Opinion. Stellantis’ North American car lineups are going through some rough times right now, with the EPA coming down on them hard for emissions fines, the discontinuation of the V8s, the introduction of EVs, and on top of all of that the slow, painful demise of Chrysler. Stellantis needs to do something to pull themselves … Read more
Analysis. The industry is steadily moving towards electrification and full electric (via batteries or hydrogen fuel cells) to help with emissions and fuel economy. While there are many advantages, many in the buying public have vociferously objected—and do so again whenever any article so much as mentions electric cars or, in some cases, hybrids…
Speculation. When I read about the STLA Medium platform and saw the segment breakdown, one of my first thoughts was the return of the small Mopar performance vehicles. The article mentioned the Neon, Stratus, and Sebring, but my mind went straight to the return of the Dodge Dart.The last Dodge Dart had a great deal … Read more
Speculation. Recently, I argued that the North American arm of Stellantis could be successful using STLA Large and Frame for just about all its vehicles; and we know that most of STLA Small is destined for lands outside of North America. That still leaves us with the STLA Medium platform/architecture, which is likely to spawn the next-generation Compass. …
… perhaps Toluca, now that it’s only running the Compass at reasonable volumes, can handle all the Medium cars Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep need—and perhaps they won’t be doing Small in the US at all. Here’s the logic behind these ideas.
The new Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder is stunning in its power and efficiency, but many are skeptical, saying it’s too small for serious work trucks.
GM has its turbo four for the Silverado, and Ford has a 2.7 twin turbo pulling the F-150, and they do well—though the Ford seems quite thirsty when towing. But GM and Ford still have V8 choices, while indications so far are that Ram will end with the sixes. (Some do believe the 6.4 V8 will remain on the Ram 2500 and 3500.)…
Analysis. In 2025-26, Mopars will have access to a variety of gasoline, hybrid, and electric powertrains. Where should they put them?Chrysler would probably be a better marque for EVs than Dodge, especially in terms of pricing. Even with the performance aspect taken into account, a Chrysler 300R would be in a better position to tackle … Read more
Guest Opinion. While many are reluctantly sounding approval of the sound of the second version of the Charger Banshee Concept’s Fratzonic chamber, I love it. It is a major step in the right direction, making it sound like there is something living and breathing within this vehicle.
Many video reviews call it “fake” sound; but Dodge took the sound of the motors, tuned the frequency, and pushed it through a resonating system (electronically amplified) to create the sound. The concept is no different from aftermarket mufflers. Some companies make speaker systems with downloadable V8 sound tracks, but Stellantis did something different—using the EV motors’ actual sound. Not to get into a long-drawn-out debate about real or fake sound, something else lurks beneath the surface of the waters at Dodge.
The auto industry is going through a major time of transition, especially at Mopar, with the end of the Hemi V8s, the birth of EVs, and muscle car rivals switching to electric or hybrid variants with historic names—not to mention making crossovers with coupe names.
Sedans and coupes are dying breeds, along with those musical V8 powerplants; they are being replaced by SUVs and crossovers and pickups. These are markets where Dodge is not really playing now, outside of the Durango. How does the muscle brand hope to survive in this new world? Tim Kuniskis referenced the hammerhead shark: evolution. It isn’t as cut and dried, though.
The Hurricane inline-six engines are off to a good start in the Jeep Wagoneer, with reviewers comparing it reasonably well to the Expedition Stealth Performance and Cadillac Escalade V.The high output twin turbo I-6 puts out an incredible 510 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque; the regular version puts out 420 hp/468 lb-ft. That is … Read more
Electric motors can get quite hot while operating—and so can batteries when powering those motors. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) makers have all spent a great deal of time and money on thermal management, as gasoline-vehicle makers did before them. Their solutions work well for most people, but there is likely room for more work by enthusiasts. That … Read more
In Hornet R/T spec, the Dodge crossover manages a combined peak hp rating of 285hp and 383lb-ft of torque from a 1.3L turbo engine. With just the gasoline engine, peak power is 260hp.
To put that into perspective, the last SRT4 (2.4L) produced 285hp and 265lb-ft of torque; the Pentastar V6 in the Charger and Challenger puts out 292hp and 264lb-ft of torque.
The automotive world is going through a metamorphosis as we move into the EV Era. We are going to see may more electric models from all of the brands, including the Mopars.
Another trend that is quickly rising, especially in the American performance car segment, is adding “sub-brands” using the performance-car names. Ford has the Mach E crossover and GM will have Camaro and Corvette sub-brands, with a crossover Corvette. Dodge has not yet announced something of this nature, though Jeep has a luxury Wagoneer sub-brand.
Dodge recently shocked many with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee EV concept at Speed Week, a massive, noisy muscle coupe that received a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, from Mopar enthusiasts and many outside of the Mopar world alike. The big coupe is genuinely a standout in both looks and sound, but it operates in a rapidly shrinking market.
When Dodge showed—or, rather, sounded—its Fratzonic exhaust system in the Dodge Charger EV, many on social media and in car forums scorned the very idea. Some of that was likely a knee-jerk reaction to electric cars, but some suggested that it was too artificial.EVs do need to make some kind of sound, for safety reasons; … Read more
We talked about the STLA Large platform last week—but what of STLA Frame?The Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator are body-on-frame, but it’s hard to see how they fit into the grand scheme of things. The main focus of STLA Frame is the Ram pickup trucks and Jeep Wagoneer, which will be set up with both electrified … Read more
There has been a lot of speculation about what exactly Stellantis is up to with the Mopar brands we’ve become attached to—given rumors of the end of Hemi V8s and L-platform cars, what some see as the impending doom of an electrification takeover, chip shortages, hybrids, and such. Perhaps it’s time to breathe for a … Read more
