Ram has a Maverick-fighter, but not in the U.S. or Canada
Rampage looks like a hot compact pickup
Ram is showing off one of the coolest trucks we don’t get. It’s called the Rampage and it is a unibody pickup that would compete directly against the likes of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. If only it were sold here, that is.
The Rampage name was first used by Dodge, way back in 1982. Omni-based (not K-Car based), it used an architecture that dated back to the 1960s but it competed against… Well, nothing. It was sort of like a Chevrolet El Camino, but much more economical. More likely competition for it was the Subaru Brat and the VW Rabbit truck.
Dodge used the name again in 2006 on a concept. For a 5.7L Hemi-powered concept pickup that was Ram sized but was front-wheel drive and aimed at those who didn’t really want a pickup. Sort of a Ridgeline competitor, but with way more Mopar.
Today, Ram is using it for something more like the first version of the Rampage.
Ram calls it “the most important pickup in Brazil,” and says that it “will arrive to shake up the segment.” That’s via the company’s website but by way of Google Translate if you’ll forgive our Portuguese translation.
The truck is on display in the last for a series of videos that Ram has created. The small truck market is hot, especially in South America, where our massive (and big-dollar) full-sizers are much less common.
Ram showed off a truck that has plenty of full-size attitude in a small package, with a large grille and beefy lines. Then there are the Rampage’s taillights which look a whole like the good ol’ American flag.
Will we get the Ram Rampage here? And how ridiculous is that name? It’s not the best-sounding name, but with Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz selling like proverbial hotcakes, it’s hard to imagine Ram not doing its best to bring the small pickup here.
