The new Ram Rampage hasn’t made its way to the US market yet, but this compact pickup truck just won an award in Brazil.

Brazil is home to the AutoData Awards, which has been going strong for 24 years. These awards serve as recognition of excellence within various automotive sectors. More than 5,000 votes are cast for 16 categories, and when tallied, the best vehicle in each class is recognized. The new Rampage just won the Light Commercial Launches and Pickups award, recognizing this is one of the best new small pickups to hit the market. This award isn’t the only reason to admire the Rampage in Brazil.

The debut of this new Ram truck is a hit

Smaller trucks sell better in global markets than in the United States. That doesn’t mean the Rampage isn’t heading to our market, but it showed up in Brazil and put up some impressive stats in the first month. During October, 2,542 models of this new compact truck were sold in the country. This impressive figure put the Rampage at the top of the brand’s Brazilian lineup, helping the brand experience one of the best months ever in South America. In addition to being the top Ram truck sold in October, the Rampage secured a spot among the top five best-selling pickups in the market.

The Rampage rides on a familiar platform

Stellantis creates several useful platforms that are shared among many vehicles in the market. The new Ram Rampage rides on the Small-Wide 4×4 LWB platform, which underpins three other models, including the Jeep Compass, Jeep Commander, and Fiat Toro. The Rampage is the largest vehicle using this platform and 60% of its components are unique to the truck and not the other three vehicles. As expected, the body is extremely unique. Additionally, this new Ram truck uses 86% high and ultra-strength steel.

How good is the Rampage?

We might reserve our opinion of this new Ram truck until it arrives in the United States, but it’s positioned as a premium compact truck. Ram has a history of upscale interior features and impressive driving manners, especially at the highest trim levels. The Rampage has three high-end trims: Rebel, Laramie, and R/T, which make it a high-class truck with excellent packaging. These three trims are differentiated by their exterior elements and mechanical upgrades.

Power for these top three Ram Rampage trims comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged Hurricane4 4-cylinder engine. This engine is imported from Italy and delivers 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to the wheels.

This Ram truck can hit some impressive acceleration figures in the sporty R/T trim. This model reaches 60 mph in less than 6.9 seconds and boasts a top speed of 137 mph. In foreign markets, this small pickup truck can be had with a diesel engine, and all Rampage models use a 9-speed automatic transmission and come with standard 4WD.

What should we expect?

When the new Rampage makes its way north to the United States, this pickup brings an economical package and has the unibody build we associate with other compact pickups. This small truck doesn’t skimp on upscale features, offering a power-operated tailgate to make it easy to load and unload the truck bed when you’ve got your hands full.

Don’t expect this new Ram truck to bring similar pricing to the Ford Maverick, it’s more likely to sit above the other compact trucks in this category but will likely have more standard features and better power than the Maverick or Santa Cruz. The Rebel could be the off-road-focused trim, giving the Maverick Tremor a run for its money.

Could the Rampage be a hybrid truck?

We’re certain the diesel engine won’t be part of the US offering in this small Ram truck, but it could borrow the Dodge Hornet’s PHEV powertrain to give us a small hybrid truck to rival the hybrid Maverick. This PHEV powertrain uses a 1.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine plus an electric motor. This setup is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission to create the complete system. Although we don’t have confirmation of a hybrid Ram Rampage yet, it’s easy to see how this could occur.

When will the Rampage arrive in the US?

Now that this small Ram truck is being sold in Brazil, it shouldn’t be long before the Ram Rampage makes its way to the United States market. We expect to see it in 2024 with the gas powertrain that offers good power and a comfortable ride.

Once it heads our way, we’ll know more about this new compact Ram truck.