Once again, the Michigan State Police have tested all the police pursuit and special duty cars they could lay their hands on. The pursuit cars were the Chevy Tahoe and Silverado, Dodge Charger and Durango, and Ford Explorer, F-150, and Mustang Mach E. Surprisingly, given its quick 0-60 acceleration, the Mach-E was not impressive during … Read more
Two Mopar books have been put on sale at Amazon. The first, My Slant on Things: Tales of old Chryslers and junkyards and stuff, by Gary Platz with Ed Driestadt and David Zatz, is a series of stories about rooting through junkyards, keeping cars alive and well, and memorable experiences in the days when many … Read more
Several outlets incorrectly reported that the 2023 Jeep Compass’ 2-liter turbo engine will generate 270 hp. However, Chrysler itself reported, in three places on the press release, that it will actually generate 200 hp, with 221 lb-ft of torque. This would seem to settle the power question, but what would cause such a large difference? … Read more
The Los Angeles show will see a new version of the Chrysler Pacifica and an “electric” reveal of one of the “most iconic and classic FIAT brand models of all time.” The Fiat is almost certainly the new-and-improved 500e already on sale in Europe. While it’s possible there will be a new generation of the … Read more
FCA Canada has closed ordering for the 2022 Challenger, Charger, and 300; vehicles ordered but not built will be moved to the 2023 model year later. Dealers can now order a variety of 2023 cars: Chrysler 300 Touring, Touring L, and 300S Dodge Charger SXT, GT, and R/T Dodge Challenger SXT, GT, and R/T In … Read more
The latest Consumer Reports rankings are out, and they managed to skip pretty much all former Chrysler, current Stellantis brands, using this disclaimer: Criticisms of Consumer Reports’ “feedback loop” seem to have support in how few owners are willing to splash out on any vehicle from FCA US; more niche brands such as Acura and … Read more
The Wrangler 4xe, FCA US’ most popular plug-in hybrid despite years of selling PHEV minivans, has been out long enough for people to get some idea of how much money they may save by driving one, versus the standard gasoline engines. The four-cylinder-turbo-plus-motor 4xe system generates nearly the same acceleration as the big 392 V8, … Read more
Jeep’s joint venture with Guandgzhou (GAC) has declared bankruptcy. Jeep was the first American company to make and sell vehicles in China, with Beijing Jeep; this was before China required that foreign companies form joint ventures with Chinese firms. When Daimler-Benz took over Chrysler, though, they gave the company and factory to Mercedes. For a … Read more
We have been talking for years about the Hurricane inline-six engine family; with the arrival of the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, those long-rumored engines have finally come to production.
In the huge Jeeps, both the standard and high-performance variants of the 3.0-liter Hurricane engine provide substantial power, making them reasonable alternatives to the Hemi V8 engines which are also available in luxury Jeeps…
The Dodge brand announced back in August at the Speed Week Muscle Announcement event that the seventh and final Last Call special edition vehicle – a Dodge Challenger of some sort – would debut at the 2022 SEMA Show. However, earlier this month, it was announced that the big debut had been pushed back to … Read more
Burton Bouwkamp, born in 1926, died two days ago after a distinguished career in Chrysler engineering and product planning. He led work on V8 engines, the Dodge Charger, the E-body muscle cars, and the Horizon, among other projects.
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 … Read more
In Europe—the EU+EFTA+UK—Volkswagen’s share rose to 23.8% of the total market, followed by Stellantis at 16.6%. Last September, those numbers were 21% and 18.4% as Stellantis lost 1.8 points of share and Volkswagen gained 2.5 points. To a degree, these changes are supply-dependent. Year to date, Stellantis’ share is far better, though lower than year-to-date … Read more
Ford introduced the Bronco as the first modern competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and, having tested them both extensively on-road and off, I can say that the Bronco is truly the best alternative to the Wrangler of the modern era. No SUV combines off-road abilities with on-road comforts as well as the Wrangler, but the … Read more
Overall, FCA US saw sales fall by 12% year-to-date from 2021, from 1,365,881 to 1,199,407 vehicles sold. Chrysler was the only brand with a net gain, thanks entirely to the Pacifica—which rose from 59,502 to 75,902 sales (including Voyager). The Toyota Sienna, which was on track to clobber the Pacifica, saw its sales falter and drop … Read more
Chrysler Canada posted a hefty 15% increase in sales for the third quarter of 2022, compared with the same quarter in 2021. Year to date, Canadian sales rose by 7% to 130,729. Year to date, every Dodge car still in production rose—but Dodge sales overall fell by 25%, because the former best seller, the Caravan, … Read more