The Ram 1500 is technically old compared to rivals from Ford, GM, and Nissan. Its last major redesign was in 2019 and that three years can seem like a lifetime in the competitive full-sized truck market. Of course it’s not actually that long and the excellence and popularity of the Ram 1500 in its Rebel package proves it.
For the 2022 model year, Ram added some things to their half-ton truck. All but the base model now come with the new Uconnect 5 infotainment system that has better usability and which remains one of the best touchscreen systems on the market. They’ve also made the mild hybrid system (called “eTorque”) to more of their truck lineup for both V6- and V8-powered pickups. For the Rebel model, the only major addition beyond the expected lineup of off-road goodies is the addition of forward collision mitigation/braking.
Speaking of off-road stuff, the Rebel has a lot of it. The 2022 Ram 1500 Rebel starts with the popular mid-level Big Horn (aka “Lone Star” in Texas) package as its base line, which means 18-inch aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers, a split-fold rear seat, fog lamps, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. From there, Ram adds aggressive styling cues, LED lighting on the exterior, upgrades to a power-sliding rear window, and makes a class IV trailer hitch standard. More additions for the Rebel include a raised ride height on an upgraded suspension tuned for off-road, more aggressive all-terrain tires, underbody skid plates, an electronic locking rear axle, tow hooks, and hill descent control. Rubber floor mats, added “saddle bag” storage under the rear floor mats, and standard front bucket seating also come with the Rebel package.
Curiously, four-wheel drive is still optional with the Ram 1500 Rebel upgrade. That oddment aside, though, the Rebel is definitely a strong contender when considering off-road-ready rigs. It’s simple, straight-forward, and affordable. The base model 2022 Ram 1500 starts at about $36,000. The Big Horn starts at about $41,000, and the Rebel at about $48,000. You’re basically getting advanced safety equipment and a host of off-road gear for about seven grand there. That’s a pretty amazing cost benefit. That’s almost half the price of the Hellcat-based TRX model and about $20k cheaper than the Ford F-150 Raptor.
Performance-wise, the 2022 Ram 1500 Rebel comes standard with a pretty well-done 3.6-liter V6 with eTorque, which delivers 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The eTorque add-on gives this V6 more umph in the lower end, helping make it more usable in such a large truck. Ram’s well-known 5.7-liter V8 Hemi is also available in the Rebel, with or without the eTorque efficiency boost, to bring horsepower to 395 and torque to 410 lb-ft. Finally, for a few more dollars, a turbocharged diesel option with 3.0 liters of displacement, 260 hp, and 480 lb-ft is available as well.
We drove the Hemi-powered Ram 1500 Rebel with eTorque added and love that setup. It growls nicely, powers very well, and feels confident all of the time. We’ve driven the Ram’s V6 option in different models and think it’s a great choice for those thinking more about fuel efficiency than power output and we greatly enjoyed the Ram Rebel in a previous model year with the diesel engine. All great choices for this rig. For reference, the upgrade from V6 to V8 is about $2,500 and the upgrade to diesel is about two thousand more than that.
The 2022 Ram 1500 is already a capable, good everyday truck for doing what trucks do best. Add on the Rebel package and it’s a more than capable hauler and off-road rig for most of the off-pavement things we usually do.
