All-new Ram pickup gets MotorTrend Award boost, aggressive Rebel trim

The 2019 Ram pickup has a lot to be proud of these days. It’s the recent recipient of the prestigious MotorTrend Truck of the Year award, deserved props for an outstanding all-new full-size pickup that does everything consumers want – and looks great doing it.

The all-new 2019 Ram 1500 is available in a wide range of offerings, from the well-equipped Tradesman Quad Cab 4x2s ($31,695) to the technology-leading Limited Crew Cab 4×4 V8 with standard 12-inch Uconnect touchscreen ($57,390). It’s an impressive lineup and when it comes to outright fun, well, the Rebel steals the spotlight.

Aggressive Looks

The Rebel features Ram’s all-new body lines with a more aggressive and much larger signature grille opening. I love the chiseled Ram’s-head logo and “R-A-M” grille that’s in-your-face impact speaks volumes to the capability.

A new full-LED adaptive front-lighting system, including twin bi-functional projector headlamps, fog lamps, and tail lamps, are standard on the Rebel. It will go anywhere at any time of the day or night.

Path Beating

If you like getting off the beaten path; if you like going very fast; if you like sitting high above most of the other vehicles on the road, and you are willing to pay to look great doing all of that – I give you the Ram 1500 Rebel.

The Rebel has proven its capabilities during my test drives. I’ve found it to be a capable rock crawler, totally engineered to handle anything off-road, and offering a level of technology and speediness that can easily be applied to the non-pavement challenges one might encounter – or seek out.

Truck manufacturers have recognized the increasing volume of buyers showing an interest in pickups, especially the high-end special-edition models that have prices in the $60,000 to $80,000 range. Ram definitely takes it one step further with the all-new 2019 Ram 1500, which delivers six unique trims.

Highlights

The Ram’s new highlights include revised exterior and interior styling; active aerodynamics with grille shutters and an active air dam; a class-exclusive air suspension that brings better on- and off-road capability, load-leveling and entry/exit convenience; as well as a host of other class-exclusive and segment-leading features and technologies.

The newest version of the truck has dropped 225 pounds! It achieves this minus-mass equation while offering a longer and wider frame featuring 98 percent high-strength steel to improve durability and rigidity for better road manners. Possibly just as impressive is the all-new maximum payload that has increased to 2,300 pounds with a maximum trailering of 12,750 pounds.

Capabilities

Featuring new 18-inch wheels with 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires, the Ram 1500 Rebel is available in Quad Cab configurations and it features an electronic-locking rear differential.

The new Rebel comes standard with a coil spring suspension and a 1-inch factory lift, as well as an electronic locking rear axle and newly designed Bilstein shocks that feature remote reservoirs to keep the shocks cool and work with unique rear suspension geometry to enhance traction. The Rebel also has hill-descent control for more off-road capability, hefty tow hooks that feature wide bumper openings to ease use, and underbody protection that features skidplates on the transfer case, oil pan, and gas tank.

Performance

Under the hood is plenty to brag about. Look for significant gains in fuel efficiency that come from the new eTorque mild hybrid system on the gen-two 3.6-liter Pentastar V6; eTorque combines a belt-driven motor generator unit with a 48-volt battery pack to enable start/stop function, short-duration torque assist, and brake energy regeneration, adding up to 90 lb.-ft. of launch torque to the V6 and up to 130 lb.-ft. to the Hemi.

My tester had a base price of $42,350 and with some add-ons landed at $51,220.

This auto review was researched and written by SteinPro Content Services and provided to the Sun-Times for publication