Ram Rebel Beats the Nissan Titan for Four Wheeler TOTY

2016 Ram 1500 Rebel Crew Cab 4×4

The folks at Four Wheeler Magazine have announced their Truck of the Year, and unlike so many other publications that rushed to award the Nissan Titan with its underpowered 5.0L Cummins V8, Four Wheeler found the Ram Rebel to be the best factory off-road truck in every situation.

For those unfamiliar with the Four Wheeler Magazine Truck of the Year award, it isn’t just about off-roading. The team spends 5 days driving the test trucks on- and off-road, and the judges take literally every aspect of the trucks into account – from ride quality on-road to off-road capabilities and from interior amenities to overall build quality – over more than a thousand miles of driving.

This year, the Four Wheeler judges had the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 with the 4-cylinder turbo diesel, the Nissan Titan XD PRO-4X with the 5.0L Cummins V8 diesel, the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road with the 3.5L V6 and, of course, the Ram Rebel with the 5.7L Hemi. Of course, the little Chevy and Toyota failed to compete with the big trucks and in the battle of the big trucks, the Hemi-powered Ram Rebel beat down the Nissan Titan PRO-4X.

“If there’s one word to describe the Ram 1500 Rebel, it’s balanced,” said Four Wheeler Editor Christian Hazel. “No matter what we threw at the Ram 1500 Rebel, it just flat-out worked with no drama, no excuses and no compromises. The Ram 1500 Rebel was the vehicle the Four Wheeler judges overwhelmingly chose not only as the 2016 Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year, but the vehicle they’d most like to take home.”

Even more amusing about the Four Wheeler award, from the perspective of a Ram owner, are the comments accompanying Titan and Ram final results.

The worst thing about the Ram Rebel according to the Four Wheeler crew was that they didn’t like the Toyo tread pattern on the seats and they didn’t like the lack of a rear locking differential. They praised the Hemi engine and the suspension system, going so far as to call the engine and transmission “magic”. On the other hand, the judges were far from impressed with the Cummins V8 engine, citing “slightly underwhelming power” and offering the following comments:
“It feels like a land yacht.”
“Engine lacks the punch we’ve come to expect from a fullsize diesel.”
“Solid and quiet on-road feel but jittery in the dirt.”

Funny, Ive never heard any complaints about the Cummins engines that Chrysler uses in the Ram 2500 and 3500 being underpowered, but that is why Ram uses a Cummins engine with 800lb-ft of torque while the Nissan packs a laughable 555lb-ft.

Jokes aside, the Four Wheeler judges found the Ram Rebel to be superior to these off-road ready competitors in pretty much every way – but we all knew that before the competition had even started.

“The Ram Rebel offers an aggressive off-road-style package on our successful Ram 1500 platform and this award from Four Wheeler magazine endorses its combination of engineering and design,” said Bob Hegbloom, Head of Ram Brand, FCA – North America. “We’re pleased this opinion-leading off-road enthusiast publication recognizes the Rebel as its Pickup Truck of the Year.”

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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