Sao Paulo - Ram is a North American brand that we usually associate with large, chrome-laden pick-up trucks, but what you see here is a somewhat smaller product of its South American division.
The Ram Rampage is the company’s long-awaited unibody bakkie, and though sharing a platform with other Stellantis products like the Fiat Toro and Jeep Renegade, it resembles a downsized version of the firm’s larger Ram 1500 pick-up truck.
We say downsized, but the Rampage is not exactly compact, measuring in at just over five metres in length, which makes it similar in size to other unibody bakkies like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. That said, it’s still smaller than traditional body-on-frame pick-ups like the 5.3 metre Hilux.
But will we ever see the Ram Rampage in South Africa?
Well, Stellantis is building a factory here, but has yet to name which vehicle it will produce. To say it will be the Rampage is quite a long shot, with current rumours pointing towards a Peugeot product. But if Stellantis decides to build a right-hand drive version of the Rampage, it could certainly present an interesting alternative to bakkie-crazed South Africans, whether it’s built here or imported.
The Ram Rampage is the result of a huge investment on the part of Stellantis in Brazil, with more than 800 engineers having worked on it in over 1.2 million development hours.
South American customers get to choose between turbocharged petrol and diesel engines, both displacing 2-litres.
The 2.0 Multijet turbodiesel unit produces 127kW and 380Nm, and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 10.9 seconds. The petrol unit is a bit perkier, producing 203kW and 400Nm, for a 6.9 second sprint time in the sporty R/T version, which also comes with a modified dual exhaust as well as 10mm lower suspension.
In all cases, power is transferred to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic gearbox and automatic and variable all-wheel drive system.
As you’d expect in a unibody bakkie, all four corners are suspended on coil springs, with a McPherson set-up doing duty upfront and a multi-link axle serving the back end.
As for load capacity, Ram claims a payload of just over a tonne for the diesel variants, while the petrol models are limited to 750kg. The load-bin, which is covered in plastic lining on all models, has a volume of 980 litres.
Inside the Ram Rampage you’ll find a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Dual-zone climate control is standard and higher-end versions are available with 12-way electrically adjustable seats and a premium Harman Kardon sound system.
Indeed, the modern bakkie is far from humble.
IOL Motoring