Curbside Find: 1983 Dodge Rampage – Is The Compact Truck Making A Comeback?

By
– Posted on September 19, 2025

Ten years ago I shot and posted a Rampage and titled it “Losing The Battle To Big Pickups (and Moss)“. That clearly seemed to be the way things were going then, with trucks getting bigger with each generation, even those that started out decades ago as mini-pickups. But in the last couple of years there seems to be a shift in the air; the Ford Maverick has been a hit, within the limits of Ford’s production capacities for it, and Hyundai has fielded the Santa Cruz, although not with the success of the Maverick.

But there’s even smaller pickups in the works, expected in the next year or so, both of them EVs. That would be the Slate, which will only come with a single cab and Ford’s much-ballyhooed low cost EV platform, the first variant of which will also be a pickup. Are we about to see the renaissance of the truly compact pickup?

Before we jump into that speculation, let’s set the background first. Of course the Japanese wave of mini-pickups in the late ’60s and through the ’80s was more like a tsunami, and they eventually got bigger and bigger until they became essentially mid-size pickups. And of course they all had dedicated small truck platforms with frames and such, which made them suitable to be upgraded to haul bigger loads and be very off-road capable in the 4×4 versions. It doesn’t seem so likely that that format will return as such.

But genuinely compact pickups based on genuinely compact passenger cars have been around for almost forever, although they were not seen in the US (except for the tiny Crosley) until Subaru brought over its rather odd-ball little BRAT in 1978. With its quite short bed, standard AWD, and two rear-facing seats in the bed (to circumvent the “chicken tax”), the BRAT was less of a genuine pickup than a lifestyle vehicle. Enough young men who saw it as a more civilized Jeep alternative bought them to keep the BRAT going for two generations. A mini-hit, thanks to thinking a bit outside of the box.

Presumably VW was inspired by the BRAT to VW take a dive in this little pool with their 1980 VW pickup, based of course on the Rabbit/Golf, with an extended wheelbase and a more rugged rear suspension. The big difference was that the VW pickup was positioned more as a genuine hauler with its long bed. And it lacked 4WD. As a result, that risky dive turned into more like something of bath for VW, as the little FWD pickup did not get much traction in the US, although it has developed a massive cult following and they are still to be found on the streets and at work, like this one. VW bailed After four years, VW bailed and the tooling was sent to South Africa and then-Yugoslvavia, and renamed the Caddy. It’s been a fixture in VW lineup ever since.

Chrysler must have thought VW was going to have a hit on their hands, because in 1982 their copy of the concept arrived in the form of the Dodge Rampage. Based on their own “Rabbit” (Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon), the Rampage actually shared the front end external sheet metal and such with the sporty coupe variants, the Dodge 024 (later Charger) and the Plymouth TC3 (later Turismo). And there was even a short-lived Plymouth Scamp version in 1983. Good luck finding one of those.

Chrysler sort of split the difference in terms of bed size between the BRAT and the VW Pickup, and using the coupe’s front body half was clearly intended to add a sporty flavor to the Rampage. But it didn’t make enough of a difference to save it from being cancelled after three weak years.

The only engine that found their way into these was Chrysler’s then-ubiquitous 2.2L four, then rated at 84 hp. Perhaps a bit more zest might have enhanced the sporty vibe Chrysler was apparently after, but the turbo version of the 2.2 didn’t come along until 1985. There was a dealer-created Shelby Rampage, but only some 218 were sold.

This example sports an added hood bulge as also used on that Shelby Rampage, but I rather doubt this is one of them, given their minute numbers and the unlikely hood that it wouldn’t still have some Shelby badges or such a, even if this has been repainted. But who knows what’s actually under the hood; quite possibly it is one of the several turbo versions of the four that were made for a number of years.

No Shelby stickers or badges, but there is a prancing horse.

It is sporting a stick shift, which of course was pretty common back then.

 

Back to 2025: as mentioned earlier, there’s two EV compact/passenger car based pickups in the wings. The Slate truck is an ambitious effort to build a bare-bones truck using unorthodox production methods (plastic exterior panels that need no paint or extensive panel presses) in order to keep its price at a target of some $27,500. The termination of the $7500 federal EV tax credit is clearly going to be a headwind for the Slate; it’s dampened my enthusiasm some, having put down a refundable $50 deposit on one. But the seem to be moving forward, having just bought a factory to build it in, a former giant printing facility in Indiana.

Ford’s Maverick, whose sales have shown a healthy growth trajectory, isn’t exactly all-that compact with a 200″ overall length. But in relative terms, its low profile, lighter weight and standard FWD platform with available hybrid powertrain (and AWD) that it shares loosely with the Escape does make it the first passenger-car based pickup here in some time, discounting the ill-fated Subaru Baja. The real significance of the Maverick is that it is Ford’s lowest cost new vehicle (now starting at $29,840), and as such shows how trucks are increasingly displacing passenger cars in the heart of the market, even the entry-level one.

As to Ford’s upcoming (likely in 2027) sub-$30k EV pickup, there’s been no spy shots or other information about its exact size and format, but it will apparently have a standard double cab like the Maverick, so it’s fairly safe to assume it will be roughly similar in those metrics. Its platform will also underpin other variants, presumably including a CUV and small van. That will likely put some additional pressure on the Slate, but perhaps it can carve out a niche for itself. It’s going to depend on whether it can gain enough momentum, as that is what it seems to take nowadays. Nobody wants to buy a “loser”, regardless of the objective qualities. That’s the issue Hyundai is fighting against with its Santa Fe.

The failure of the BRAT, VW Pickup and Rampage back in the early ’80s isn’t exactly a good omen for these two new entrants. But then the Maverick has already paved the way, so I wouldn’t bet against them. And trucks have been expanding their domain year after year, so it’s quite easy to see the market expanding further at the bottom end. My bet is it’s going to be different this time around, although being pure EVs may not be in their favor. But the basic format is not likely to go away as it did once before.

 

Related CC Reading

Curbside Classic: 1982 Dodge Rampage – No Thanks; We Like Our Pickups Extra Large  by PN

Trailhead Classic: 1978 Subaru BRAT – Subie Doo by PN

Curbside Classic: 1980 Volkswagen Pickup – Beating The Tariff, But Taking A Beating by Dave Skinner

I Just Put Down A Deposit On My Next New Car: The Slate – It’s Brilliant, It’s Simple, It’s Changeable, It Starts At Under $20k, And It’s Just What I’ve Been Waiting For by PN