The powers that be are often at risk of showing up in public without a suit or bodyguards. Sometimes, this is due to real security issues; sometimes, it’s just a common whim. But nothing will provide a better feeling of protection as your very own, personal armored car with proper features/characteristics and, of course, at a reasonable price.
The Dodge Challenger coupe has graced our test driveway numerous times over the past decade and truth be told I love seeing it every single time. Our last visit was with the (then) ultimate Hellcat version and all of its 707hp. The 2018 tester arrives just under that car in the form of the R/T 392 Scat Pack.
There are hundreds of new cars, trucks, and SUVs for consumers to choose from when purchasing a new vehicle. I do my best to evaluate as many of them each year and this can be a daunting task. Of the vehicles reviewed this past calendar year, here is a listing of my five favorites.
In case you did not know it, Dodge no longer makes pickup trucks. Sure, you can still by trucks at your local “Dodge” dealer but for about a decade now they have been branded Ram, although most folks seem to have missed that message.
Perhaps the biggest news from the New York Auto Show this past week was the debut of the Dodge Demon Challenger – a production coupe ready to win at the drag strip. But what is the baddest sedan on the street today? The 2017 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.
Do you sometimes just sit in your car and wonder where the heck you are going? Maybe not this trip, but perhaps in life? The new Journey Crossroads Plus from Dodge sounds like the perfect vehicle that is right there with you, waiting for that epiphany when you decide to zig instead of zag.
It has been about five years since I last tested the Durango three-row SUV from Dodge and brother, that’s too long. When asked about which family sport ute I would recommend to folks the Durango is always near the top of my list and now my wife has joined the Dodge fan club as well.
I am constantly asked what the best three-row crossover vehicle is and for many years my answer has not waivered: a minivan. I am still a firm believer that the ultimate utility comes from a model that receives so little respect these days, and recently we got a (final) look at the granddaddy of them, the Dodge Grand Caravan.
Has Dodge created the best musclecar ever built in the form of its new Challenger SRT Hellcat? Yes. And no. Purists will argue the supercharged 707hp beast must have a manual transmission to be the ultimate street car, but those folks dwell in the past. The world has evolved and so, too, must we. Welcome to 2015.
This is a big year for Dodge passenger cars. New sheet metal, new engines, new excitement. As we build up to the arrival of the baddest of the bad, we spend time behind the wheel of the totally redesigned 2015 Dodge Charger sedan. Redesigned from nose to tail, the big car still carries the vision of the Dodge brothers.
There is just something about Pony cars that is so…American. Camaro, Challenger, Mustang. Iconic symbols of Detroit musclecar greatness, both then and now. We love to look at them and we all want to drive them. As the horsepower wars continue to wage, Dodge looks once again to its heritage for inspiration on the 2015 Challenger.
Although it may seem like the Ram (formerly Dodge) truck division of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Corporation has been serious about competing against the likes of Chevy and Ford pickups in recent years, the brand’s off-roading heritage goes back to the waning days of WWII and a purpose-built ¾-ton military truck known as Power Wagon.
Dodge, the performance brand at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. As part of the festivities they threw themselves (and 2,000 of their closest friends and fans) a little party in Dallas that featured a huge Dodge and Mopar car show, Viper drifting, Challenger drag racing and a concert by a little band called Mötley Crüe.
Dodge has been dominating headlines recently with its introduction of the new 707hp Hellcat models of Challenger coupe and Charger sedan. While these new demons of the pavement rightly deserve their place in modern motoring history let me remind you the automaker still offers modern musclecars for the everyday Joe or Jane, and recently we enjoyed the Challenger R/T Shaker.
Despite hitting a setback in sales volume due to winter weather recently, the midsize sedan market is a hot segment. Consider the competition: Accord, Camry, Fusion, Malibu and Avenger. In an attempt to make its car more populous in driveways than rental fleet lots, Dodge offers special edition Avengers such as this 2014 Dodge Avenger Blacktop.
Competition in the pickup world does not end at the light duty segment, far from it. Truck makers constantly work to improve their heavy-duty consumer models as well and for 2013 the Chrysler Group has made significant improvements in the HD lineup of Ram trucks in the areas of powertrains, suspensions, technology and content. Ram, the truck division over at the Chrysler Group (formerly known as Dodge Ram), has been busy making improvements to its consumer pickup models for 2013. Highlighting the upgrades in the Heavy Duty lineup is the power bump in the Cummins turbodiesel engines that now has…
Fresh from bankruptcy recovery and newfound corporate leadership, Dodge is slowly clawing its way back into the automotive market with new and improved product and it has even resurrected another well-known name from the past and given it new life (a la Alfa Romeo) in the form of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan. No sooner had the ink dried on the corporate restructuring papers did Dodge begin work to bring an all-new compact vehicle to the U.S. market. Hoping to rekindle success it found in the Neon a couple decades ago it was decided to source the architecture…
Dodge recently redesigned its fullsize Charger sedan, giving it bodylines and other styling cues that pay homage to the iconic car’s heritage. Keeping it current and marketable, the automaker loads the vehicles with a host of modern powertrains and interiors (and safety equipment). Under the hood of our first recent Charger tester – an R/T – was the latest 5.7-liter V-8 HEMI with Fuel Saver cylinder deactivation technology that offers 25 mpg on the highway but still delivers a very healthy 370hp when prompted. The R/T came with a five-speed automatic but adds new die-cast zinc steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters…
An automotive anniversary is quietly approaching, but I doubt anyone will notice. Of course I am not talking about the 50th anniversary of Mustang – no, I am speaking of the 30th anniversary of the minivan. Yes, that once-ubiquitous soccer-mom vehicle is still rolling off the assembly lines despite being outpaced over the last two decades by SUVs and CUVs. While the number of models available are about half what they were 20 years ago, the granddaddy of them all – the Caravan from Dodge – is getting ready to hit the big 3-0. Now offered only in Grand Caravan…
The US Postal Service recently announced the release of a new set of commemorative Forever stamps celebrating five iconic muscle cars from America’s motoring past. The five vehicles being honored – 1966 Pontiac GTO, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, and 1970 Chevelle SS – all represent America’s adventurous spirit of the muscle car era as these vehicles rumbled and roared their way into the hearts and minds of driving enthusiasts. Artwork for the stamps was created by Tom Fritz, who said he based his work on photographs of the iconic cars, using bright-colored oil…
Imagine this: You pull up to a stop light in rush-hour traffic and BAM – your engine stops. For many drivers this is a huge fear, but for others, this is the new normal. Regarding the latter, this is the new stop-start technology that is finding its way into new vehicles. This technology has been in vehicles overseas and is now working its way into vehicles sold in North America. “Engine stop-start isn’t a brand new technology, but the latest systems benefit from significant advances made in the last few years,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s Director of Automotive Engineering and…