If you spend enough time around dirtbikes, you eventually stop judging vehicles by horsepower, infotainment widgets, or how many USB ports they’ve duct-taped into the dash. Instead, you ask the real questions: Will this thing tow a bike trailer without crying? Will it get me down a sketchy forestry trail to the riding spot without becoming a three-tonne paperweight? And can I fit two bikes in the tub without removing needing to leave the tailgate down so the cops can ping me?
So when RAM handed us the keys to the new 1500 Rebel and 2500 HD at Eastern Creek, the goal wasn’t to critique steering feel or panel gaps, I’m a dirtbike guy, I’ve got no idea how to review a car. Our version of scientific testing involves tight access tracks, loading bays, illegal U-turns, and pinning it uphill with a heavy trailer because at some stage someone will be in the right lane going below the legal limit and you’ll of course need to overtake them.
RAM brought the hardware, Eastern Creek brought the conditions, and we brought the critical perspective of someone who’s daily driver is a beat-up 2016 Mitsubishi Triton with 300,000km, a bashed up tray, and a suspicious knock in fourth gear. I am absolutely not a car journalist. But I am extremely qualified to judge how well a vehicle hauls dirtbikes, and at the end of the day, isn’t that all that matters?
And on that front, RAM’s new line-up delivered two very different personalities: the surprisingly nimble, first-class-luxury 1500 Rebel built for bush access and single-bike missions, and the mammoth 2500 HD which is a tow rig so strong and ridiculous it feels like it could drag the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Wagga if the mood struck.
RAM 1500 REBEL
Here’s the curveball: the 1500 Rebel is incredible off-road. Like, actually incredible.
I went in expecting a big, floaty lounge room on wheels that wouldn’t love tight forest roads but this thing threads through the bushes far better than something of its size has any right to.
Despite being long enough to comfortably sleep in, its turning circle is shockingly good. We pointed it down some tight, windy, dodgy forest roads, the exact kind we venture down every week to go riding, and the Rebel never felt too big. You won’t get caught out doing six-point turns while your mates laugh and film you for Instagram.
Off-road grip and body control are also a standout. The Bilstein dampers, clever 4×4 Auto system, and 32-inch tyres make it feel more like the four-wheel-drives we’re used to rather than a giant American truck pretending to be sporty. If you’re the kind of rider who regularly pushes into remote or rutted access tracks, the 1500 is the pick.
Cabin Comfort & Practicality
Inside? Mate… it’s first-class. The Rebel’s cabin actually feels bigger than the 2500’s, because it is, which is insane considering the 2500 is basically a block of flats. You get giant screens, heaps of storage, panoramic sunroof, plush seating, and so much legroom that even long-haul passengers won’t complain.
Bike Fitment
You can fit one full-size dirtbike with the tailgate up, and if the bars and pegs cooperate, you could maybe squeeze in two, depending on the bikes. Tie-down points are solid, the tub is usable, and the lack of Ramboxes gives you precious extra width.
Who Should Choose It?
If your weekends involve:
- driving into the Aussie bush
- squeezing down narrow forestry access roads
- hauling one or two bikes
- keeping things light, fast, and easy
- using it as your daily driver as well
The 1500 Rebel is simply the better dirtbike truck. It gets in and out of places the 2500 definitely shouldn’t go, unless you love turning your trip into an episode of Outback Truckers.
RAM 2500 HD
The 2500 HD is a different beast entirely. This thing wasn’t built for sneaking down tight trails. This thing was built for towing, and not “casual weekend towing.” We’re talking apocalyptic horse-float-towing, caravan-hauling, 3-tonne-load-in-the-rain towing.\
For our test we had a 3-tonne trailer and the 2500 HD towed like the load wasn’t even there. No strain. No hesitation. Zero drama.
In fact, and this is not a typo, it did a burnout UP the hill coming out of Turn 3 at Eastern Creek. While towing three tonnes. The Cummins engine is so torquey (1458Nm!) it will happily obliterate tyres and your sense of reality at the same time. Once rolling, the heavy-duty rear suspension and eight-speed ZF gearbox turn it into a freeway freight train which is smooth, stable, unstoppable.
Turning Circle & Practicality
Shockingly, even with a trailer attached we managed a U-turn on the Eastern Creek main straight. The 2500 is large, but not clumsy.
Inside, the cabin is plush but slightly smaller than the Rebel. At 188cm, my head brushed the rear roofliner. Still comfy, but worth noting if you’re a tall rider or regularly haul big mates.
Bike Fitment
The tray is enormous, two full-size bikes can fit in with the tailgate up. This is your “race team truck” to haul your practice bike and race bike around.
Who Should Choose It?
If you:
- tow caravans
- tow huge trailers
- tow boats
- tow your mate’s broken bike home every ride
- tow your entire existence behind you
The RAM 2500 HD is the one for towing. Just don’t expect to take it down any narrow, slippery, tree-lined goat track unless you want a three-hour recovery mission.
A TRUCK FOR EVERY DIRTBIKE RIDER
The 1500 Rebel is the dirtbike adventurer’s truck, built for riders who actually leave the bitumen behind. It’s genuinely capable off-road, with a surprisingly tight turning circle that makes it far easier to thread through tight bush tracks than something of its size should be. The cab is huge and luxurious, a proper first-class workspace for long hauls, and the tub will take a full-size dirtbike with the tailgate up. If your weekends involve exploring fire trails, sneaking down dodgy forest roads, or parking on the side of a mountain to unload the bike, the Rebel is the one that gets you in and out without fuss.
The 2500 HD, on the other hand, is every bit the professional tower’s truck. Its towing grunt is unmatched, pulling heavy loads with an ease that borders on comedy, and its long-haul cabin comfort makes big kilometres feel effortless. The tray fits two full-size bikes with the tailgate up, and the whole package is purpose-built for caravans, big trailers, boats, and the sort of loads that make lesser utes cry. If towing is the job, the 2500 is the answer.
Both trucks impressed but in totally different ways. And while I’m not a car journalist (again: please reference my humble, rattly Triton), I do know a good dirtbike hauler when I drive one.
