When the Hurricane twin turbocharged straight six engine replaced the venerable 5.7-liter Hemi as the key powerplant in the Ram 1500 lineup, many people were concerned about the ability to upgrade the new powerplants. It is no secret that truck owners love to modify their ride and the 5.7-liter Hemi had a huge selection of … Read more
The first Chrysler engine to be called a Hemi was the 426 cubic inch marriage of the wedge-head “B” engines and the company’s 1951 V8 head design, but long before that was the first series of engines Chrysler made with hemispherical heads. Produced in 1944, the six V-16 Hemi engines were made for the military … Read more
Dodge brought back its fratzog symbol for the electric Dodge Charger, in an odd mix of the old and the new. Given that the fratzog was originally created when the Dodge Division was part of a corporation responsible for Moon rockets and soon to bid on the Space Shuttle, perhaps it isn’t that odd after … Read more
Stellantis today committed to building a midsized pickup at Belvidere Assembly again, overriding Carlos Tavares’ decision to renege on the union contract at two factories by dropping both the pickup and the next-generation Dodge Durango. The move will result in the re-hire of 1,500 workers and having a pickup in a key segment. Originally the … Read more
Let me start by saying that this is not an attempt to talk Hemi lovers/people who hate electric vehicles into buying one or even liking them. The point of this piece is to explain how vehicles like the Dodge Hornet and upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona EV can play a key role in the return of … Read more
With the Charger becoming a neo-retro EV muscle car with an inline-6 turbo option, the days of the affordable muscle car are becoming a thing of the past faster than a Mustang in the rear view mirror of a Hellcat. Stellantis’ inflated pricing is making new vehicles are sitting on dealer lots for longer periods … Read more
Dodge is marketing the new Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid electric crossover as something that is a blast to drive, and it is a ton of fun to drive (as that segment goes). However, that ad campaign doesn’t really address the fact that it is a fantastic daily commuter vehicle – with all of the latest … Read more
Over the course of the past 15 years, I have been fortunate to have tested every trim level of the modern Dodge Charger. Growing up a Dodge drag racer and diehard fan of the brand, the most exciting aspect of writing new vehicle reviews was that I might get to drive the latest and greatest … Read more
Chrysler seems to be traveling to a future without V8 engines in its light duty cars and trucks. Some hate the idea, but it’s all in the Mopar tradition. The Dodge brothers never made a car with an eight cylinder; they stuck with four-cylinders. When Walter P. Chrysler was President of Maxwell and then of … Read more
A new Dodge Challenger prototype has been spotted within the company, according to a stellpower source. Over a year ago, a different source said the “LB” body Challenger would boast a choice of Hurricane straight-six or full-electric power; a “4xe” style setup is also possible, and the Pentastar V6 could well make a comeback as a low-cost entry-level engine to keep the starting price low. Another low-end option would be the Hurricane Four.
Back when I got my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500, one of my first updates was a Diablosport tuning device with a preprogrammed performance engine tune for 93 octane. When I got my 2006 Ram used in 2007, it had about 18,000 miles on it and I installed the Diablosport Predator 93 octane performance tune around … Read more
To prove their point, Falken sent me a set of Azenis FK460 A/S for testing. Although they arrived in mid-April, we have seen freezing temperatures and a little snow here in Michigan. This has provided me with a great chance to test these all season tires in a setting that is very similar to the fall and early winter. We have had enough rain to wash away the winter road salt and other debris that accumulates during snow plowing, but plenty of 20°F road surfaces and even some light snow to make things slippery.
The Dodge Hornet, after a long sea voyage, is finally reaching dealerships.
Dodge called the Hornet a “gateway vehicle.” Some thought it would be a hybrid Challenger or Charger to bridge the gap between gas-powered models and EVs; but it was a gateway in different ways—
A gateway to Dodge for first-time buyers
A gateway between FCA and Stellantis—between SUSW and STLA Small
A gateway between gasoline and electric
A gateway between Dodge as “only big cars and trucks” and Dodge as a full line
One could also call the Hornet a gateway between past and future; the original Hudson Hornet was a full sized car, sold in several body styles, that won NASCAR and AAA racing championships with its six-cylinder engine and either two-barrel carburetor or twin single-barrels (Twin-H Power).
One of the custom vehicles Jeep is bringing to Moab will be a Wrangler 3.0 Magneto. The name suggests a hybrid-Hurricane combination—dual H power, so to speak. The reality is not quite so poetic: it’s the third Magneto concept. That said, the concept does bring up speculation about the Wrangler and Challenger (and Charger) once the 6.4 liter SRT Hemi—the “392”—goes away.
Henry Ford famously increased his pay to a high $5 per day, saying everyone should be able to buy the cars they made. … But did he actually do it? It turns out that Henry Ford only paid a small number of people that high wage; the rest of his employees had to make do … Read more
The Valiant was all very fine, but didn’t cover the whole market. As a result, South American dealers decided to adapt the car to sportier and more luxurious segments, taking names from bigger American cars; that brought the Polara, Coronado, Super Bee, and GTX. (Never mind that two of these names were taken from Plymouth; all were sold under the Dodge name.)
These weren’t sticker packages; the sheet metal and fascias were changed to make the cars look more like 1968 Chargers than 1968 Valiants or Darts, and they were based on the sportier first-generation “narrow body” Valiants.