2023 Ram 2500 HD Rebel: Same As Its Never Been

The most surprising thing about the new 2023 Ram Heavy Duty Rebel is that it didn’t already exist. Tradesman, Big Horn, Laramie, Power Wagon and Limited… wasn’t Rebel already among them? And the half-ton Ram 1500 series has had a Rebel trim since before time began. Of course, there’s a Ram Heavy Duty Rebel. Hasn’t there always been?

But no, the Heavy Duty Rebel Crew Cab is new for 2023. It’s the Ram Heavy Duty for those who aspire to a Power Wagon, but need a slightly more civilized ride and/or who want the Cummins turbodiesel engine. It’s an almost diaphanous bit of the market. Micro-segmentation – a wonderful system for doing the garlic using a razor to slice it so thin that it would liquefy in the pan with just a little oil.

As Ram explains it, the Power Wagon is available only with the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 because the standard nose-mounted, 12,000-pound capacity Warn winch takes up space needed to mount the 6.7-liter Cummins straight six turbodiesel. Also, the Power Wagon’s off-road suspension sacrifices some towing talent in exchange for rock crawling ability. So, the Power Wagon is rated to tow 10,520-pounds which seems tame compared with a maximum lugging capacity for other Ram 2500 models of up to 20,000-pounds – ten full tons. The Heavy Duty Rebel, when running the 410-horsepower Hemi, is rated at 16,870-pounds of towing capacity.

Maybe frustratingly to some potential Reb owners, when the Cummins is ordered – which brings 370-horsepower and a stomping 850-pound feet of peak torque – the towing rating drops by about a ton. The Cummins has almost twice the total torque production of the gas-fired Hemi V-8, but it’s also so heavy that it uses much of that to haul its own self around.

Sorry, the “high output” version of the Cummins – with 1075-pound feet of peak torque – isn’t offered with the Rebel package. So much for four-digit torque production bragging rights.

The Hemi is lashed to Stellantis’ license-made version of the ubiquitous ZF eight-speed automatic while the Cummins feeds a Stellantis-made six-speed automatic. The Hemi’s eight-speed is controlled by a dial mounted on the dash, while the Cummins’ six-speed has a reassuringly old-fashioned column shifter. Dials are going to dominate any electrified future, so a big lever like that hooked to the Cummins’ transmission is almost nostalgic. And it’s likely to be one of the last opportunities to indulge in such throwback tech.

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As the only ¾-ton pickups with a coil sprung rear suspension, every Ram HD has an advantage in ride quality. That in mind, the Rebel is still a ¾-ton truck and that means the cush-factor only extends so far. The cab is finished like a Chrysler Imperial, but it sits atop a chassis built to replace teams of oxen. Work trumps luxury.

But it is an improvement over the dang-near-mil-spec Power Wagon. The Rebel’s springs combine with 33-inch tall Goodyear Wrangler 285/60R20 tires for a comfortable, if not quite poised, ride on pavement. Unladen, the tail can be felt squirming around on road undulations and cornering is not something this 149.5-inch wheelbase beast does eagerly. But point this thing at the horizon with a toy hauler lashed behind it, and it’s going to be fine. And stunningly quiet, despite the deep, off-road tire treads.

A rear air suspension system is optional, but back-to-back on-road comparisons weren’t possible during the press event in glamorous Pioneertown, California. The Rebels on hand were always driven without a payload beyond a couple of journalists aboard and never towing a trailer. This is limited exposure.

As to off-road ability, what’s present on the Power Wagon but missing on the Rebel is a front sway bar that disconnects for greater wheel articulation, and a front locking differential to go with the rear locker. The transfer case is an electronically controlled unit with low and high ranges that operates almost invisibly. The basic suspension design is also the same with solid axles front and rear. The forward axle being stitched to the chassis with three beefy links, and the aft one getting five links.