2017 Ram Power Wagon: The Rebel on Steroids
Probably the best way to describe the changes to the refreshed 2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon being showcased at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show is to say it's a Ram 1500 Rebel on steroids. Click here to see our video.
Borrowing heavily from the front grille and tailgate of the Rebel, the new Power Wagon will continue to offer all the same extreme off-road mechanical capability of the 2016 model, but now it has a brand-new look.
Model-year 2017 Power Wagons will have the swooping blacked-out front grille with silver Ram lettering on the grille, similar to the Rebel, with a completely black bumper and skid plate (which will house a winch that can handle 12,000 pounds) as well as smoked bezel projector headlights and taillights. The tailgate also will feature oversized Ram lettering with the Power Wagon name below. Vertical black stripes down the midsection of the pickup repeat the truck's name just behind the cab as well. 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.
All Power Wagons will continue to offer front and rear locking 4.10:1 differentials in their live axles (9.25 inches in front, 11.5 inches in back), an anti-sway-bar disconnect system for the front end, 33-inch Goodyear DuraTrac All-Terrain tires and the Hemi 6.4-liter V-8. Power Wagons will continue to be offered exclusively in the four-door crew-cab configuration with a 6-foot 4-inch bed.
Inside, new Power Wagon echoes the Rebel with a blackout interior and seats that sport tire tread imprints on the seatbacks and bottoms; the treads match the Power Wagon's actual footprint. Additionally, a Ram's head is stitched into the headrest with the truck's name in the back bolsters.
For model-year 2017, the Power Wagon reduces the number of option packages from four to two, but it still offers popular stand-alone options: leather seats, a backup camera, an in-bed camera and a new tri-fold tonneau cover that works with or without the RamBox.
For the first time, Ram will offer a Tradesman for the Power Wagon that includes all of that model's important mechanicals and protection, but does not include any highlights in silver or black like the fully equipped Power Wagon. Ram also announced at the auto show a new Ram 2500 4x4 Off-road Package that includes a few of the same capability-first 4x4 features found on the Power Wagon without the higher price tag.
Pricing for the standard 2017 Power Wagon and Power Wagon Tradesman has not been announced, but dealerships will be able to start ordering the 2017 models this summer, likely for fall delivery.
Manufacturer images
Comments
What's the base price for the Tradesman Power Wagon?
This will be my next truck!
Isn't it amazing how a little bit of polish alloy on the rims makes for a tidier look.
I do like the red used and I still hate that cheap Chinese reverse cycle air conditioner looking grille.
This pickup should of used the ISV Cummins that is used in the Titan in lieu of the 6.4 Hemi as well.
How much do one of these cost? $60 000 or so?
The Cummins (both ISV and ISB) are too heavy for this articulating suspension system with the electronic sway bar disconnect. The 6.4 Hemi V8 is well-suited for this application.
6.4 L HEMI !
those eco-boost's can eat my dust!
I want one !
Fiat-Ram ruined the Power Wagon. This looks awful. smh.
Memo to RAM interior styling dept. Your interiors looked dorky seven years ago. They still do. GM and Ford left that stuff in the dust with their last gen products.
I like the big hemi, and chassis, but the underhood shot in this story looks like something from Rube Goldberg. Working in the engine compartment on this truck must be a nightmare.
And, Big Al, the rims and tires do not make for a styling refresh. In reality it is the area of styling that is most revised by truck owners. Rims and rubber are very config-adjustable.
to each his own, I suppose.
This pickup should of used the ISV Cummins that is used in the Titan in lieu of the 6.4 Hemi as well.
How much do one of these cost? $60 000 or so?
Posted by: Big Al from Oz | Feb 11, 2016 12:01:59 AM
Just one of the many draw backs of a large diesel is weight. Another is the Diesel fuel gelling. Gas motors not only haul more but they are more reliable in extreme cold weather. The Combat proven Military heritage has never been powered by a Diesel.
POWER WAGON!!!
I absolutely love my 15 AEV Prospector. Love the way. It tows my 10,000.00 labs. Trailer. Tow haul mode and cruise. Towed back in the Dunes with the trailer.4 Low axle lock and 20 psi and I could land my R.V where ever I wanted. Awesome sense of ultimate freedom. Hill decent is spectacular. Back up camera. I saved one Dodge 2 wheel @ 40 lbs psi with my winch. Driver left truck in neutral wheels straight. Other was a Chevy two wheeler. Winch is Awesome. Plenty of pulling power.
These Power Wagon are the best all around pick up I have ever owned. Love my clearance lights on the cab. Along with my LED light bar. I can see everything. Truck has plenty of Power with that 392 Hemi. Sucks gas and hauls @$$.
Only thing I wish I had is the Ram box option for my fishing poles.
Is the tailgate realy going to look like that? Do we need to be able to read it from two miles away.
stupid grill,stupid ram on the tailgate,stupid plastic everywhere....
How about a 1500 power wagon, why not regular cab power wagon ?...oh.. wait people do need crew cab power wagon to go grocery shopping...
Just a face lift and some options package adjustments on the existing truck. No change in capabilities/capacities. Don't expect a change in sales either. Fiat is still making the 2nd best from the factory off road truck ever.
I'll take mine in red with Rick Simon Fedor and Dog to match, looks great. Alil aftermarket tweaks on the Hemi, Ram Box and I am good to go.
Hey Papa Jim, I don't guess you ever looked under a GM hood?
I know people disabling the AFM on them, because it's a fail.
This is a first for you! The Ram wasn't built for farm use.
It was built to value add as much money in a pickup to improve Rams’ bottom line.
Most who buy these will only drive to and from work.
Ram are mostly used to augment small appendages.
Wunala Dundee
I do think the V6 diesel would be good in a Ram Power Wagon, better than any Hemi
6.4 liter.
It will offer enough speed for desert runs and low down grunt for some serious off roading.
The biggest problem for the Power Wagon is is size, way to large to be taken, unless it is on a wide open track.
Better still would be a "Raptorised" Ranger Powersized Wagonsized Dskotasized. They are smaller and would offer superior off road capability over a Power Wagon.
Rams’ target market for Power Wagon are the "hairdresser set" with plenty of cash. It makes them look good on 5th Avenue or parked at Lowes or Home Depot.
The Power Wagon should be able to navigate those speed humps really well.
Maybe Bafo should be negatively critical of the Power Wagon load and tow.
The worse among the pickups.
Wunala Dundee
Where is my manual transmission option?
=================
Just one of the many draw backs of a large diesel is weight. Another is the Diesel fuel gelling. Gas motors not only haul more but they are more reliable in extreme cold weather. The Combat proven Military heritage has never been powered by a Diesel.
Posted by: HEMI V8 | Feb 11, 2016 3:34:18 AM
The Canadian Military used the GM 6.2 L diesels and they lasted a very long time. Some are still in use (from the 1987 Era)
I had a 2014 2500 6.4 Longhorn 4x4 and the 6.4 is powerful as far as holding grade but it's not thrilling to drive.
They need to adapt the 8-speed and get rid of that poor ratio 6-speed. It falls on its face after the 1 to 2 shift with a huge rpm drop. If you watch acceleration tests you can clearly hear it fall flat when this shift happens. The more weight on the truck the more it's amplified.
The main positive with the 6.4 truck is very good mileage for its class. The minus is it feels like a dog in most situations. It keeps momentum on the go but the GM 6.0 or Ford 6.2 is every bit as good or even better as real life testing shows.
The close ratio 8-speed would make the 6.4 truck feel much different. I can guarantee that pretty much anybody who test drives the 6.4 will be dissapointed with the SOTP feel at first but it's overall ability to lug is pretty good and helps the fuel economy along.
Bump the 429 to 450 and add an 8-speed to make it a clear best choice. As it is right now I'd go with a GM 6.0, though.
This truck is awesome! I do wish it had the Cummins,
Big al likes the polished rims, but hates the polished tires on the other thread, looks like its contradict mode for al again
The Tradesman-trim Power Wagon has been available since the 2013 model year.
@Magnum, absolutely spot on. The Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi needs the ZF 8HP90!
If the new grille grosses you out (too), you can always swap it for a charcoal fleet grill and sell the Rebel grill to some poseur (from the French for "poser).
Pricing shouldn't change much over the current model year.... $47k for a Border patrol one, the package adds 8 grand.
The ISV would definitely add a lot of weight and cost, but the little eco-diesel V6 would still get this thing down the (unimproved) road and offer serious range.
Why no reg cab you ask? They built those on the initial PW, but sold almost none. Since there are costs involved in engineering, especially vehicle dynamics, that just wasn't justified.
Just one of the many draw backs of a large diesel is weight. Another is the Diesel fuel gelling. Gas motors not only haul more but they are more reliable in extreme cold weather. The Combat proven Military heritage has never been powered by a Diesel.
Posted by: HEMI V8 | Feb 11, 2016 3:34:18 AM
The Canadian Military used the GM 6.2 L diesels and they lasted a very long time. Some are still in use (from the 1987 Era)
Posted by: Joe | Feb 11, 2016 8:24:35 AM
The combat proven POWER WAGON has never been Diesel powered.
You guys need to get over the gelling issues in Diesels, that no longer is a problem, plus the diesel will alywas kill the gas in the hauling towing department
Looks like Hemi V8 made the right move to buy a 2015 Power Wagon. This 2017 refresh is hideous and was not worth wating for.
@Hemiv8 - gelled diesel WTF? you move to Minnesota? -30 to -35C is when it gels but if one lives in cold climates they change over to "lighter" winter diesel.
Lou,
He lives in SoCal and he's also living in the past and doesn't realise that diesel can be used at quite low temps with additives.
Even gasoline makeup is seasonal.
Hey Papa Jim, I don't guess you ever looked under a GM hood?
I know people disabling the AFM on them, because it's a fail.
Posted by: TRX-4 Tom | Feb 11, 2016 7:40:43 AM
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http://special-reports.pickuptrucks.com/2014/08/ultimate-three-quarter-ton-hd-challenge-fuel-economy.html
Looks like I'd at least be able to access the spark plugs on the GM. Can't say the same for the Hemi. They packed way too much stuff down by the sides of the engine. Looks like a tangled mess.
Whoever is in charge of styling over at Ram/Fiat needs to be fired. Nobody liked that grotesque front grille on the Rebel and now they destroy one of the last decent Ram trucks they sell. The value of the pre-2017 Power Wagons is going to sky rocket.
With the exception of the Ram Rebel grill I actually like the more subdued graphics. The psuedo-Raptor splash stickers on the previous ones were just plain stupid.
I'm not sure I like the tire prints on the seats. HemiV8 driving the dunes in his speedo plum smugglers will look like he just got ran over ha ha ha .
It may be capable off-road, but I'll never get past the looks. Like the chief designer was recruited from a trailer park in rural oklahoma. It's a trailer-trash dream truck. The big "R A M POWER WAGON" on the back reminds me of a tramp stamp.
So where is the steroids? Well I guess steroids makes your balls shrink so I guess it does make sense. It would be more appropriate for this to be the estrogen version. Give me a GM truck with a manly 6.2 or 6.0. That is what real men drive.
@GMSRGREAT
This is your proper truck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYxPiCWS_44
Having seen a few Rebels around I actually like the Grille. That being said I do not like the chromed out version on the Laramie Limited. As for the tailgate it doesn't bother me.
I wish this truck came with an upgraded 8 speed transmission as well. And it would look better sitting on 35"s as well.
@Ban islam in the West
You are wrong.
How about a reg. cab w/ long bed, & and a QuadCab w/ 6.5 bed, add a grille guard, light-bar and nerf bars. Put a floor-shifter in it.
Lol, FrankDuh, too bad GM puts their spark plugs way further down and harder to reach than a Hemi!
There is about the same amount of stuff ALONGSIDE the engines, except for Rams have theirs at the top of the engine!
Actually, Toyota Tundras are the easiest to reach.
Want more? Can't hardly reach the GM dipsticks, they must think we are all over 6 feet tall?
Good old GM, still screwing around with Gov Locks (that break, and aren't hardly rebuildable)
They can't even get the steering wheel centered, it's angled! You can keep that!
The GM dip stick is far more easy to reach then the F150 5.0L. GM oil filters are a lot less messy then both Ford or Rams and to get out of then the Ram 5.7L. At least with the Ford 5.0L and GM engines you can look under the hood and see things.
I have no idea what all the talk about hard to reach plugs and dipsticks. I have not changed plugs on a fiat 5.7 bit from what I have seen they look easy. GM 6.0L plugs, very easy. 6.2L Ford. Have not really had any issues with Ford or GM with dipsticks. But 6' 1" in height I guess helps but no strain at all. Most trucks are very easy to work on. If you want to change a starter in a Titan, be prepared to remove the exhaust manifold to access it.
Sorry, I meant Tundra not titan.
HaHa! Someone mentions dipstick and LMAO appears. LMAO!
Don't worry cobaltsrgreat, your too much of a pus$y to even know where the dipstick is located. Of course your wife has no issues finding one, just takes a quick glance at you and instantly found. To bad your dipstick doesn't work anymore. Well actually bad for you, good for your wife. She has found better. But that is not a difficult task to accomplish.
Maybe cobaltsrgreat you can continue your stories about this super cobalt that can make 4lbs of boost at idle some more.
If only you knew anything about Superchargers, you would not have been schooled on the topic last week. As for my wife, she loves the feel of my twin screw supercharger. LMAO!
Will be proudly made in Saltillo Mexico...
If only you knew anything about Superchargers, you would not have been schooled on the topic last week. As for my wife, she loves the feel of my twin screw supercharger. LMAO!
Posted by: GMSRGREAT | Feb 12, 2016 9:52:52 PM
Yea, when you have some thing that will do 10s in the 1/4 maybe, until then stick with your cobalt because you schooled nobody but proved your complete ignorance.
As far as your wife's twin screw, I didn't think you knew about her toys to keep her happy. Obviously your not. Or did you buy that toy for her?
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