What To Expect From The 2024 Ram Rampage

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American pickups have been getting bigger. But they’ve also been getting smaller. The midsize segment has seen a huge revival, with the Toyota Tacoma now facing several challengers. Ford and Hyundai have even formed a new compact segment. The holdout, thus far, has been Ram.

Stellantis does have a midsize offering with the Jeep Gladiator. But we’ve seen no revival of the Dakota. And the smallest Ram-branded pickup in the lineup is currently the full-size 1500. However, reports and recent product reveals suggest that could be about to change. Ram launched a new small pickup, the Rampage, in South America. And it may be coming to the USA.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Is the Ram Rampage definitely coming to America?

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Ram has not confirmed the truck is coming to America yet. But The Drive reports that a well-placed source confirmed the Rampage will come to America with a debut in late 2023. It's possible the UAW strike may cause that timeline to be delayed; Stellantis pulled out of CES and may have put other activities on hold.

Stellantis did confirm plans to launch four electrified pickup trucks in the next two years. Two are confirmed: the Ram 1500 REV and a "new hydrogen solution." That would still leave room for a Jeep Gladiator 4xe and a yet-to-be-named Ram pickup.

The Rampage that debuted will be built in South America. Ram would likely move production for an American version to Mexico to avoid the Chicken Tax. Given the Maverick's popularity, it would be weirder if Ram did not bring the Rampage to market in America.

The Rampage should be a unibody Ford Maverick rival

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Like the Ford Maverick, the Ram Rampage should have styling cues cribbed from Ram’s body-on-frame truck lineup but have a unibody construction. It’s expected to share the same underlying platform with the Jeep Compass, Alfa Romeo Tonale and Dodge Hornet.
What engines will the Ram Rampage have?

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The South American Rampage launched with a gas engine, the 2.0-liter Hurricane I4, which puts out 272 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. That’s the same engine the Dodge Hornet uses and a good bet for the American truck.

In South America, the Rampage will also get a diesel option. We would bet the diesel does not make it to the American market. The 1.3-liter plug-in hybrid used in the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale for an alternate (and more efficient) engine would be far more likely.
What trims will the Ram Rampage have?

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Ram has not confirmed a trim lineup for the Rampage. The South American lineup has three: an off-road Rebel trim, a flashier Laramie trim and an R/T Sport model. We could see all three trims make it to America.

Will the new small truck be called the Rampage?

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Quite possibly. That's what is being used in South America. We’ve seen Ram opt for alliterative naming with new trucks like the Ram 1500 REV. And it’s a name with relevant heritage. The Dodge Rampage was a small, unibody pickup from the early 1980s. And Dodge used Rampage again with a concept in 2006. Using Rampage would also leave Dakota as an option should Ram decide to build a smaller body-on-frame truck.
How much will the Ram Rampage cost?

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Ford took a budget approach with the Maverick. At least in South America, Ram is opting for a different tack with the Rampage by taking it upmarket. All the Rampages are all-wheel-drive. It offers leather seats. A 12.3-inch infotainment display and a digital instrument cluster come standard.

The starting price for a gas Rampage in Brazil is a little more than $50,000. We’d bet Brazilian taxes are responsible for much of that figure; the American truck won’t be that ambitiously priced. But expect it to start north of the Maverick’s $22,595 starting MSRP.

Article courtesy of Tyler Duffy with Gear Patrol

 

[NCRaineman]

Looks somewhat promising, but ultimately will have the same problem as other "light" trucks. For as much as one costs you could spend just a little bit more and get a full size truck that is a whole lot more capable.

Maverick may "start" at $23k, but good luck finding one on a dealer lot for under $30k. Rampage will be bigger and more costly, likely in the $35 - 40k price range because that's what Hornets are going for. At that point you may as well buy a Ram 1500 and actually have a useful amount of bed space and towing capacity.

 

[Cmz2800]

Why couldn’t they just call it a Dakota?

 

[mtnrider]

Looks like a Subaru.....

If I need a truck, I'll buy a real truck. I just don't see where this fits in the US market? The bed is useless, I'd rather have an SUV if I going for a vehicle this size.

 

[NCRaineman]

Looks like a Subaru.....

If I need a truck, I'll buy a real truck. I just don't see where this fits in the US market? The bed is useless, I'd rather have an SUV if I going for a vehicle this size.

Just like Maverick these are for masculine urban/suburban dwellers who don't want a pansy FWD "crossover"... so they'll pay more money for the same thing with an open bed.

Might be useful for the occasional trip to Home Depot, but anybody doing any real hauling or towing on the regular is going to have a real truck.

 

[BadHemi2014]

I would love to see the Dakota back. I loved mine. It's payload was comparable to my Ram, and it was 4x4. The extended cab was nice, not forced to get 4dr, and it was shorter and narrower than the Ram which was just the right size for a 5' tall shrimp like me. Man I miss that truck!
Don't think this Rampage would be the ticket, although I really love the name.

 

[chri5k]

24 hours after the first buyer gets one, there will be a post on these forums on how to beef it up to tow like a 1500.

 

[NCRaineman]

View attachment 530984I would love to see the Dakota back. I loved mine.

Problem with mid-size trucks is economies of scale. Manufacturers make so many full-size trucks they can slap deep discounts on them and still turn a profit, so you end up paying less money for more truck. Also the smaller trucks aren't really any more efficient than the bigger ones. My 2019 1500 Classic Hemi averages 20mpg. According to fuelly a new Ranger averages 20.5MPG.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

By the time the Dakota was phased out the cheapest Dakota you could buy was $2-3K more than the cheapest Ram truck.. Which is why I went full sized when I traded my 2nd Dakota off..
Better gas mileage? Nope.
Cheaper to insure? Nope.
More capable? Big nope...
There wasn't any reason to spend the extra $$ for the midsize and it killed sales...
Nothing's really changed.
I priced out a new Jeep Gladiator V6 and after it was all done it was as much as I paid for my Power Wagon.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

Problem with mid-size trucks is economies of scale. Manufacturers make so many full-size trucks they can slap deep discounts on them and still turn a profit, so you end up paying less money for more truck. Also the smaller trucks aren't really any more efficient than the bigger ones. My 2019 1500 Classic Hemi averages 20mpg. According to fuelly a new Ranger averages 20.5MPG.

I was checking out a new ZR2 Colorado in a dealer floor.
Sticker price was $70k and the HIWAY mileage was only 18mpg!!