2023 Ford F-150 Tremor vs. Ram 1500 Rebel G/T Comparison Test: A Dirty Good Time

Here's the key thing about pickups in America: We love them. We literally cannot get enough of them. The three best-selling vehicles in America have been and continue to be, in order, the Ford F-150, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and the Ram 1500—and there's no sign of this ever changing. With so much at stake, it's no wonder the light-duty pickup truck market sees constant innovation and continual segmentation.

Take the two off-roaders we're looking at today, the 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor and the 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel G/T, two impressive trucks competing in a niche that didn't exist until a few years ago. Ram, of course, invented this mid-grade off-roader segment back in 2015 with the Rebel. Ford followed suit, first with its Super Duty Tremor, and then quite recently with the F-150 Tremor. The question is, if you're looking for a mud-whomping rock-crawler of a pickup that's not as high flying as the Raptor or the TRX, should you go Rebel or Tremor?

Both trucks arrived in our hands dripping with features, and neither is cheap as a result. The 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor starts at $62,865, and its as-tested price rang in at $72,145. The 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel 4x4 with the V-8 starts at about the same price—$62,080 without the $2,995 G/T package—but a funny thing happens if you check every single option box as whomever built our test truck did. As tested, our Ram Rebel 1500 G/T 4x4 is $77,860. These as-tested prices are within a few thousand dollars of the base-price range for the Raptor and TRX versions, but with those more expensive models, getting the options you want plus sheer dealer greed will then vault you close to or even into the six-figure zone. As for options on the Tremor and Rebel G/T, there's no kitchen sink, but know there's a rear-wheel-drive V-6 version of the Rebel that begins in the $55,000 range.

Beginning with the tires, the Ford F-150 Tremor gets 33-inch General Grabber A/TX tires wrapped around 18-inch matte-black wheels. Ground clearance is increased a little, and the track is widened by an inch per axle. Underneath, the Tremor gets specially tuned monotube dampers up front and twin-tube dampers in back. Additionally, it features model-specific upper suspension control arms, a locking rear differential, and all sorts of armor plating. There's an optional front differential locker, but our test Tremor didn't come so equipped. While Ford does offer a host of engines for F-150s—everything from a smaller 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 to a hybrid —the F-150 Tremor comes with either the 5.0-liter V-8 or, as equipped in our truck, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 that produces a healthy 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. You also get a massive yellow/orange Tremor sticker on either side of the bed.

The story is pretty much the same for the Ram Rebel. As mentioned, you can opt for a V-6, but as you'll read in a moment, the V-8 is already a bit outgunned by the Tremor's EcoBoost V-6. The Rebel's eTorque mild-hybrid 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 is good for 395 hp but only 410 lb-ft of torque. As for off-pavement goodies, the Ram Rebel 1500 G/T comes with 18-inch wheels covered in 33-inch Goodyear  Wrangler DuraTrac tires. The Ram 1500's twin-tube dampers are gone, replaced by Bilstein monotubes, and the rears boast remote reservoirs. Should your Rebel come with metal springs, they would be Rebel-specific, and the truck would sit an inch higher. Our test Rebel 1500 G/T came on air springs, and still sits up an inch higher than stock in its Normal position, though that's adjustable. The G/T package includes leather-wrapped everything, a cold air intake, a cat-back exhaust, shift paddles on the steering wheel and, probably most important in this segment, billboard-sized G/T badges on the rear flanks.

When this generation Ram 1500 launched back in 2018, it was so far ahead of the competition in terms of its cabin that there really wasn't anything else near it. Thinking back, this was also true of the fourth-generation Mopar truck, but Ram really cranked up the glam for the fifth-gen model. Time, however, waits for no Detroit-based automaker. While still quite upscale, the Rebel's interior is beginning to show its age. The big, portrait-view infotainment screen, for example, was the height of tech back when Tesla introduced it in 2013 on the Model S. Tesla moved away from such an orientation just in time for the Ford Mustang Mach-E to launch with a big, vertical screen. Weirdly, while most F-150s have a skillfully integrated horizontal screen, the F-150 Lightning gets the Mach-E's screen. Not a good look for any of them—especially for the Ram in this comparison—as looking so low in order to tap functions on the bottom of a large screen is not cool.

For the first time in recent memory, it's safe to say a full-size pickup truck has a higher-quality interior than the equivalent Ram. It took Ford a long time to get there, but it finally did so. It's not that Ford spends more money on the F-150 Tremor's interior than Ram does on the Rebel's, but Ford uses better/smarter materials—and frankly the design is just better. For instance, the big center screen looks like it was meant to be here from the get-go, rather than tacked on. (Check out the new Toyota Tundra if you'd like to see the dictionary definition of an iPad glued to a dashboard.) We also liked the orange contrast stitching inside the Tremor, as it breaks up about half a hectare of gray stuff. Also, the Ford's steering wheel feels like it's of better quality. To sum up the insides of these two off-road-capable pickup trucks, we say nice job, Ford.

Weight is one of the first items we check, and the Ram out-porks the Ford by more than 350 pounds, 5,870 versus 5,518. The two trucks are similarly sized, so this is due primarily to the Ford's aluminum body panels. (The extra weight of Ram's V-8 is mostly canceled out by the EcoBoost's turbos, intercoolers, and piping necessary for the twin-turbo setup.) Then comes the sprint to 60 mph, and the Tremor simply smacks the Ram G/T, 5.5 seconds against 6.6. This sort of beatdown continues in the quarter mile, where the Ford gets it done in 14.2 seconds at 97.4 mph, whereas the big Ram requires 15.1 seconds and reaches 91.7 mph. The Rebel G/T needs an additional foot to stop from 60 mph, 130 feet versus 129 for the Ford. The less said about our handling test the better, with the Ford needing 29 seconds and the Ram 29.8 to lap our figure-eight course. A Toyota Sienna Hybrid minivan needs 28.3 seconds. Moving on.

Give it up for the 2023 Ram Rebel 1500 G/T's air springs: This is a very comfortable, very pleasant, exceptionally well-riding pickup truck. Despite everything else, the air suspension still gives the Ram 1500 class-leading ride quality, especially when held up as a luxury product. That said, there's a nice little "quack, quack" from the V-8, but otherwise all is pleasant including the imperceptible, though not particularly quick, shifts from the eight-speed ZF transmission. To overstate it, at idle, it's difficult to tell the Rebel is running. Also, on a frosty Michigan morning, you will appreciate the excellent steering wheel heater. The Rebel felt very sure-footed on city streets, freeways, and near-frozen gravel backroads. This is a solid pickup you can drive normally for years and be quite happy with.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor feels like a powerhouse compared to the Ram Rebel. Sure, it's quicker, but it also feels more alive, buzzing and fizzing with energy. It's not just the engine: The transmission is quicker, the brakes are better, and the steering is a tad overboosted, but you know what? We'll take it. The ride is firmer than the Ram's, for certain. But it's a sporty, flinty, athletic feeling some people prefer. The Ford is just an all-around athlete of a truck. Our only reason for pause was the way the (unloaded) F-150 Tremor took a particular bump on the fairly high-speed gravel road we used as part of our testing loop. From some contemporaneous notes shouted into a phone: "I watched in near horror as the Tremor's rear end bounced hard to the right on the little water obstacle." We then ran the Tremor over the same water obstacle three more times and it behaved the same. It just kicked hard—predictably so—to the right. Our advice? Slow down.

Yes, this job is fun! We had an entire off-road park all to ourselves that was filled with snow, mud, and rocks, and believe you us, we were merciless on these two mid-grade off-roaders. While an argument can be made for which of the two is preferable on the road—the Ram Rebel 1500 G/T's relaxed luxury versus the Ford F-150 Tremor's sportiness—there was no question whatsoever that the Tremor was better off-road. This is a massive victory for the Ford, even before we began playing around with the F-150's impressive off-road modes. If you just place the Tremor in 4Hi, it's good to go basically anywhere.

Meanwhile, there was a clumsiness and a sloppiness in the muck inherent to the Ram that surprised all of us. Especially because its Goodyear DuraTrac tires are supposed to be better in mud than the Ford's General Grabbers. The Ram G/T felt too heavy, it got bogged down in places where the Ford did not, and it struggled to climb a particularly steep, muddy hill. The Tremor easily conquered the same hill every time, whereas the Ram couldn't make traction, even in 4 Low with its rear differential locked.

To give you an idea of how thorough and judicious we were with our testing, four editors each took at least four runs up the same obstacles in each truck. That's at least 16 runs, and the actual number is probably closer to 25. The Rebel just can't cut it off-road against the Tremor. We were surprised by how sporty the Tremor felt off-road, mostly because of how plodding the much heavier Super Duty Tremors are, especially when compared to Ram Rebel HDs and Power Wagons. Dropping down a size pays big dividends for the Tremor trim level. It's a hugely credible package, and the one we highly recommend if you're in the market for an off-road light-duty truck.

No one likes getting old, but that's what has happened to the Ram Rebel. Time has caught up to it, as has the competition. Extreme off-road chops notwithstanding, there's nothing bad about the Ram 1500 G/T; all the faults are only by comparison. In a bubble, the Ram 1500 Rebel remains an excellent all-around truck. Despite the sky-high as-tested price, we still dig it and we still recommend this truck. But man, the Tremor is sweet. It's handsome, quick, athletic, luxurious inside, stuffed with technology, and a monster when you take it off-road. Ford has built an absolute unit of a pickup truck, one that easily wins this comparison test.

Verdict: A still great truck has been taken down a peg in this off-road-centric matchup.

Verdict: Ford has built a serious off-roader that sets a standard in the segment.