On the heels of preparing the launch of its other important crossover, the Grand Cherokee, Chrysler officially took the covers off of the 2011 Dodge Durango this week.
Riding on an all-new unibody platform, rather than its predecessor’s truckish body-on-frame platform, the new Durango is hoped to keep the nameplate on the cutting edge of a heavily crowded segment. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
With research showing that 62 percent of all full-size pickup owners enjoy hunting, fishing and/or camping, the team at Ram Trucks knew that putting together a dedicated package to meet these customers’ needs was a no brainer. So what they did, according to Fred Diaz, president and CEO of the Ram Brand, was ask “Ram Truck customers—boaters, campers, fishing enthusiasts and hunters—what features would they like to see in a truck.”
And then the company delivered, with the new Ram Outdoorsman. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
The fate of the Dodge Durango nameplate has for months been unknown, but Chrysler has officially confirmed that the nameplate will return for the 2011 model year.
Most of the 2011 Durango’s architecture will be shared with the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee. As such, both models are expected to share the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 5.7-liter Hemi V8. However, Chrysler’s press release referred to the upcoming Durango as a “three-row performance SUV” which could imply that a sporty SRT8 model may also arrive at the new model’s launch. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
It’s hard to believe, but Chrysler’s iconic Mopar parts group has never before teamed up with the automaker to deliver a special-edition production vehicle. Even harder to believe: The fact that now they’ve rectified that situation, the results are so flat-out impressive. But those are exactly the right words to describe the Mopar 2010 Dodge Challenger, a limited-run version of Dodge’s award-winning muscle car.
The Mopar ’10 starts life as a Challenger R/T, with a 357-hp 5.7-liter HEMI V8 nestled under the hood, then gets access to the full catalog of Mopar goodies. The exterior wears a custom-look paint job in Brilliant Black, with side stripes and other accents in the driver’s choice of Mopar Blue, Red or Silver, the same colors used for the high-contrast stitching on the car’s leather-wrapped steering wheel and Katskin leather seats. Other interior highlights include a choice of Mopar-sourced shift handles—a “pistol grip” for the manual gearbox and a T-handle for the automatic—along with more Mopar branding and a unique dash plaque celebrating this first-of-its-kind creation. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
While modern-day muscle cars from other automakers are getting most of the press, it looks like the Dodge Challenger is scoring with the people that really count: customers. In Edmunds.com’s annual “Consumers’ Top Rated” listings, it was the Challenger that took home highest honors in the “Coupe under $25,000″ category, based on reviews provided directly by actual owners.
According to the Edmunds team, “Owners absolutely love the Challenger’s sinister look and bad boy attitude. Once they managed to catch their breath, consumer reviewers raved about the Challenger’s smooth ride, spacious interior and all-around comfort.” [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
Ready for a road trip this summer? The Ram 1500 pickup sure is. In fact, the auto experts at KBB.com just named the award-winning pickup to their list of 2010’s Top 10 Road Trip Vehicles. The decision was based on a wide range of criteria, including comfort, reliability, fuel economy and driving dynamics.
According to KBB.com editors, the Ram’s “HEMI V8 engine delivers a healthy 390 horsepower along with respectable highway fuel economy of 20 mpg, and the truck’s boldly styled sheetmetal might just turn a few heads when you roll into town.” [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
One of the industry’s key honors was bestowed on two separate Chrysler Group products recently, when both the all-new Ram Heavy Duty and the exciting Dodge Nitro took home a 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) from the renowned auto consultants at AutoPacific.
Actually, making the awards all the more impressive, they were voted on by over 42,000 new-vehicle owners from around the country, based on 48 different objecting measures of the auto-owning experience. When AutoPacific crunched the numbers, the Ram HD had won the VSA in the Heavy Duty Pickup segment and the Nitro achieved honors in the Mid-Size Sport Utility category. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
Backed by the same outstanding performance that made the all-new Ram HD the only choice for Motor Trend’s “Truck of the Year” honors, the 2011 Ram Chassis Cabs are now on the way to Ram commercial dealers across North America.
This year, Ram’s highly capable Chassis Cab is ready to suit the needs of more customers than ever before. The trucks are available in two cab styles, three weight classes (3500, 4500 and 5500), a choice of three trim levels and four different cab-to-axle lengths, ranging from 60 inches up to 120 inches. And yeah, that thing’s got a HEMI. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
For the past eight years, the members of the Texas Auto Writers Association have gathered some of the country’s top cars together for the organization’s annual Spring Challenge. This year, some 40 Texas automotive journalists evaluated more than 50 different cars in a variety of head-to-head competitions to come up with just one “Performance Car of Texas”: The Dodge Viper ACR.
It’s another fitting honor for Dodge’s sensationally serpentine sports car, which leverages race-bred engineering to more than live up to Herzing’s kudos. Combining 600 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque from its big 8.4-liter V10 engine, along with world-class Brembo brakes—boasting 14-inch rotors at all four corners—the Viper can go from 0 to 100 mph, and then back to a full stop, in just 11 seconds. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
Dodge will be removing the ram’s head from its logo and changing it to feature two inclined stripes and the word “Dodge”. Why after all these years? As the Ram brand is going the opposite direction, Dodge cars are targeting a younger, sportier audience. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }