dodge

2009 Nissan GT-R

In December we invited you to vote for the 2008 Tech Car of the Year from our five nominees. Well, no upset this year, as our staff judges agreed with the voting public: the 2009 Nissan GT-R is our Tech Car of the Year. Nissan has been putting top-notch cabin tech into its Infiniti models, and applied the same gear to the GT-R. But that's only the beginning, as you can almost feel the circuitry running through the GT-R's advanced suspensions and road-holding systems. Likewise, the engine is a pretty impressive piece of engineering, bringing in supercar acceleration from a V-6, not to mention the new double-clutch gearbox.

The GT-R has some faults, such as the overly stiff ride, which isn't really mitigated by the Comfort setting for the suspension. And we had some staff disagreement about that double-clutch gearbox: Brian Cooley found problems with using it in traffic, while Wayne Cunningham felt it worked very smoothly. But we couldn't deny the tech tour de force that the Nissan GT-R represents.

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DETROIT -- If Chrysler LLC can survive its financial crisis, it will emerge as a boutique enterprise along the lines of Germany's premium carmakers, co-President Jim Press said in an interview last week.

He suggested that Chrysler could show the way to a sustainable model for a smaller U.S. auto industry.

"If there's one company in America that can build high-craftsmanship, innovative vehicles, it's Chrysler," Press said.

Chrysler will build vehicles that have premium features but are affordable to consumers. Press said the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup signals the company's direction.

"… Read more

As the year winds down, we look back at the cars we've reviewed in 2008, and try to figure out which one qualifies as the Tech Car of the Year. To that end, our staff has boiled the choices down to five nominees, and, as in past years, you can vote for your favorite. These nominees represent the best cabin and performance tech available in a production car today. To make the list, they also have to exhibit at least one over-the-top tech feature. Check out the nominees, vote in our poll, and discuss your choice. The final winner … Read more

Dodge revealed the Dodge EV as part of its line of all electric concepts a few months ago. We've also had a peek at what's happening under the hood of Dodge's electric roadster and come to the conclusion that it's fast.

But Dodge has another fast car that's already in production, our Editor's Choice Dodge Challenger SRT8, but which one's faster? Will it be the silent 248 horsepower and electric 480 pound-feet of torque supplied by the EV's batteries or the brutally, loud 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet from the Challenger's … Read more

How's this for green tech? Coach Builders Ltd. created this bright green convertible Dodge Challenger for the 2008 SEMA Show. According to Coach Builders, it will cost you about $16,000 to lose the top of your Challenger, not including the price of the vehicle itself. Doing a little math, converting a Challenger SRT8 will cost as much as $60,975, if you opt for the uconnect GPS, Kicker stereo system, and six-speed manual tranny.

Adding a little go to the show, Coach Builders Ltd has also supercharged the 6.1-liter Hemi V8 producing 560HP and 510 pound-feet of … Read more

Last week, we took a look at the Dodge Durango Hybrid and, surprisingly, we liked it. Its combination of hybrid tech and cabin tech had us thinking that Dodge/Chrysler had a winner on its hands. Perhaps, the bean counters at Chrysler didn't agree, because they've just pulled the plug on the Durango and Aspen Hybrids, a mere two months after the vehicles entered full-scale production.

The phrase "shooting yourself in the foot" comes to mind, but perhaps it's not that simple.

The news comes as part of a larger announcement that Chrysler is closing … Read more

A new tech barge in old SUV clothing, the Dodge Durango Hybrid features an impressive array of cabin tech and one of the most advanced power trains in a production vehicle. This truck is big, with seating for seven, plus cargo space, all riding high in classic SUV fashion. But environmentalists could learn to love it as it turns in fuel economy equivalent to a V-6 sedan. We take a close look at this behemoth, maximizing our city mileage and testing out the cabin tech.

Read the review of the 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid.

We were recently given the opportunity to kick the tires of a wide variety of hybrid electric and alternative fuel vehicles.

There were a few clean diesels, including a CR-V with a 2.2-liter four cylinder that we should see reach production in a diesel variant of the 2010 Acura TSX. Ford brought out its hydrogen fuel cell, Focus, and a pair of hybrids, one of which was a plug-in model.

According to Ed Kjaer, a representative from Southern California Edison, plugging in electric hybrid vehicles on an overnight cycle is better for the electric grid, because it evens out … Read more

I'm a middle-aged guy, so sure, I read the CNET review of the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 just to get vicarious kicks imagining what it's like to drive a 425-horsepower muscle car. It sounds like a real thrill ride, and sure it's a serious gas guzzler: "The EPA rates the Challenger SRT8 at 14 city mpg and 22 highway mpg. However during our leadfooted testing, we only managed 13.7 mpg over a mixed city and highway cycle."

Even so, I suppose the Challenger's tested price of $43,730 will place it in the affordable range for a lot of folks, or let's be honest, guys. It's a car to get noticed in, but no one's fooling themselves into believing the SRT8 is merely reliable transportation. It's a toy, and if you can swallow the fuel bill, it's a heck of a ride.

Same can be said about high-end audio. It's not practical and it can be expensive to run, but once you get used to what it can do when it's playing your favorite tunes, a $500 HTIB won't cut it anymore. High-end audio isn't an appliance, it's supposed to get your heart pounding and blood flowing, not so different than the SRT8.

Thrill seekers lusting after a muscular audio system equivalent of the SRT8 should check out the following system.

Muscle cars are as American as apple pie, so I went for American made hi-fi where I could. I reviewed Klipsch's mighty RF-83 tower speaker ($2798/pair) for Home Theater magazine last October, but it's still a current model. With three 8-inch woofers and a 1.25-inch horn-loaded titanium diaphragm compression tweeter, the RF-83 mos' definitely will rock your world. Add the 12-inch Klipsch RT-12d subwoofer ($2,199) to ensure the deepest and tightest low bass. … Read more