Dodge Utility Vehicle Cars

What has the world come to? Just a decade ago, you wouldn’t think much of pick-up trucks in terms of straight-line acceleration. Sure, we’ve had things like the Ford Lightning or the GMC Syclone, but nowadays, you can buy a pick-up truck with well-over 600 and even 700 horsepower out the box. On today’s drag racing video from Sam CarLegion, we have a RAM 1500 TRX going up against a Ford F-150 Roush. The goal is simple – to find out who’s quicker at the quarter-mile.

Coming up with a car that can both give you the ultimate driver satisfaction and be a usable daily driver is a tall order. Or at least it used to be. The two contenders in today’s drag race prove that nothing is impossible. The YouTube channel Sam CarLegion has arranged for the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and Mercedes AMG E63 S Wagon to throw down on the drag strip and see, which is the ultimate grocery getter.

The 2021 Dodge Durango was launched a few days back and has been welcomed warmly by enthusiasts all around the globe. Dodge has set a cat among the pigeons in form of the 710-horsepower Hellcat engine under the hood of the 2021 Durango. This is certainly bound to reinvigorate the powerful SUV segment. However, it looks like the SUV could do well in another segmentl, thanks to a rendering by X-Tomi Design. X-Tomi has rendered the 2021 Dodge Durango as a pickup truck and we have fallen in love with it. With the Ranger Raptor enjoying some sort of a monopoly on the market, the Durango as a compact, powerful truck could rival it for supremacy. Who are you betting on?

It’s the year 2020 and Dodge is still selling the bonkers Durango SRT, which can still pull off 0-60 mph sprints in 4.4 seconds. It’s also America’s most powerful SUV that comes with a three-row arrangement as standard thanks to a naturally-aspirated 6.4-liter HEMI V-8.

So, does the world really need a higher-performance Durango iteration? Not really but hey, shoehorning a Hellcat V-8 inside the Durango can’t go wrong, right? Especially since the transplant would be done in the confines of Dodge’s facilities under the close supervision of the brand’s mechanics and engineers, and not by your street-corner auto shop.

Ram had to keep up with Ford and Chevy, so the time came to give the Ram 1500 a very serious update. And, a serious update is exactly what it got. And, when we say full update, we mean it is all-new with a new frame, new grille, and a completely revised interior, among other things. The fifth-gen model brings together every major selling point the truck has ever had in the best way yet it’s lighter than ever. Even the EcoDiesel V-6 got an update to deliver more power and torque while the truck can even be had with a deployable front air dam and a mild-hybrid drive system. We could talk about the new Ram 1500 all day long, but that’s not why we’re here (you can read our full review for that.) instead, we’re here because we love the look of the new 1500 and decided to make it our wallpaper of the day. Check out our hand-picked favorite or choose from a full gallery of awesome shots.

The Durango has been one of the most successful products for Dodge. Currently, in its third generation, the hot-looking SUV gets refreshed for the 2019 model with some tasteful visual cues. With a lot more customization options now available, the Durango is looking to expand its base even further. Does it still have the steam to take on the younger line of SUVs?

Dodge revealed a slightly updated and, as usual, a rather appealing 2019 Dodge Durango. With subtle changes aimed to enrich the offering within all trim levels and with only superficial styling changes, the unibody SUV continues to be a rather formidable competitor to the Pilot and its likeness.

The company revealed an MSRP of $29,995 for the entry level 2019 Dodge Durango SXT with a 3.6-liter, V-6 engine.

As consumers scoop up the latest and greatest four-wheeled creations to go about their daily lives, law enforcement agencies are also looking to upgrade their fleets. One of the latest entries in this space is the new cop-prepped Dodge Durango, which offers V-8 power and AWD to stick it to the perps.

Continue reading for the full story.

For years, the Durango R/T was Dodge’s flagship performance SUV. It came with 360 horsepower from the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, a performance-tuned suspension and exhaust, rear- or all-wheel drive, and a racer appearance. But for 2018, the Durango R/T loses its crown to the 6.4-liter Hemi-powered Durango SRT. The big V-8 kicks out 475 horsepower, making the most powerful three-row SUV with an American badge. Thankfully Dodge isn’t letting the humbled Durango R/T be forgotten. It receives the same cosmetic upgrades found on the Durango SRT, namely the functional performance hood and front fascia.

These exterior updates aren’t mere cosmetic consolation prize. Both the hood and front fascia are aerodynamically tuned to better ingest cool air while extracting heat from the engine bay. Officially, these enhancements don’t improve the 5.7-liter’s horsepower or torque stats, but in practice, it’s likely the cooler intake temperatures and mild ram-air effect the Durango SRT’s cold-air duct system, combined with lower engine bay temperatures, help boost performance. Then again, Dodge would surely announce any performance gains. In addition to the new bodywork, the Durango R/T will be available in “B5 Blue,” the legendary electric hue only offered on Dodge’s SRT products. Other updates include a new T-handle gear shifter that replaces the rotary knob and a new sport steering wheel. Pricing will be announced closer to the 2018 Durango’s on-sale date in the third quarter of 2017.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investing nearly a million Ram pickup trucks and Dodge Durango crossovers over complaints registered against the rotary dial transmission shifter. The complaints allege vehicles roll away after being parked and point to the rotary electronic shifter as the culprit.

The news comes from Automotive News, which says FCA is cooperating with the NHTSA over the concerns. The NHTSA says it has reports of 25 crashes and nine injuries from owners claiming their vehicles rolled away after being parked. No deaths have been reported in relation to the rotary shifter issue. That is in contrast to FCA’s previous electronic shifter issues. Most notably, “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin was killed when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his steep driveway, pinning the 27-year-old against a brick pillar of his security fence in June of 2016.

Unlike the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300, the Ram trucks and Dodge Durango in question uses the rotary dial rather than the joystick-like gear shifter. However, this now puts both versions of FCA’s electronic shifter into question.

The NHTSA is specifically investigating the 2013 through 2016 Ram 1500 pickup and 2014 through 2016 Dodge Durango. Both vehicles are equipped with the ZF-scoured, eight-speed automatic transmission that requires an electronic shifting mechanism. The rotary shift knob was designed by FCA.

Jaguar Land Rover also uses the same transmission with a similar rotary knob. The NHTSA is including roughly 39,000 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar XF vehicles within its investigation after seven reports of rollaway crashes. Four injuries were associated with the reports. The affected model years include the 2012 through 2014 JLR products.

FCA is urging owners of these vehicles to set the parking brake before exiting the vehicle. We’ll bring you more information as we have it.

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News about the future Jeep Grand Wagoneer has gone from promising to problem-ridden over the last month. Reports have suggested Jeep is canceling the high-end SUV for good, while others suggest nothing is wrong. Well, word has just surfaced from two different third-party parts suppliers that Jeep in putting the Grand Wagoneer project on hold.

The news comes from Larry Vellequette, a reporter with Automotive News whose dedicated beat for the last decade has been Chrysler and now FCA. He reports the luxo-Jeep isn’t officially dead, but it isn’t alive and well. The major problem, according to Vellequette, is FCA’s very limited cash reserves. FCA is currently funding a company-wide game of musical chairs and retooling with its assembly plants. Vehicles are being moved around, plans are getting refurbished, and this is eating into cash reserves.

Also a major factor is the limited size of vehicle that’s capable of being produced at FCA’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. It currently builds the Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, but anything larger, say like a three-row Range Rover competitor, simply wouldn’t fit down the assembly line.

Vellequette makes an interesting observation though. Why retool Jefferson at great expense for a low-volume SUV rather than build a high-volume, body-on-frame SUV that competes with the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition? Why not base that SUV on the upcoming refreshed Ram 1500? It’s certainly an idea worth exploring.

Ram has never made a three-row SUV based on its pickup despite GM and Ford having outstand success with the concept. Should Jeep choose to pursue this, the Grand Wagoneer name would likely drop the “Grand” portion, recalling the more utilitarian Jeep Wagoneer of 1974 through 1983.

Should Jeep go this route, it could even create a heavy-duty version, competing where the Suburban 2500 and Ford Excursion once did. What’s more, it could even create a Rubicon or Trailhawk version based on the Ram 2500 Power Wagon. Best of all, FCA would need far less cash to pull this off. The Ram’s Warren Truck Assembly Plant could accommodate the 1500-series Wagoneer, while FCA’s Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Mexico could accommodate the heavy-duty and Power Wagon versions.

Of course, this is pure speculation on our part based on speculation by Vellequette. One thing is for sure though – Jeep will not be getting its Grand Wagoneer by 2018 or 2019.

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Apparently there’s a lot of Ram Truck fans in Europe. On November 5, 2016, a parade of more than 1,000 Ram pickups drove along the Nürburgring in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record. A Facebook Live video captured more than 45 minutes of passing Rams of various years, many of which dressed up with modifications like LED lights, bumpers, and roll bars.

According to the club that sanctioned the event, Ram World Record, there were 1,152 Ram trucks that participated in the parade. RWR set out to beat Ram’s previous record of 451 trucks set back in April 2015 in Texas.

The parade’s

breaking numbers seems to be contested, though, as Guinness World Records has not updated its website with the event. What’s more, it seems odd that Ram was only able to muster 451 trucks for its record-breaking parade in Texas – Texas. That’s the same state where you’d be able to find at least that many Ram trucks parked at an airport parking garage. Perhaps these European Ram owners are a bit more engaged into the brand.

We reached out to Ram for official word, but until we hear back, take a look at this video. It was shot by Dale Lomas from Bridge To Gantry, a site dedicated to all things Nürburgring. Though he was only a spectator, his video shows (in unofficial detail) the vast number of Ram trucks slowly making their way down the rain-soaked ‘Ring.

Continue reading to watch the video

By now you’ve probably read how the 2017 Ford Super Duty was crowned the Truck of Texas and that the 2017 Nissan Armada won the SUV of Texas. But the Super Duty and Armada were far from the only winners at this year’s Truck Rodeo put on by the Texas Auto Writers Association.

More than 70 journalists and social media influencers descended upon the 1,623-acre Longhorn River Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas to test approximately 71 pickup trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and commercial vehicles in TAWA’s annual event.

A total of 17 categories grouped the vehicles with their competition, ranging from compact crossovers and full-size SUVs to Off-Road pickups. Other categories included best connectivity, best technology, and best powertrain.

Keep reading for the full results.

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It was in 1939 that Dodge debuted a new design for its pickup truck. A marketing campaign accompanied the truck called “Job Rated,” which helped owners choose the right Dodge pickup for the job. Several versions were offered, including half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton versions, with different engine and wheelbase choices intermingled within.

Things were going well for Dodge when World War II broke out. Like nearly every other private business in 1942, Dodge began making wartime equipment. In its case, the Power Wagon was its shining star. However, Dodge promptly restarted production of civilian trucks a mere two hours after the last military truck rolled off the line in 1945.

It was in 1946 that Dodge built this particular pickup – a half-ton class with an inline six-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission, all coated in dark blue with chrome bumpers. It also comes fitted with the Deluxe cab package, which brought more comfortable seats, a driver side armrest and sun visor, dual electric windshield wipers, and chrome trim around the windshield.

The post-war pickups did receive minor updates thanks to enhancements made in wartime production. The chassis and clutch houses were made stronger, and a higher capacity radiator was introduced. All this made the Job Rated Dodge pickup a hardy competitor to other domestic pickups in the post-war boom.

The example seen here recently went under the gavel at the 2016 Mecum car auction at Monterey. It sold for an undisclosed amount, but Mecum’s pre-auction estimate put the price between $50,000 and $60,000.

Continue reading for the full review.

The caliber of vehicles that revolve through Jay Leno’s garage is never short of amazing. From the Ford Model T to the latest supercars, the weekly show that follows Leno’s automotive passion never ceases to amaze.

This week is no different with a custom-built and restored 1942 Dodge Power Wagon 6x6 from Legacy Classic Trucks. Built by Legacy’s founder and operator, Winslow Bent, the truck combines some military surplus parts, civilian parts, and a modern powertrain together in the most interesting truck we’ve seen in a while.

Not to spoil the video, but this Power Wagon has a storied past. Its beefy frame, axles, and running gear (save for the modern wheels and Toyo tires, of course) were from a WC63 Dodge truck that saw service in the European theater during WWII. After the war, the truck was shipped to Norway, followed by its shipment to the U.S. Sadly when Bent stumbled upon the truck, the body, engine, and bed were long removed.

What’s when Bent got the idea of combining the frame with a newer body. After WWII, Dodge began selling the WC trucks with the Power Wagon designation. The close-cab trucks were popular with ranchers, forestry fire services, and other hard-duty jobs. Bent took the newer Power Wagon cab and modified it to fit onto the frame, while the cargo bed is custom built.

Power comes from a modern 3.9-liter four-cylinder Cummins turbodiesel. It is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox that powers all three axles though a massive part-time transfer case. Large, 37-inch Toyo mud tires put the power to the ground.

If you’re into historical vehicles, or that old-school, wartime feel, the Legacy Power Wagon can’t be missed.

Every fall, dozens of journalists from all over Texas and around the country gather to compare, test, and crown the winner of the “Truck of Texas” competition. It’s a coveted award from the Texas Auto Writers Association that signifies Texas’ collective approval of a truck. And not only are trucks involved, awards go out for the SUV and CUV of Texas.

I already touched on the topic in the preview piece, but awards are also given to the winner in each vehicle category and for various things like “best connectivity” and “best powertrain.”

This year’s competition was fierce. There were 84 vehicles present from 21 automakers entered into 17 different categories. Evaluating the field were 69 TAWA members comprised of journalists and social media influencers.

So let’s get down to the results. Keep reading for the full breakdown.

Continue reading for the results of the 2015 TAWA Truck Rodeo