Diesel Ram 2500 HD Rebel Is a Beast of a Pickup Truck (2024)

• Ram 2500 HD Rebel is powered by a 6.7-liter turbodiesel Cummins inline-six paired with a six-speed automatic, good for 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque.
• The HD Rebel offers capable off-road skills along with a luxurious cabin, but probably isn't for the casual truck buyer.
• This diesel Rebel is a bit of a niche choice, and it's possible to option one north of the $90,000 mark.

Pickups have long ago become a common family vehicle, just as SUVs had gone mainstream in the 1990s. For one thing, it's now possible to get a truck with interiors as nice as that of luxury SUVs from the same automaker, while also getting all the toys you'd find in those SUVs. Just about the only thing that's missing from truck interiors for now are third-row seats, but even that is probably going to materialize soon enough.

A more recent trend, but one that already feels familiar, is that of off-road trucks. And it's a category that has also filled up in record time, with capable choices from the major truck makers. There are probably enough of these to make foreigners think that a sizable percentage of Americans commute to work on unpaved roads shared with grizzly bears.

Combine the two categories, throw in a massive Cummins diesel under the hood, and you get something that looks like the Ram 2500 HD Rebel.

With an imposing exterior, which is another irreversible trend in this segment and the one below it, this version of the Ram 2500 is powered by a 6.7-liter turbodiesel Cummins inline-six paired with a six-speed automatic.

That’s good for 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque, allowing the Ram to major in off-roading and towing, and even towing something while off-roading. It can tow up to 16,870 pounds and has a max payload of 3140 pounds.

This is admittedly a lot of different capabilities thrown into one truck for scenarios that are tough to encounter on a given commute, unless your commute involves fording a stream or pulling some kind of small excavator to the office. And some drivers' commutes certainly see that sort of thing.

The result is one of the more complete trucks on the market today, especially if you are of the diesel persuasion. The other engine option is a burly 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 410 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque on tap, which is perhaps less suited for towing Bobcat front-loaders for hours on end.

The diesel truck's reflexes certainly set it apart from the average half-ton you might encounter while shopping for a "regular" truck.

For one thing, the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel is a more gradual, purposed engine that rewards careful inputs—not the sort of thing that invites wheelspin from stoplights.

The steering is also heavier and far more measured in this version of the 2500, requiring a few turns from lock to lock, while reminding you just what kind of wheels and tires the truck is wearing. It can be ponderous, especially if you're not used to trucks of this size. As such, its reflexes are more gradual, and the steering feel a bit numb.

Those wheels are 20-inch by 8-inch diamond-cut aluminum rims wearing LT285/60R20 all-terrain tires, but they're quiet enough on paved roads.

The Ram 2500 HD Rebel serves up a lot of off-road-friendly equipment, including a transfer-case skid plate shield, locking electronic limited-slip diff, performance-tuned shock absorbers front and back, a shield for the fuel tank, and tow hooks, while affording a generous 11.1 inches of ground clearance. (It's almost enough to make us try an off-road-only route to Costco, but we suspect people's yards would be in disarray afterward).

Actually, we did take the diesel Rebel off road, but in a more controlled setting, checking in on some forest roads we haven't visited in a while.

This is where the Rebel ultimately feels at home while the plush leather interior—complete with a 12.0-inch Uconnect touchscreen display—reminds us we're now in the 2020s and these are all normal items to have in something this rugged and industrial on the outside.

Quite a few of these trucks will be bought for towing when paired with the Cummins turbodiesel, taking advantage of 850 lb-ft of torque, including on long drives. The diesel Rebel remains surprisingly comfortable on the highway, even if the road and wind noise is perhaps what you would expect.

Our week with the Rebel saw quite a bit of highway driving, and the interior proved to be a comfortable place to spend a few hours while the fuel gauge barely moved. With a 149-inch wheelbase, it's certainly a truck that feels well planted even when not under load.

The interior included items you probably wouldn't see in trucks a decade ago, including ventilated front seats, heated second row seats, and even accent lighting for the rear doors.

Just about the only thing you won't find in the Rebel, as opposed to some SUV, are running boards, so getting in and out takes some agility. You also need to accept towering over almost everything else in traffic, and not being able to see directly in front of the nose while sitting at a stop light. But the cameras certainly help in maneuvering in tight quarters.

Some parking spots are probably best left alone, for compact commuter cars like a Ford Explorer.

Ultimately, we did find ourselves at Costco while driving the Rebel. And this is where we grew to appreciate the convenience of the lockable Ram storage bins integrated into the bed sides. How did we live without these for so long?

You don't need to be a gold prospector in Alaska to use this truck or hold some other 19th century profession—you can put the Kirkland Signature giant pack hot dogs into the bins as well. The second-row bench seat, once flipped, opens up even more space. And of course there's the bed for the larger items.

The Ram 2500 Rebel is a beast of a truck even in an age when all trucks look like locomotives. But you ultimately have to be in a somewhat narrower category of truck shopper to consider one of these in the first place, especially with the Cummins turbodiesel. The diesel option is not cheap, requiring you to check a box with the number $9695 next to it.

If you're looking at this truck seriously, you own something that requires this sort of towing capacity. Or you live in a small town in Alaska and sometimes need to use a chainsaw to reach the nearest town, grateful for that 31-gallon fuel tank. Either way, this is an elite category of pickup truck, one that can be optioned up to $92,890, as our example was with the options book thrown at it.

The Ram 2500 HD Rebel is not for the casual shopper whose adventures amount to a weekly run to a big box retailer. But it can still be surprisingly user-friendly on a daily basis, once you get used to its reflexes.

Will diesel pickups remain in demand for towing, or is this category on its way out in the longer term? Please comment below.