Meet The Newest Off-Road Package For The 2022 Ram 1500 Lineup:

As the 2022 model year is fastly approaching, we are starting to learn a lot more about the updates that the RAM brand will be incorporating into its popular fifth-generation Ram 1500 for the new model year. RAM has called its half-ton offering the no-compromise benchmark for durability, technology, efficiency, performance, and convenience, and it’s about to get better going into 2022. This includes a new package for Big Horn (also known as the Lone Star in the Texas market), which is geared toward truck owners who need more capability.

Back in January, our spy photographers caught a mysterious Ram 1500 testing on public roads near the Stellantis North American Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. That truck appeared to look a lot like the last generation Ram 1500’s popular “Outdoorsman” trim. You may recall the Outdoorsman was designed for hunters, fishermen, campers, and boaters and featured trailer-towing upgrades, off-road-oriented tires, along with a rugged exterior appearance in an affordable package that didn’t hurt the wallet. The package disappeared with the launch of the current fifth-generation Ram 1500 in 2019.

Now thanks to our dealer sources, we have learned that the truck seen in the photos is actually the new Off-Road-based 2022 Ram 1500 Big Horn Back Country. While this package won’t be wearing the Outdoorsman nameplate, it appears to be an extension of the former package going into the 2022 model year. 

The new package incorporates the 4×4 Off-Road Group, which gives customers added capability off-road thanks to a heavy-duty suspension, electronic locking rear axle, hill-descent control, underbody armoring, tow hooks, and even the Off-Road information pages from the popular Rebel. Big Horn Back Country also features 18-inch x 8-inch black-painted aluminum wheels wrapped in aggressive Falken Wildpeak A/T tires and also adds a slight 1-inch lift over the stock Big Horn models.

As for the exterior, pulling from the Outdoorsman’s playbook the Back Country features a two-tone exterior appearance highlighted by black accents on the badging, mirrors, grille, bumpers, headlamps, exhaust tips, and black side steps. The look gives the Back Country a mix between the Rebel and the popular North Edition pickups, to create its own unique appearance on the street or trail.

The added capability is also enhanced with the addition of the Bed Utility Group, which comes standard on the Back Country. This means you will get a spray-in bedliner, LED lighting inside the pickup box, four adjustable cargo tie-down hooks, and a deployable bed step from Mopar.

Inside, passengers will be welcomed to a 5-passenger seating configuration thanks to the addition of a center console with driver and front passenger bucket seat layout. The seats will feature both cloth and vinyl material, with the driver seat getting 8-way power adjustments and 2-way power lumbar adjustments as well. Each Back Country model will also feature unique “Back Country” badging on the instrument panel, to help set itself apart from the rest of the Big Horn lineup.

All four of the Ram 1500’s powertrains, should be available on the new package. This includes the 3.6-liter eTorque mild-hybrid Pentastar V6 engine delivering 305 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque, 5.7-liter HEMI® V8 with variable-valve timing (VVT) with 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque, 5.7-liter eTorque HEMI V8 with VVT making 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque, and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engine delivering 260 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque. All powertrain choices are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

While the truck hasn’t been official announced yet, RAM has yet to set prices for the new package. But we expect it to be priced similar to that of the Ram 1500 North Edition since both share much of their content. 

Expect the 2022 Ram 1500 Big Horn Back Country to arrive at dealers in the fall.