Ram is going all-in on its bet on V8s, having resurrected the Hemi V8 in the 1500 pickup lineup a year ago, resulting in a surge in sales for the model.
At the start of the year, it also announced it was resurrecting the 1500 TRX, now known as the TRX SRT, bringing its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine back to life.
Now Ram has gone even further back in the history books by returning the 1500 Rumble Bee nameplate to North American showrooms for the first time in more than 20 years.
While Australia’s Ram 1500 remains solely powered by the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six ‘Hurricane’ engine, Ram Trucks Australia general manager Jeff Barber has refused to rule out any of the Rumble Bees from being sold locally.
“We are super excited about the new Ram 1500 Rumble Bee unveiled in the US overnight,” Barber said.
“Ram Trucks has an amazing catalogue of vehicles and, as always, we seriously consider all model variants.”
Ram has unveiled three flavours of the 1500 Bumble Bee: the self-titled version, the Rumble Bee 392, and the flagship Rumble Bee SRT, the latter of which has attracted the most attention.
Powered by the same supercharged 6.2-litre ‘Hellcat’ V8 in the TRX SRT, the Rumble Bee SRT makes packs a serious punch, developing 579kW and 881Nm, identical power numbers to the off-road 1500, but about 40Nm less.
Despite this, thanks to its 22-inch wheels with 325mm-wide rear tyres, it can accelerate from 0-62mph (97km/h) in just 3.4 seconds, complete a quarter-mile (402m) pass in 11.6 seconds, and reach a top speed of 274km/h.
That latter figure, if it is tested and verified, would make it the world’s fastest production pickup and ute, beating the record held by the 255kW HSV Maloo, set in 2001 with an average two-way speed of 271.44km/h, set by Mark Skaife.
Standard on the Rumble Bee SRT is an electronic rear differential, though a mechanical limited-slip unit will be optional. It also gets air suspension out of the box, as well as a dedicated track driving mode.
Big six-piston Brembo front brakes help bring it to a stop, while drivers can switch the all-wheel drive system to rear-only with the press of a button.
A step down from the SRT is the Rumble Bee 392, featuring the 6.4-litre ‘Apache’ V8 which once powered the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Making its debut in the Ram 1500 lineup, the big block engine makes 350kW and 617Nm, making it less potent than the High Output six available in the wider Ram lineup, which produces 403kW and 707Nm.
Utilising steel suspension as standard, its bodywork is slightly less aggressive than the SRT, however the optional Track back gives it the same upgrades as the flagship pickup.
Finally the ‘base’ Rumble Bee rounds out the lineup, powered by the standard 5.7-litre Hemi V8, putting out 295kW and 556Nm, still respectable numbers but not in the same league as the SRT.
On all versions of the Rumble Bee, Ram removed a huge 33cm from the length of the 1500’s frame, while matching the dual-cab (or quad-cab in brand terms) body with a short box, making it the shortest five-seat 1500 on sale.
US pricing is yet to be confirmed.
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