Auto News & New car review

The Sprinter was engineered and built by Mercedes; the sole Dodge contribution to the project was their logo. Though it is versatile and unique, it could have used an injection of Dodge common sense.
The Sprinter comes with a bewildering variety of options, including a raised roof that makes it truly unique; a diesel engine that boosts gas mileage, reportedly to a class-best of at least 20 mpg; a chassis cab version popular among upfitters; several seating arrangements when sold as a passenger van; a cargo van; and different lengths. In the second generation to be sold in the United States, a Mercedes gas engine was also added as an option, supplementing the standard diesel - as an $1,800 credit option, meaning that ordering it lowers the price. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dodge Dakota was introduced as a mid-sized pickup, then the only one available, to avoid competing directly with the Chevy S-10 and Ford Ranger; the larger size allowed Dodge to have a higher capacity than the compact pickups, and, later, the only V8.
The Dakota was redesigned for 2005, but sales were disappointing and the engineers and stylists were put back to work; the fruit of their labors was a more attractive truck with new interior features and a massive horsepower upgrade, using the same basic frame and chassis. The 4.7 liter engine has been around since 1999, but now it has 302 horsepower, in the same ballpark as the 5.7 Hemi (which is getting pushed up to 380 hp soon) and far above any past Dakota engine. The interior has been dolled up with a hard-drive based stereo, underseat storage containers, and other features. The sides remain the same, but the grille has been cleaned up and converted to the new Dodge style, with good results (compare the 2008 and 2006 models, above). Read the rest of this entry »

The Dodge Caliber has been criticized by many reviewers for its lack of power; the SRT-4 changes the equation with a turbocharger that boosts the 2.4 liter engine to a full 285 horsepower, enough to make the Caliber quite fast - 0-60 comes up in around 6 seconds, or in 5.8 seconds if we believe the magazines - if not instantly responsive. The SRT-4 also has a tuned suspension and higher capacity brakes, along with better tires than the ordinary Caliber; the result is a vehicle which can achieve excellent test ratings all around. Read the rest of this entry »

Avenger isn’t the sort of name you’d expect for a bread-and-butter sedan. It refers to some punishment being inflicted, and you’re probably more prone to work it into your daily vernacular if you stay cooped up watching reruns of Xena or playing Worlds of Warcraft. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the tough task of reviewing Dodge’s new crossover, the 2009 Journey. Why was it so hard? Well, for one, this thing crosses over a lot of segments for a single vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »

The SRT group takes ordinary vehicles and turns them into high performance muscle machines; they have three cars and a Jeep named SRT-8, all using the 6.1 liter Hemi engine.

The least likely of the trio is the Dodge Magnum, the station wagon we’re not supposed to call a station wagon. Read the rest of this entry »

The current Ram is one of the more aggressively styled pickups on the market, and the redesigned 2009 model looks even tougher, thanks to its new grille. The dual tailpipes poking out from beneath the rear bumper are an unusual styling element for the truck segment, but Dodge manages to pull it off. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is all new. It’s a necessary redesign for Dodge, to remain the leader of the minivan pack. And it’s a good one, with many improvements, including a new optional 250-horsepower V6 and six-speed transaxle (a minivan first), with fuel economy of just one less mile per gallon than the standard 175-hp V6 with a four-speed. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2008 Dodge Nitro is a mid-size sport utility vehicle distinguished from other SUVs by its squared-off styling with exaggerated fender flares. Nitro shares its platform with the Jeep Liberty. It is 22 inches shorter than the Dodge Durango full-size SUV.

The Nitro looks and feels larger than its size, with a high seating position that SUV owners like, and good cabin space. It features Load ‘n’ Go, a cargo storage system whereby the rear seats and front passenger seat fold totally flat in seconds; additionally, the cargo floor slides rearward out over the rear bumper, and can hold 400 pounds, making the loading of heavy objects much easier. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dodge Viper ranks among the fiercest, most raw, visceral machines sold in showrooms anywhere. Only a few cars come as close as the Viper to a street-legal race car: Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3RS, Chevrolet Corvette ZO6, Honda S2000CR. Only two of these cost less, and none come within 95 hp of the Viper.

For most automotive tasks the Viper is overkill, like using a six-pound sledgehammer to swat a fly. Ridiculously fast and able to slosh your eyeballs about in their orbit rounding a bend or under heavy braking, it didn’t really need any more power. But with archrival Corvette Z06 at 505 hp, that’s just what Dodge did for 2008. They made the engine just 0.1 liter bigger but added 95 horses to make a nice round 600. The fly would still be dead, but now you have a bigger hammer. Read the rest of this entry »