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Can You Build a Better Ram 1500 Rebel Out of Mopar Accessory Parts?
Can You Build a Better Ram 1500 Rebel Out of Mopar Accessory Parts?

Can You Build a Better Ram 1500 Rebel Out of Mopar Accessory Parts?

Can You Build a Better Ram 1500 Rebel Out of Mopar Accessory Parts?

By Aaron Bragman

The 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel is a marvelous off-road truck with an optional air suspension, big knobby tires and style that makes it look the business. But Fiat Chrysler Automobiles also has a division called Mopar, a parts and accessories business that designs and sells bits and pieces meant to make your Ram truck (or Jeep or Dodge) even more special. And a lot of those parts are meant for off-road use, which begs the question: If you start with a basic 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn, can you build a better Rebel than Ram can?

Related: We Drove a 2020 Jeep Gladiator With $10,000 in Mopar Accessories

A Solid Starting Point

Mopar put together just such a truck to see what's possible from its sizable catalog of parts. The result is the big blue monster you see here, a 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn loaded with about $12,000 of Mopar accessories. Mopar started with the 4x4 Ram 1500 Big Horn crew cab, a mid-level trim with a starting price of $52,585 including a whopping $1,695 destination fee. It included the Sport Appearance Package with black interior accents, the Premium LED Lighting Group, the Level 2 Equipment Group (damped tailgate, automatic climate control, media hub, signal mirrors, heated seats and steering wheel, power adjustable pedals and seats, remote start), plus Uconnect 4C with navigation and an 8.4-inch touchscreen, and the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine.

Lookin' the Part

From there, Mopar added a 2-inch lift kit (no air suspension here) and 18-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in chunky Toyo Open Country M/T 35-inch off-road tires, which is what used to be standard on the Ram 1500 Rebel, but which now uses more pavement-friendly Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs. That lift kit is pretty extensive, too, including front shocks, upper control arms, rear shocks, spring spacers, jounce spacers and a track bar bracket. Fender flares that outline the wheel wells help fill out the space, while off-road-style running boards help you get up into the lifted truck. In the bed is Mopar's RamBar accessory bar, designed to secure storage and to allow you to mount things like auxiliary off-road driving lights, of which Mopar has mounted four 5-inch LED lights controlled by a switch just below the cabin's headlight controls. Their position aft of the cab is not optimal, illuminating the roof as they do, but at 4,800 lumens each, they're powerful enough to still light up the night in true supernova fashion. Finishing off the exterior is a Mopar hood graphic; all of it combines to make the Moparized Ram 1500 look pretty badass, I must say.

They'll Hear You Coming

Mopar added a few bits underneath this "brodozer" as well. Most noticeable is a cat-back exhaust system with black 5-inch tips that considerably loudens the Ram 1500's 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. There's no being stealthy in this truck — it's loud to the point of being obnoxious during acceleration. Highway cruising isn't so bad, as the truck settles into a loping drone that isn't intrusive, but between the wind noise from the RamBar lights and the roar of the off-road tires, the engine is the least of the sounds coming into the cabin. It's really only unpleasant when the windows are down; keep the cabin buttoned up, and it's not too bad — from inside, anyway.

Helping open up the engine is a Mopar free-flowing Ram Airflow cold-air intake system, which is really meant more for sound and fury than any extra power. Not that the Ram needs any extra power — the Hemi engine makes 395 horsepower as it is, which is more than enough to propel the big truck with urgency when called for.

Interior Customization

The biggest change to the interior is the inclusion of Katzkin leather seats. The Big Horn comes with "deluxe cloth" upholstery, but upgrading to custom leather is easy using Mopar's partnership with Katzkin. Working with a dealer, you can choose any color you want, with various patterns, embroidery and logos, and all it takes is a little extra cash. Or choose from Mopar's pre-created versions. At $1,365, as seen here, plus installation charges, it's a cheap way to dramatically change the look of the interior, and the quality is indistinguishable from factory-installed leather seats when done by a reputable installer. Mopar finished off the interior with subtle Ram logo side-sill plates, a wireless phone charger and all-weather rubber floormats.

Is It Better than a Ram Rebel?

The short answer: Not quite. The Rebel includes more standard off-road equipment, such as underbody skid plates, a standard electronic locking rear differential, a specially tuned suspension, Bilstein remote-reservoir shock absorbers and a unique interior. The cheapest Ram 1500 Rebel you can get would run you $46,885 for a Quad-Cab model with a longer 6-foot-4-inch bed. A Rebel crew cab with the same level of equipment as this Moparized Ram 1500 Big Horn would run you $56,575 with a few necessary option packages. Meanwhile, the Big Horn you see here costs a minimum of $64,484, including the $52,585 price of the truck plus all the accessories (see the chart below). But keep in mind that this is just the price of the bits — installation at your local dealer will bump the cost up even more, and it varies depending on the parts chosen and where you have it installed.

The Mopar accessories here are really meant more for dressing up on the road than driving off into the wilderness, showing customers what's possible when you dive into the Mopar catalog at a dealership. The benefit of using the company's accessories is that they can be added either at the dealer or sometimes at the Mopar Custom Shop, a facility offline from the factory that installs a number of components before delivery. This allows them to be included on the vehicle's window sticker and even rolled into the purchase price for financing purposes.

You can get a ready-made Rebel, or get a Big Horn and make your own personalized Rebel-style truck with the Mopar catalog; either way you're left with a highly desirable, unique pickup.

The Moparized 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn

 Part Name

 Price

 Part Number

 Beadlock-capable wheels

 $425 (each) x 4

 82215259AB

 Off-road-style running boards  

 $995 

 82215508AB 

 2-inch lift kit

 $1,350

 77072424

 RamBar

 $995

 82215959 

 5-inch LED off-road lights 

 $595 (each) x 2 

 82215274AB 

 Off-road wheel flares

 $499 

 82215284AB

 Door-sill guards

 $205

 82215419AB~

 Wireless charger

 $250

 82215150AC

 Katzkin leather seats

 $1,365

 LRDT0192DI

 Ram Airflow cold-air intake

 $925

 77072428

 Cat-back exhaust

 $1,710

 77072520AA

 5-inch black exhaust tips

 $395

 82216079AA

 Mopar hood graphic

 $100

 82215535AC

 Grab handle

 $55

 82215496

 All-weather floormats

 $165

 82215321AC

 Total

 $11,899