Ram Unveils New 1500 'Rebel' Pickup: It's Cool But This Is No F-150 Raptor Fighter

The Ford-150 Raptor continues to be in a league all of its own. Rumors of Ram building a performance wagon to challenge the Raptor's throne were way off the mark, but it did arrive in Detroit with something pretty cool nonetheless. This is the 2015 Ram Rebel 1500, unique in its appearance, looking like none of the other nine trim levels. Out goes the crosshair grille that Ram has used for almost 30 years. In comes a blacked-out grille with Ram stamped right in the middle of it, and a silver off-road skidplate underneath.

Other styling changes include new LED fogs and tow hooks, smoked-out black-bucket headlamps, blacked-out taillamps, twin snorkels on the hood that are purely aesthetic, a tonneau cover with stamped logo, and unique badges. The truck sits on Rebel-exclusive 17-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch Toyo rubber and housed in fenders from the 2500 Power Wagon, while Ram is spelled out across the tailgate in 5-inch letters. The Rebel comes with specially-tuned Bilstein shocks and uses Ram's air suspension to raise the ride height by an inch. A softer rear anti-roll bar, reworked jounce bumpers and recalibrated steering and stability control all help to improve the truck's offroad ability.

Engines choices are limited to the 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 395-hp 5.7-liter Hemi V8, both offered with either 3.55 or 3.92 axle ratios. All variants will come mated to an eight-speed automatic. Inside, there's "technical grain" vinyl seats with Sedodo fabric inserts, Iron Gray Metallic trim, Radar Red accents, unique gauge faces, tread-pattern motifs, a revised center console, an angled holder for smartphones and tablets, and all-weather floor mats. Available in crew cab configuration with a 5'7" bed, the Ram 1500 Rebel will be offered in 4x2 and 4x4 spec. Prices have yet to be announced.