited-slip differential, as well as a segment-leading suspension system with an exclusive five-link coil setup and an available rear air suspension system affording best-in-class ride and handling qualities. What’s more, in addition to sharing a slew of exterior design features with the Power Wagon, the Rebel also sports model-exclusive badging, 20” wheels shod in 33” off-road tires, skid plates, a spray-in bed-liner, optional LED bed lighting and bed step, a Mopar Sport Performance hood, and an optional integrated WARN Zeon-12 winch, rated at 12,000lbs. The 2500 series pickup is also offered with a wide range of cutting-edge safety features such as adaptive cruise control, full-speed forward-collision warning plus, Lane Keep Assist, a 360-degree surround camera, and Blind-spot Monitoring, just to name a few.
Slated to go on sale in Q4 of 2022, the 2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel will be available in a crew cab configuration with a 6’ 4” box and carry a starting MSRP of $67,045 (plus a $1,895 destination fee).
