Ram Power Wagon buyers have always had to compromise on transportation capabilities. Ram’s solution came in late 2022 in the form of the Ram 2500 HD Rebelan off-roader with more work capacity.
Unfortunately, the solution to the Ram Rebel buyer’s problem comes with a list of compromises that gives the competition a leg up.
The idea was to make a truck that would be more capable as a work vehicle while maintaining the Power Wagon’s off-road prowess. Instead, for about the same price, just $100 less than a $73,730 Power Wagon, including a $1,995 destination fee, the Ram HD Rebel has its own compromises to achieve that goal.
I spent a week with a 2023 model year Rebel, but it remains unchanged for 2024 except for a $2,570 price increase.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel could get turbodiesel power
Power Wagon owners want the Ram HD’s optional 6.7-liter Cummins inline-6 turbodiesel, which produces 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque. The diesel engine comes at a $9,795 premium over the standard 6.4-liter gasoline V-8, which produces 410 hp and 429 lb-ft and is the only engine option for the Power Wagon. The lack of a front sway bar with electronic disconnect on the Rebel HD allows the diesel to fit. This off-road upgrade cannot be included in the turbodiesel crankcase, according to Ram engineers.
The 6.4-liter V-8 comes mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Ram’s V-8 is old at this point compared to the 7.3-liter V-8 available in the Ford Super Duty Tremor and the 6.6-liter V-8 in the Ford Super Duty Tremor. Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2. Both engines are mated to 10-speed automatic transmissions and have more torque than Ram’s V-8.
The turbodiesel mates with an old 6-speed automatic and has less power compared to the diesel engines available in the Chevy and Ford. It also feels a generation behind with its loud diesel noise at idle, lack of glow plugs that require long cold start times, and noticeable turbo lag. Despite all this, no one will call the Rebel HD underpowered. While it’s not as quick as the competition due to more prevalent turbo lag, the Rebel HD is a dynamic machine on the road with boost that builds as the turbo spins.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel drives like a pickup truck
Most pickup trucks, including some heavy-duty pickup trucks, no longer ride like the wooden wagons of old, thanks to advances in engineering and suspension tuning. The Rebel HD rides exactly as it sounds, rough and wobbly. You’ll know this is a heavy truck all the time.
On broken pavement, Bilstein off-road shock absorbers don’t fully absorb impacts and a lot of movement translates into the cabin and then your body. It’s a bumpy, sometimes nervous ride, unlike the Power Wagon with its softer suspension. Ram beefed up the Rebel HD’s Bilsteins to make the truck better at hauling and towing larger loads than the Power Wagon. The compromise makes it perhaps the worst Ram 2500. Automatic self-leveling air shocks can be optional in the rear for $1,705 for those hauling extremely heavy loads, but I haven’t tested them. The most recently Super Duty Ford Tremor It uses less than the Ram and absorbs broken pavement more closely to the way the Power Wagon does. I haven’t driven the Silverado HD ZR2 yet.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel can accommodate 37s
The Ram HD Rebel uses 33-inch Goodyear DuraTrac All-Terrain tires, the same tires found on the Power Wagon. Like the Power Wagon, these tires are noisy and the noise is always present when driving on the highway.
A Stellantis spokesperson confirmed to Motor Authority that 35-inch and 37-inch tires will be released on the Rebel HD if buyers choose to size up. The latter will be “comfortable” according to the spokesperson. The Super Duty Tremor comes standard with 35s and also fits 37s.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel balances angles with hauling capabilities
Every Rebel HD comes as a four-door crew cab with a 6-foot, 4-inch bed. This bed is capable of carrying up to 3,140 pounds of payload, while the truck itself can tow up to 16,870 pounds. Both numbers eclipse the Power Wagon’s 1,630-pound payload and 10,590-pound tow ratings.
But the Ford is the champion with the ability to tow up to 18,200 pounds and carry up to 4,384 pounds of payload. The Chevy also bests the Ram with up to 3,397 pounds of payload and an 18,500-pound tow rating.
The Rebel HD comes close to matching the Power Wagon’s angles. The Rebel HD checks in with a 26.6-degree approach angle and 21.8-degree breakover angle compared to the 29.4-degree approach angle and 22.0-degree breakover angle of the Power Wagon. Both Ram off-roaders share a 26.0-degree departure angle. The Rebel HD’s 13.3-inch ground clearance is substantial, but it’s still less than the Power Wagon’s 14.2 inches, mainly due to the suspension package. The Super Duty Tremor arrives with just 10.8 inches of ground clearance, while the Silverado ZR2 has 11.6 inches, and this can increase to 11.8 inches with the Bison package option. Higher ground clearance allows these trucks to overcome off-road obstacles, but also creates more lean when the road curves.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel off-road hardware
One of the Power Wagon’s defining features is its standard winch. Rebel HD buyers get a 12,000-pound Warn Zeon-12 front winch, but only as a $2,500 option and only with the gas engine. The winch restricts airflow to power the turbodiesel engine.
Chevy’s Silverado HD ZR2 can only be optioned with a winch in Bison top form with the AEV-supplied front bumper. Ford’s Super Duty Tremor can be optioned with a winch regardless of trim or engine selected.
Every Rebel HD features part-time four-wheel drive, a limited-slip rear differential and electronic rear locking. Ram also bolts skid plates under the Rebel HD to protect vulnerable parts like the fuel tank and transfer case.
Ford leads the pack with off-road driving modes that adapt the truck’s powertrain, braking, and stability control systems. Chevy equips the Silverado HD ZR2 with off-road driving modes, but they are much simpler and fewer in number. Ram takes the less-is-more approach, with no off-road driving modes. It’s like the Jeep Wrangler in this package in that it requires the driver to control most of the controls when off-road.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Ram 2500 HD Rebel matches
It’ll take more than a quick glance to spot the Rebel HD in a parking lot. For the most part, it looks like a standard Ram HD, but a closer look will reveal important differences. The 20-inch wheels are Rebel-specific, get the Power Wagon grille, and have a two-tone appearance thanks to black bumpers, black lower body paint, and blacked-out trim. It’s the Rebel’s specific hood that’s annoying. It has a power dome similar to the TRX that translates into a taller hood, which makes forward visibility noticeably worse.
The Rebel HD’s front end features different curves than the brick-shaped front ends of the Chevy and Ford, which translates into a less intimidating truck. It’s a chore to get in and out of the high bed, despite the afterthought of a bolt-on drop-down step mounted on the driver’s side below the rear bumper. The GM and Ford bumper corner steps are genius, and the Ford tailgate-mounted sliding drop-down step makes my body less painful. It feels like I’m getting old.
2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel
Inside the cabin, the Ram’s interior remains the most beautiful in the segment, with leather coverings on the handles, shifter, dashboard and door panels, as well as tasteful metal parts. The Rebel HD comes standard with cloth bench seats, but my tester featured leather-trimmed front seats (part of the $7,800 Level 2 Equipment Group). The automaker’s new 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster sits front and center. The standard 8.4-inch touchscreen was swapped for the 12.0-inch touchscreen available on my well-equipped tester, also as part of the Level 2 Equipment Group. The system runs Stellantis’ UConnect 5 system , which is easy to use and works mostly like an iPad. But the previous system allowed split-screen capabilities on the large touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and the vehicle’s climate controls or infotainment pages. This newer operating system eliminates that and displays a full CarPlay screen.
When equipped, my tester would cost a whopping $96,850 as a 2024 model, thanks to options like the Safety Group package ($2,240) that adds adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors, the aforementioned Level 2 equipment group ($7,800) that adds electric folding mirrors and rear window defroster, as well as a larger screen and leather upholstery.
The 2024 Ram 2500 HD Rebel isn’t the best off-road truck or the most capable truck, but it balances off-road capability with the requests that Power Wagon buyers have been shouting for years. Unfortunately, it took long enough to arrive that Ford and Chevy stopped waiting in the wings and jumped into the off-road arena with newer, more capable trucks.
