Not everyone wants a truck as big as the Ram 1500, which is why whenever there’s mention of a smaller Ram with a pickup bed people get excited and assume it’s the new Dakota. Just recently, Ram launched a new small pickup truck called the Rampage that’s set to go on sale in “America,” but the U.S. isn’t getting it.
That’s because this small, unibody Ram Rampage pickup truck is only being sold in South America—specifically Brazil and Argentina. The Rampage was first teased in April of this year with a four-part series of short videos on YouTube detailing its new interior, the technology, and other small details on this unique pickup truck. One of the interesting details is that the Rampage was designed for South America with a developmental “partnership” with the U.S. branch of Ram. The Rampage name is also not a coincidence, as the name previously graced a small unibody pickup based on the L-platform in the 1980s.
The Rampage is powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged Hurricane I-4 that was developed for the U.S. market. While this engine shares the Hurricane name with the I-6 found in the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer (and potentially in the Ram 1500 as its V-8 replacement), the 2.0-liter engine is part of the Global Medium Engine family and the same engine found in the 2023 Jeep Compass, Wrangler 4xe, and Dodge Hornet. We also think that there is a bit of America in the tail lights, but that’s just us.
Despite its U.S. design influences, the interior isn’t besieged by a long, tablet-like infotainment screen as we see in the 1500. The Rampage’s infotainment is a sleeker unit and really shows that this will be a luxurious and technologically advanced pickup for the South American market.
If you’re hoping that this will come to the U.S. at some point as the new Dakota, don’t get your hopes up. The 2024 Ram Rampage is a small pickup that’s made for the unique requirements of its South America local markets. We don’t expect this to touch U.S. soil unless someone from Brazil drives one all the way up here.
Read the full article here