Dodge Ram 1500 Rebel
Source: ShutterStock
Any truck that wins Pickup Truck of The Year against the other “big two” is deserving of a spot on our list of the best off-road vehicles. We’re talking about Dodge’s own RAM 1500 Rebel, one helluva 4×4 monster straight from Mopar’s factory. Taking a quick glance at this rugged truck, you’ll first notice the beefed up, multi-piece steel bumper with some very cool integrated auxiliary lighting. This bad boy improves ground clearance and features a reinforced skid plate setup to protect all the mechanical bits in the front drivetrain. From the sides you’ll find some impressive 33” tires – those would be Toyo’s highly rated Open Country AT II’s, featuring a very aggressive double-layered tread that basically takes up the whole sidewall. Those are shoed on Dodge’s signature Rebel wheels.
The Rebel certainly looks the part, and it’s bite easily lives up to its bark. Designed to be a flight-ready fast mover like Ford’s Raptor, the Rebel moves quickly thanks to its 5.7L Hemi eight. It incorporates some efficiency and power tech (MDS and VVT) to make 395 horses and 410 torques. An eight-speed automatic transmission and smart powertrain management help control that big powerband for towing, rock crawling, mudding, and skimmin’ along sand dunes.
But tackling every terrain and weather condition possible means more than just throwing brute force into some nubby tires, so Dodge outfitted the Rebel with some Bilstein shocks, an anti-spin rear diff, and a 1” lift to ensure the Rebel is a proper wheeling machine. Although it isn’t optioned with an electronic rear locker, even the most critical 4×4 aficionados agree the Anti-Slip diff gets the job done just as well. That’s also thanks to the Rebel’s 4.7:1 first gear ratio and 48.7:1 crawl ratio, which, combined with the smarts of the Rebel’s ECU, makes slow crawling over large obstacles and loose dirt a breeze.
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Oh, we forgot to mention one big elephant hiding under the Rebel’s body: It offers air suspension. Although it creates a stiffer ride when raised, it affords the Rebel some unique clearance capabilities that even Chevy’s and Ford’s own can’t provide (yet). With the push of a button on the dash, one can effectively add inches to the Rebel’s approach and departure angles mid-ride.
And finally, no serious off-roader hits the trail without a plethora of recovery and navigation equipment, so the Rebel comes optioned with the RamBox Cargo Management System. Tucked away underneath the Rebel’s bed rails, the RamBox makes good use of previously wasted space, and each cargo area’s big enough to easily hold recovery equipment, like a high-lift jack.
