Skip to main content

Ram Trucks’ new 1500 pickup is a ‘Rebel’ with a mud-flinging cause

Ram Trucks has announced a new off-road package for the 2015 Ram 1500.

Its name? Rebel.

Unveiled at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, the model equips a multitude of trail-ready equipment, including 33-inch tires, a 3.92 axle ratio, new skid plates, front tow hooks, and exclusive air suspension that raises ride height by one inch.

The ‘Rebel’ package is offered with the 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 and the 395-hp, 5.7-liter V8.

“Offering an off-road-style package on the Ram 1500 has been on our to-do list for some time but the right combination didn’t present itself until now,” said Bob Hegbloom, CEO of Ram Trucks. “The Rebel drops right into a core segment of the truck market with unique design cues and can-do attitude backed by Ram Truck engineering.”

Despite a ride height of 10.3 inches and a bolstered body, the biggest changes to come with the Rebel package are aesthetic.

The front end has been completely revamped, with a RAM adorned grill replacing the stock unit’s “cross-hair” design. The 1500 looks much more modern and aggressive now, accentuated by new LED fog lamps, projector headlights, and a twin-snorkel aluminum hood.

Moving back, there are flat black badges and 17-inch aluminum alloys, and the rear is highlighted by a powder coated bumper with flared cutouts.

The rugged off-road theme continues inside the cabin, as the vinyl seats wear a tire tread pattern that matches the Toyo rubber touching the pavement. There are ‘Radar Red’ accents aplenty and logo-laden surfaces everywhere, tied together with black headliner and red stitching.

The Ram 1500 Rebel goes on sale in the second half of 2015.

Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
The state of solid-state batteries: We may be on the cusp of an EV revolution
Factorial solid-state battery

Electric vehicles may have become a whole lot more popular over the past five years or so, but that’s despite some issues they still face regarding things like limited range and slow charging speeds. The result of these issues is that plenty of buyers are unsure about whether an EV might be for them. But there’s one technology that has been hailed as a savior for all of the EV issues related to batteries, and that’s solid-state battery tech.

This technology has been so hyped for so long that, at this point in time, it seems not only almost mythical, but as if we might never actually see it in the real world. So, what’s the state of solid-state batteries right now, and how far are we from finally seeing them and reaping their rewards? Here’s a look.
What are solid-state batteries?
What is a solid-state battery in the first place? Solid-state batteries keep the fundamentals of traditional battery design, offering an anode and a cathode with a porous separator in the middle, and a substance through which electrons flow from one side to the other. This, in turn, creates a circuit. But while a conventional battery is built with a liquid electrolyte solution on the inside, a solid-state battery instead makes the separator between the anode and the cathode the electrolyte itself.

Read more
Audi RS e-Tron GT Performance unveiled as a 912-hp electric sedan
2025 audi rs e tron gt performance specs pictures features

Audi's roster of past high-performance models includes the rally-winning Quattro and the V10-powered R8, but the new RS E-Tron GT Performance outguns them all. With up to 912 horsepower on tap, this electric sedan stands proud as the most powerful Audi ever built.

Starting with the RS E-Tron GT, which is related to the Porsche Taycan, engineers updated the front axle's electric motor and integrated a new, lighter electric motor into the rear axle to reach the 912-horsepower figure. Audi notes that this mammoth amount of power can only be unlocked temporarily when the launch control function is engaged, however. Other improvements helped the German company add horses to the E-Tron's cavalry, including a new chemistry for the 105-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack's cells and a revised cooling system.

Read more
Ram 1500 REV vs. Ford F-150 Lightning: Classic trucks go electric
Ford F-150 Lightning

The first Ram electric pickup truck is on the way. The Ram 1500 REV is set to be one of the most desirable electric trucks out there, thanks not only to the Ram name but also to its high-end specifications.

But, of course, it's certainly not the first electric truck out there. The Ford F-150 Lightning is a favorite among electric truck buyers, thanks to the fact that it continues that Ford F-150 legacy with a tried-and-true design coupled with new technologies.

Read more