Thanks to Perry Mack of 4WD Magazine!

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4WD Magazine Website: https://suncruisermedia.com/4WDrive

Check out our full written review at: https://5thgenrams.com/testing-the-20...

A few weeks ago, Ram Trucks invited us out to beautiful Whistler, British Columbia to spend the day with their best off-road offerings, the 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel, and the Ram 2500 Power Wagon.

We arrived at the base of Mount Sproatt at 9 am for a quick vehicle presentation and then had the opportunity to drive the trucks up a narrow, rocky trail usually reserved for Snowmobiles and ATVs. At the top of the path at 4,937 feet of elevation was Sproatt Cabin, where we would have lunch, swap trucks, and descend back down to the base of the mountain.

Ram Rebel
For 2019 the Ram Rebel was all-new, with a fresh, sleek design, new frame, all-new luxurious interior, and unlike previous Rebels is now available in a Quad Cab configuration. Also new for 2019 is a standard coil spring suspension, while former Rebels were only offered with the air suspension. Of course, you can still get the Rebel in a Crew Cab or with the optional air suspension if so desired.

For the 2020 Model year, the Rebel gains the 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel engine option for the first time and gets some minor trim and option package changes but for the purposes of our drive other than the new optional diesel is mechanically the same.

With a starting MSRP of $60,095 Canadian for a Quad Cab or $61,795 Canadian for a Crew Cab the Rebel trim adds a ton of off-road goodies over a standard Ram 1500, such as:

18-inch aluminum wheels
32-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires
Full skid plate protection and tow hooks
Electronic locking rear axle (ELocker)
Bilstein® mono-tube shocks
1-inch higher ride height
Standard 3.92 gears
Hill-descent control

Cosmetically the Rebel features a unique look with a standard Sport Performance Hood, a unique grille, black powder-coated front, and rear bumpers, and black fender flares. The interior of the Rebel is also unique with sport mesh cloth and vinyl seats, Rebel embroidering on the seatbacks along with red accents. A black interior option is also available if you aren’t a fan of the red.

We started in the Rebel, leaving the base of the mountain a few minutes up a rocky trail to an area that featured some steep inclines and declines, along with some standing water. I got a chance to try out the hill descent control for the first time on the Rebel and found it to work very well. You can control the speed of the hill descent control using the gear + or – buttons on the steering wheel, and the truck will do all the work descending the hill in a well-controlled manner.

Continuing along the trail, the Rebel handled everything that was thrown at it. Myself and Perry Mack from 4WD Magazine (My co-driver on this trip) were both very impressed with the turning radius of the truck, as it handled most of the tight switchbacks with ease without having to make a 3-point turn. The overall ride quality was good if a bit on the firm side as our truck was equipped with the optional air suspension in off-road two mode for extra ride height, which is quite a bit stiffer than normal mode.

The 2019 Ram Power Wagon is essentially an all-new truck for 2019, but unlike the 1500’s the Heavy Duties retained the same Cab (with the all-new interior), and Box as the previous trucks. As with the Rebel, the Power Wagon is mechanically identical for the 2020 model year, with the only changes being a few new colors.

Starting at $64,245 Canadian and only available as a Crew Cab with the 6’4 inch box, the Power Wagon is the most off-road capable pickup on the market today. There’s only one powertrain offering on the Power Wagon, but it’s a good one, the 6.4 Hemi V8, which puts out 410 hp and 429lb.-ft of torque, and for 2019 is now backed by the eight-speed automatic transmission. The eight-speed solves all the complaints of poor gear spacing with the previous 6-speed transmission and now makes the 6.4 Hemi feel downright lively. A 4.10 gear ratio is the standard, and only, ratio available in Power Wagons.

The Power Wagon comes standard with these off-road features:

Bilstein® mono-tube shocks
ArticulinkTM front suspension
Five-link rear coil spring suspension
33-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires
12,000-pound WARN® winch
Electronic disconnecting sway bar
Electronic locking front/rear differentials
Complete under-chassis armor
Hill-descent control

#5thGenRams #RamRebel #RamPowerWagon