Stellantis, the masters of the trim package, have released a new one for the Ram pickup, and it’s no wonder. Ram sold 529,280 full-size pickups in 2022, down 16.4% from the 632,752 units sold the year before. So the Ram 1500 is getting a limited edition to spark interest.
Dubbed the 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel and TRX Lunar editions, you can guess from the name that this won’t be a vehicle with bright colors. It’s another vehicle draped in shades of gray and black and offered later this spring.
The paint color, dubbed Ceramic Gray, ensures that your Ram pickup will hide any crud accumulated while using it. It’s offered on the Ram 1500 Rebel, which slots between the premium Laramie and Western glam Longhorn trims.
Opt for the moon
For the 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition, it comes with the Rebel Level 2 equipment. This means its afflicted with an exterior wardrobe that consists of black Rebel graphics on the hood and bed, black badging, bumper and grille and slick 18-inch gloss black wheels. And being a Ram Rebel, it also wears a unique front grille. Yee-haw!
But even without the special clothing, the Rebel possesses upgraded Bilstein monotube dampers along with a one-inch lift over stock, an electronic rear dif and underbody skid plates.
Yet opting for the Ram’s fancy gray duds means its powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque V-8 mild hybrid driveline that provides a healthy 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It returns fuel economy of 18 mpg city, 22 mpg highway using midgrade gasoline while providing 11,320 pounds of towing capacity.
Actually, aim higher
But if the 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition isn’t enough of an off-road bad boy, there’s always the Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition. It doesn’t have the Rebel’s grille — its orthodontia differs — but does come with the same graphics, paint color and 18-inch wheels. But it adds such niceties as a dual pane panoramic sunroof and spray-in bedliner, along with the expected cargo tie-downs, bed step and an LED cab-mounted brake light.
And the goodness continues inside, where you’re treated to blue accent stitching, along with embroidered “TRX” seat back logos and center console badge, in case you forgot which truck you’re driving. You’ll also encounter carbon fiber accents, a leather and carbon fiber flat–bottom steering wheel, and a head-up display.
But you’ll also get more power, courtesy of Ram’s lust-worthy high-performance 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 engine generating a remarkable 702 hp and 650 lb.-ft. of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Running 0-60 mph requires a mere 4.5 seconds on the way to a quarter mile time of 12.9 seconds at 108 mph. Top speed is 118 mph. Fuel economy is about what you’d expect — 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway. Oh, and you’ll need to use midgrade gasoline.
Yeah, but what does it cost?
As you no doubt know, fashion doesn’t come cheap.
Opting for the Ram 1500 Rebel Lunar Edition means a starting price of $70,310, plus $1,895 destination. Choosing the Ram 1500 TRX Lunar Edition will run you even more, as it wears a starting price of $106,445, plus $1,895 destination. And that’s before options.
While that’s quite a step up from the base $37,410 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4×4 with a 5-foot, 7-inch box, keep in mind that Ram is offering incentives to move the metal, so odds are you won’t pay retail.
That’s enough to make any truck aficianado howl at this moon-loving truck.