It’s great to see a HEMI still playing a major role in this “all-electric” world that dominates the car brand promotions. It’s great to see Ram expand the Rebel onto the heavy-duty lineup for this model year, after much success on the 1500. The 1500 Ram Rebel was a media darling and a truck enthusiast hero when it was introduced. The 2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel can still tow and do everything enthusiasts expect from a big truck. This is where the Heavy Duty Rebel excels and does better than its Ram family member the Power Wagon.
The Heavy Duty Rebel is comfortable off the road. And as a “Rebel,” it has an off-road ready suspension, limited-slip differential and 3.73 axle ratio. If you’re not a truck enthusiast that may sound like mumbo jumbo, but this new-to-market version of the Rebel is going to have appeal to heavy-duty truck fans.
My tester had an 8-speed automatic transmission that did a phenomenal job of shifting. Stellantis continues to churn out amazing transmissions for their vehicles and this one in the Rebel is top notch.
As you’d expect, the Rebel is stout. It sits on 20-inch tires with 8.0 steel rims. The entire fit and finish of this truck looks tough. It has a high profile and sits far off the ground. If you like low-rider trucks this once again is the antithesis of that as it sits high and requires a leap to get into it. You can skip leg day by just getting in and out of this truck a couple of times a day.
We took the Rebel on a camping trip. While it was overkill with just a tent, it stood out at the campground and received several accolades from other campers on how beautiful it was.
Once inside, this truck is loaded. The Rebel badging is prominently displayed on the seats and on the dashboard. Light-colored stitching on the black leather seats was an elegant touch, especially when the Rebel name was stitched in the same manner. The 12-inch vertical touchscreen dominates the center stack. This is a current trend in trucks and it’s one I hope changes a little. These screens are so big and stand out so much that it ruins the flow and vibe of the interior. It grabs the eye away from the other nice touches of this truck.
Yes, the Ram’s infotainment is outstanding. It’s the best in the entire industry when it comes to seamless integration with smartphones plus how intuitive it is to use for all features.
My tester had a sticker price of $77,395 with options that included safety group, towing tech package and bed utility group. The EPA does not do fuel economy testing on heavy-duty trucks, so there are no official governmental ratings. But just realize this is a big, heavy truck with a V8 engine so you should expect around 16 mpg or so.
With the HEMI engine configuration, the Heavy Duty Rebel can tow 16,870 pounds with a payload capacity of 3,150 pounds. So, this is a truck that is incredibly capable yet can still handle various terrains and road conditions. This is probably why this truck has won several accolades, including the coveted Heavy Duty Pickup of Texas at the annual Texas Truck Rodeo. Winning over truck enthusiasts can be hard, but Ram seems to have accomplished this with the brand new 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel.
Jimmy Dinsmore is a freelance automotive journalist. Email him at jimmydinsmore73@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @driversside
2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel
Price/As tested price................................................ $77,395/$77,395
Mileage.......................................... N/A (EPA doesn’t rate heavy duty trucks)
Engine............................................. 6.4-liter HEMI V8
Horsepower................................. 410 hp/429 lbs./ft.
Transmission................................. 8-speed automatic
Drive Wheels................ Four-wheel drive
Final Assembly Point................ Saltillo, Mexico
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