Ram 2500 Power Wagon Adopts a Rebel-Like Face, Upgraded Chassis

The Ram 2500 4×4 Off-Road Package doesn’t tie buyers down to one or two body styles or trim levels.

An optional front bumper that “hides” a 12,000-lb. winch, roller fairlead and 125 feet of line, with nothing visible except a single heavy gauge steel cable and dozer-sized hook. We think it was best described by Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand and Ram Brand: “The Ram Power Wagon is an off-road, all-access pass, removing the limitations, instilling confidence and allowing owners to reach areas of recreation and lifestyle not attainable with any other pickup”.

Ram is updating back-country, heavy-duty offerings for 2017 with a freshened Power Wagon trim and expanded off-road packages across its three-quarter-ton pickup lineup.

The exterior of the 2017 Power Wagon is even bolder than previous incarnations of the truck. When operating the truck in four-wheel-drive Low, the throttle response softens and the idle speed increases from 650 to 750 rpm for added control. The black graphic package on the hood, sides and tailgate is standard for white, blue, silver, red and granite Power Wagons, while black trucks will get a silver graphic treatment.

The new features of the 2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon begin on the outside, where the front end now wears a similar grille design to that introduced on the Ram Rebel.

Inside, the Power Wagon comes with upgraded materials on the seats, dashboard and steering wheel while also providing rubber mats and other interior touches suitable to customers who are often outdoors on trails or in the mud and dirt. Oh, and if you want a Power Wagon, you’re only getting it as a Crew Cab with the 6.4 liter Hemi.

A 66RFE six-speed automatic transmission and connects to a part-time manual-engagement Borg Warner BW 44-47 transfer case.

In the suspension department, the 2017 Ram Power Wagon features certain features unique to this truck that include monotube Bilstein shocks, two inches of lift, modified control arms and unique spring rates. Whereas the very capable Ford Raptor is focused on performing YouTube-worthy feats of high-speed derring-do, the Ram Power Wagon has always been a hard-core beast for people with things to do and stuff to haul in some of the most rugged terrain extant.

Additional suspension flex is achieved via an electronic disconnecting sway bar, which allows the front axle to move more independently of the truck’s frame.

The new truck will be built at Rams’s factory in Coahuila, Mexico, and will go on sale in late 2016.