2016 Ram 1500 Rebel Mopar ’16 Tested: The Ears Have It

2016 Mopar Ram 1500 Rebel

In an era of increasingly civilized trucks, the limited-edition Mopar ’16 Ram 1500 pickup strikes a moderately defiant note, announcing its presence with a basso profundo exhaust note that’s subdued enough to be legal but is an unmistakable reminder that yes, this thing has a Hemi.
This merits some explanation. There’s a distinction between this Mopar-massaged Ram 1500 Rebel and the standard version. The base engine in the Ram 1500 Rebel is Chrysler’s 305-hp 3.6-liter V-6. The 500 copies of the Mopar '16 Rebel package all include the 395-hp 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, reflected on the window sticker as an $1150 option that is also available without opting into all the Mopar business. The V-8 is paired with a $500 ZF eight-speed automatic (with a manual shift mode but no paddles), the same transmission as in the regular Ram Rebel. The Mopar edition also includes the same satin black 17-inch wheels as the Rebel, wearing a set of semi-knobby Toyo A/T Open Country tires, sized 285/70. And four-wheel drive is standard.