2019 Ram 1500 Rebel Crew Cab 4wd Review

Everyone loves an off-road halo model, especially automakers. Ford has the Raptor, GM has the Colorado ZR2, Toyota has the Tacoma TRD Pro, and Ram has the Power Carriage, although information technology doesn't get equally much media attention as it deserves. Perhaps every bit a fashion to remedy that, perchance simply every bit a smart decision, Ram gave the 1500 another look in 2016 and called it the Rebel, gearing it toward off-route and outdoors fun.

With a bold forepart grille, striking trunk lines, and some unproblematic buffs to the suspension, the Rebel was quickly associated with the Raptor, but it wasn't quite upward to snuff with Ford's prerunner extraordinaire. Ram has kept it going since then, and given it a refresh with the 2019 model twelvemonth. And what a refresh it is!

Now, this isn't the offset time I've gotten to bulldoze the Insubordinate. You may remember dorsum in April 2018, I did a "outset impressions" take on the truck and its highlights. Ram invited me and several other journos to Los Angeles to check out the pickup, and for what it was, the experience was "meh"; it consisted entirely of Fifty.A. surface streets, consummate with traffic stops and potholes. Information technology wasn't exactly what I would call "in-depth. " That'due south what I wanted to fix by getting my hands on a Rebel for a full calendar week.

Exterior

Goose egg put a grinning on my face quicker than walking outside and seeing the Rebel waiting for me, its engine already purring thanks to remote beginning. The expect of the truck from whatever angle was always pleasing, with the Flame Cerise and Diamond Blackness two-tone paint giving the pickup that extra bit of boldness.

The sleek look of the sides was complemented by a "face up" that reinforced the Rebel's mental attitude. Ram retained the interesting trapezoid-esque shape of the grille, surrounding a large silver "RAM" logo. Below, a buff bumper held a skidplate-looking slice that drew the optics toward a pair of tow hooks barely poking out.

The Insubordinate'southward exterior was awesome, in my opinion. I was a fan of the two-tone paint, unique wheels, and a fascia that exuded rugged and ready attitude.

The headlights were a big change for the 2019 model year, and I liked them. The DRLs ran underneath and didn't impede the headlights from doing their job at night. Fun fact: when making turns at night, the Insubordinate would actuate corner lights that shone in the corresponding direction, deactivating them once I put the steering wheel straight once again.

The bed was, well, a bed. Information technology touted a spray-in liner and was 6 ft. 4 in., equally this was the Quad Cab and came with only this detail bed. It didn't have the Rambox storage space in the fenders, and there were no electric outlets to use. The tailgate was not assisted or automatic, but that's fine; in all ways, the bed was the most utilitarian and ordinary attribute of the Insubordinate, and that's a good matter.

The bed was goose egg to write home about, but at 6'4″, it had plenty of space to offer.

Interior

With the absurd factor dialed in outside, Ram had to follow through on the within, and they did. In terms of access and ergonomics, everything was where it ought to exist, and made sense.

The biggest draw was the sizable infotainment screen lodged forepart and center, the UConnect iii. Its 8.4-inch display had an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-navigate user interface that was a joy to use and fool around with (while parked, naturally). Here, I could control the A/C, navigation, music, and phone calls (the latter ii could likewise be fiddled with on the steering wheel). Sound was put out through six speakers and could be tweaked with UConnect'south sound equalizer. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for Sirius XM radio, and it sounded awesome with the standard six-speaker system in the truck.

Other functions built into the panel were a trailer brake control, USB and auxiliary ports, and switches to disable traction command and parking sensors. The middle console was immense and had a sliding cupholder/storage tray. I recalled hearing at the presentation that the middle console had nearly 2 cubic feet of space, and function of that has to come from moving the shifter and 4×4 controls to the lower dashboard.

As a quad cab, the rear is tight and not ideal for passengers, but you lot save nearly $3,000 over a crew cab. In any case, the best place to be is always the forepart of the truck, and that rings true for the Insubordinate.

Now, about that shifter – honestly, I think information technology's great. Information technology doesn't offer the feel of a cavalcade or floor shifter, merely I never once felt like I could accidentally mess with it while driving. For ane thing, it's a fair distance away from the other knobs for things like stereo volume and A/C fan speed, and for another, it's bigger. Getting the truck going in the morning was the simplest part of the mean solar day – striking the remote start button twice on the key fob, walk up to truck, door unlocks, get in, press brake, hitting the Start push, and shift into Drive. In early Jan, having a heater already up and running before I ever set foot in the vehicle; now thatis a luxury I will miss.

Powertrain

Ram is offer the Insubordinate with one of three engine options for 2019, and mine was the Goldilocks – a standard 5.vii-liter Hemi V8, with a nuance of tech in the form of cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing. Making 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, I was satisfied with how the truck could get upwards and go, and the viii-speed 8HP75 manual was decent at getting the power to the ground.

One thing noticeably missing from the Rebel was a suite of driving modes. On the Raptor, in that location were such options as Sport, Weather, and Baja; the Tacoma had Clamber Command, which was useful for getting out of sticky situations like mud or deep sand. The Rebel merely allows the bog-standard 2HI, 4LO, and 4HI, with the ability to appoint the locking rear differential, too as hill descent aid. This felt like a missed opportunity to give owners the extra bang-for-the-buck they would wait.

On the whole, though, the Hemi and 8HP75 make for a decent philharmonic, and come with a 60,000-mile warranty.

Driving Impressions

The Rebel takes to driving like a fish to h2o. Once I was in the seat, I was in my zone and enjoying information technology. I'thousand the kind of guy that doesn't heed material seats, and Ram went a petty above and across hither, too, imprinting a tire-tread-like pattern that reinforced the macho feel of the truck.

Out on the road, the truck sounds remarkably tranquility, which I found odd for something named "Rebel." It turns out that this was cheers to strategically placed agile-tuned mass modules, which neutralized racket from making its manner into the cabin. All of the footling buzzes and drones of driving over asphalt for extended periods of time were gone. Personally, I was all for information technology.

On my last day of the Rebel tryout period, the rain was relentless. I got the chance to run across if the truck would go squirrelly in the slick roads; it maintained its composure throughout.

Going over the roads of California, the Rebel's Bilstein shocks got a skilful workout. Out here, it doesn't take long to go from freshly smoothed asphalt to potholed pavement, and the truck didn't transmit any of the harshness to me. Nosotros even got a little rain while the truck was hither, and while the tires could skid with a spicy throttle input, the truck would take corners and come to a finish without fear. And in any case, Traction Control was always in that location to aid out.

Fuel economy on a V8 like the Hemi is adequate. I tested the truck going from Temecula to Ocotillo Wells, consciously trying to proceed the average upward every bit much as possible. This was the result – 17.7 miles per gallon.

Off-roading is something nosotros do with every truck or SUV we go our hands on, and I wasn't going to take information technology easy on the Rebel. For my tryout, I took the pickup to Ocotillo Wells SVRA and turned off Traction Command for a couple of hours.

Ocotillo Wells is a great place for testing a vehicle'southward off-road operation. There are impromptu obstacle courses, loftier-speed roads, whoops and washboards, and everything in between. Now, the Rebel isn't built to go prerunning in the desert – the Bilstein 4600s are good, but they're non triple-bypass, 18 inches of travel adept – only information technology feels controllable mobbing nearly xxx-40 miles per hour.

The Rebel is no prerunner, but it's yet got some moves in the dirt!

On a mini obstacle class I found, I could take the truck through banking turns, and upwardly and over a quick series of crests and dips. I got some rooster tails and half-donuts in. I came away feeling that with some ameliorate, tunable shocks and stronger command arms, the Rebel could hold its ain against a defended prerunner. The power is there; all that's missing are some parts.

Overall Thoughts

In this writer's opinion, the 2019 Ram 1500 Insubordinate met all of its objectives, then some.

Information technology's a truck priced right around the range of a Raptor (base of operations MSRP of $52,855), coming in at $55,145. Withal, it will exit a lot to exist desired when it comes to high-speed off-road take chances. The interior nails the fit and finish I want in a brand new truck, from the anodized-looking red trim to the feel of the seat to the NVH levels. The engine performs as advertised, and the MPG (which, allow'southward be honest, isn't why someone buys a total-size truck) is good.

While at that place are some areas that got overlooked on the way to the showroom, the Rebel gets a vast majority of things right. It's a far weep from the days of depressing drivetrains and tiresome interiors that the 1500s were once known for. To me, the Rebel is like the "Virtually Improved Histrion" of a sports squad – I expected the truck to exist a mediocre, token "off-road packet" truck, and I got more than that. I gotfunout of information technology, and that's the mark of an awesome vehicle.

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Source: https://www.offroadxtreme.com/features/car-features/2019-ram-1500-rebel-review/

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