The Ram Rampage recently debuted in Brazil to offer that market a compact, unibody pickup with styling similar to the larger Ram 1500. Customers have responded enthusiastically to the truck. Ram reported the initial batch of 500 pickups sold out within 28 minutes of the automaker starting to accept online orders.
These 500 trucks came standard with the Elite Pack, which is generally an option that costs the equivalent of $1,250 (6,000 Brazilian Reais). It includes LED running lights, a power-adjustable passenger seat, and a 10-speaker Harmon-Kardon stereo.
Ram responded to rapidly running out of reservations by making 1,100 more of these pickups available. All 1,600 of them have already sold out.
The Rampage is available in three trim levels: Rebel, Laramie, and R/T. The price range is the equivalent of $50,000 to $56,250 ($239,990 to $269,990 Reais). The high cost is because Brazil charges 54 percent in taxes on vehicles. For example, a Ford Maverick in the Lariat FX4 2.0 4WD trim costs $244,890 Reais, which works out to $51,014. A comparable Maverick in the US would be around $32,800.
The Rebel and Laramie grades are available with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel making 170 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque or a gas-fueled turbocharged 2.0-liter producing 272 hp and 295 lb-ft. The R/T only comes with the gasoline-burning powerplant. All models come with a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
The truck is available with amenities like a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also dual-zone climate control, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and parking sensors.
Deliveries of the Rampage begin in August. There continue to be rumors about Ram possibly bringing the pickup to the United States as a competitor against the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
When Ram developed the Rampage, the Brazilian development team came to the United States to work with the truck engineers on the new model. We even saw spy shots of the pickup testing in the US.
For more discussion about the Ram Rampage, check out this episode of Rambling About Cars: