The RAM 1500 Rumble Bee brings back the Muscle Truck
Those who fondly remember the early 2000s may fondly remember a time when American manufacturers just went crazy with their pickup trucks, giving these utilitarian vehicles power figures that didn’t even belong. A few examples include the Ford F150 SVT Lightning, the GMC Syclone, and more famously, the Dodge Ram SRT-10, which featured the Dodge Viper’s 8.3-liter V10 engine.
These Muscle Trucks eventually faded away due to sensibility and emissions, and we only got to see high-powered pickup trucks recently, thanks to electrification. However, RAM and the SRT division decided to buck the trend and go the opposite direction, and revive these muscle trucks with the RAM 1500 Rumble Bee.
For starters, this full-size pickup truck stuffs a multitude of HEMI V8 motor choices mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and full-time four-wheel drive that can have true rear-wheel drive power delivery at the push of a button.
The entry-level variant is the 5.7-liter HEMI V8, making a decent 395 horsepower and 555Nm. Stepping up to the Rumble Bee 392 variant gives you a larger 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with 470 horsepower and 617Nm of torque.
But the one you’ll want to take notice of is the Rumble Bee SRT, which has a slightly smaller 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 codenamed the “Hellcat”, but this pushes out a monstrous 777 horsepower and 921Nm of torque.
The SRT version also gets a unique front fascia to help cool the massive engine, and it can hit the 100kph mark in around 3.4 seconds, versus the 6.1 seconds of the standard Rumble Bee.
Despite the Rumble Bee’s stance and stature, the SRT team made sure to make it feel “untruck-like” in its handling, while still being able to tow up to 4,032kg and carry up to 526kg. The entire frame has been shortened by 330mm, which further reduces frame flex and improves driver response. It also has steel independent front coil suspension with a rear solid axle and five-link coil, or four-corner air suspension that works to improve driveability or when carrying cargo.
Of course, achieving the truck’s top speed of 273kph is no easy feat, especially considering the frontal area of a RAM is massive. The engineers managed to get the drag coefficient down to 0.357, which is on par with mid-size SUVs.
There are clever aerodynamic elements all around that redirect air around the truck and into some cooling areas, all without adding to the weight. There’s even a rear spoiler, and an optional tri-fold hard tonneau cover that improves high-speed aerodynamic stability.
Apart from that, it’s mostly your standard Ram interior with a handful of Rumble Bee badging, graphics, and carbon fiber accents with alcantara on the higher-end trims, and it rolls on large 22-inch alloy wheels fitted to performance tires.
Granted, the absurdity of this truck makes it a very niche product even within the American market, but would you like to see RAM Philippines bring a few of these in?
Photos from RAM
