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Dodge Hellcat: Power Trip
By Jack Kazmierski
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January 28, 2015
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The most powerful production muscle car? ever!
Decisions, decisions! You can almost
picture Dodge Challenger customers sitting in front of the salesperson
at their local dealership wondering which engine option they should opt
for when ordering their brand new 2015 Challenger. Will 305 hp be
enough? How about 372? or 485? No. Wait. Let's go big or go home. We'll
take the 707-hp Hellcat, thank you!
That's right. For the first time ever,
Challenger customers can order their pride and joy with a 6.2L
Supercharged HEMI Hellcat V8 under the hood that spits out a
mind-boggling 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.
Actually, it doesn't look like
Challenger fans are pondering their engine choices very long after all.
In fact, they seem to be quick to jump on the 707-hp Hellcat bandwagon.
"The interest is incredible," says Ed Broadbear, VP Marketing, Chrysler
Canada. "We are overwhelmed with the number of orders coming in."
The 707-hp Hellcat engine option is
actually available on two Dodge vehicles for 2015. It was first
introduced on the Challenger in July, 2014 and then later in October in
the Charger. The Charger comes with an MSRP of $64,495, while the
Challenger is earmarked for a little less: $63,995.
But if you can believe the chatter on
social media sites, it would seem that some customers are so eager to
get their hands on a Hellcat, that they're paying a premium for the
privilege. Some dealers are allegedly charging thousands of dollars over
the MSRP to anyone who would like to be the first to drive the mighty
Hellcat.
Marketing
You'd think this kind of buying frenzy
would have been sparked by a massive coast-to-coast multimedia marketing
campaign, but Broadbear says Chrysler did nothing of the sort to
promote the Hellcat.
"We didn't need to do anything," he
says. "We held a media event, and typically I think the buyer of a
vehicle like this is plugged into what's in the pipeline from each of
the manufacturers. They're reading about it online or in print. So after
we held our media event the demand was just overwhelming."
Broadbear says Dodge will be taking the
Hellcat to auto shows next year, and that the company plans to display
it at the F1 in Montreal. But don't expect to see the company
advertising these vehicles. "At this point, there's no reason to put a
lot of effort into a campaign on TV or print or radio. The word it out
already, and the demand is very high."
Typical buyer
Self-employed, male, and passionate
about power. That's the demographic for either Hellcat vehicle,
Broadbear explains. "I can say from personal experience that the people
who drive SRTs, and/or who have a Hellcat on order, are largely
successful self-employed entrepreneurs. They can drive whatever vehicle
they want, and they want a Hellcat."
Broadbear says they're attracted to the
Hellcat for three key reasons: engine output, style, and the
fun-to-drive factor. And when you consider the fact that they can get
707 hp for under $70k, Hellcat buyers are quick to take advantage of the
bargain.
Dodge set out to build the fastest and
most powerful production muscle car in history, and it's clear that
they've managed not only to do so, but to get customers excited about
the possibility of owning something so special. Orders are pouring in,
and only time will tell just how popular this 707-hp option will be with
consumers.
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2015 Ram 1500 Rebel
Rebel with a different cause
By
Scott Burgess
January 12, 2015 
The exterior is completely different
than any of the other nine Ram 1500 trim levels. The Rebel forgoes the typical
crosshair grille that Ram has been using for nearly 30 years. (Back then it was
still the Dodge Ram.)
The blacked-out grille instead uses
the word Ram across the front and a silver off-road skidplate at the bottom.
There are new tow hooks and new foglamps, and even the headlamps have a smoky
look to them. There are also two snorkels on the hood, though they don't
provide any function other than give the Rebel the most intimidating 1500 front
in the Ram lineup.
The truck adopts fenders from the
Power Wagon and rests on 17-inch wheels with chunky 33-inch Toyo tires. Even
the backside is different, using 5-inch letters to spell out Ram across the
tailgate. It arrives in five colors, though all of the models with two-tone
paint will have a black base. Monotone Rebels are also available.
The interior is also done up with a
lot of flair. Red trim replaces other trim options found on other Ram pickups.
The instrument panel and center stack also have red trim surrounding them. The
Rebel will debut a new center console box that features a cellphone/tablet
holder, as well. The rubber holder leans the phone slightly but holds it
firmly. Really, it's ingenious. In a quick test, both an iPhone and Android
phone, as well as an iPad Mini, fit perfectly, though it is only wide enough to
hold two phones at once.
The seats are covered in a Sedoso
fabric embossed with the Toyo tire tread, bringing some of the exterior design
inside. It looks better in person than any photo might suggest.
Although it
won't fly across sand dunes like a Raptor, the Rebel does come with specially
tuned Blistein shocks. It will also feature the Ram's air suspension, allowing
it to raise itself up 1 inch higher than other Rams. The Rebel will offer two
engine choices: the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. Both
engines have a solid track record, the Pentastar producing 305 horsepower and
the Hemi creating 395. For the first time ever, the Rebel will feature a
3.6-liter model with a 3.92 axle ratio for 4x4 models. The 4x2 model will have
a 3.92 axle ratio.
All Rebels
will have an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Even though
the Rebel isn't a true Raptor-fighter, it still has some serious off-roading
chops, considering its power and all of its features. It should also have a
much more affordable price, though Ram hasn't announced that yet.
The Rebel
should be available by the third quarter of 2015.
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2015 Ram ProMaster City First Drive
December 26, 2014
FCA compact van entry comes stateside in cargo and wagon versions
It's a
Fiat Doblò van rebadged for North America as the 2015
Ram ProMaster City.
With
the ProMaster City, Ram hopes to tap into the expanding market for
small, Euro-style Class 1 vans. That market was created in 2010, when
Ford rolled the dice and brought its established
Transit Connect from Europe. The Transit Connect's success was sufficient to draw
Nissan and its NV200 in 2013, which in turn convinced Chevrolet to offer its own NV200 badged as the
City Express.
Now
comes the ProMaster City, nee Doblò, to Ram dealers across the United
States and Canada. It's the latest in a widening range of
Italian-American ventures from the
Fiat Chrysler Automotive group,
yes, but it debuts with solid credentials, as front-drive commercial
vehicles go. Since its launch in 2000, the Doblò has averaged more than
100,000 sales a year and earned International Van of the Year awards in
successive generations.
Tweaked and trimmed for
life in the New World, the ProMaster City makes some big claims. Ram
says its compact van has the most floor space among competitors, the
largest cargo volume (131.7 cubic feet), the heaviest payload (1,883
pounds) and a 2,000-lb towing capacity. It also has the most horsepower
and the highest EPA highway rating (29 mpg) among comparably configured
competitors, without the drone of a CVT transmission.
Nothing in the published data suggests Ram is stretching the truth,
and the ProMaster City's ability to do work will obviously play big
with commercial customers. Yet there's at least one more distinction
that shouldn't be minimized. While its competitors live with a solid
rear axle underneath, the ProMaster City gets a genuine, fully
independent, dual-link rear suspension.
The
suspension was one of two primary areas Ram addressed when prepping the
ProMaster City for North American duty. To account for the greater
vertical loads generated by our crappier roads, ride height was
increased. Key chassis components and anchor points were upgraded. Some
structural elements in the unibody were strengthened to meet U.S. safety
regulations, and the van's engine box was widened to accommodate a new
powertrain.
That powertrain was Ram's second area
of focus. In place of a range of smaller turbos and diesels used in the
Doblò, Ram has fitted the ProMaster City with the 2.4-liter Tigershark
four-familiar in the Dodge Dart, Chrysler 200 and Jeep Cherokee, and
assembled with a balance shaft and MultiAir oil-actuated intake valves
in Dundee, Mich. The 'shark is mated to Chrysler's nine-speed 948TE
automatic transaxle, also borrowed from the 200/Cherokee.
In
the ProMaster City, the Tigershark generates 178 horsepower and 174
lb-ft of torque. That beats the 2.0-liter four in the NV200/City Express
by at least 25 percent on both counts, and the standard 2.5-liter four
in the Transit Connect by eight hp and three lb-ft. The Tigershark
matches Ford's upgrade 1.6-liter EcoBoost in horsepower, but falls 10
lb-ft short in torque.
When it comes to EPA ratings, the ProMaster City sits in the thick
of it. Its combined rating of 24 mpg trails Nissan/Chevy by one, thanks
partly to the Nissan's CVT. The ProMaster City's 29 mpg highway is
surpassed only by the short-wheelbase Transit Connect with EcoBoost (30
mpg). It tops any long-wheelbase Transit Connect in both combined and
highway. We presume these things matter to commercial operators. A lot.
The
ProMaster City's single wheelbase of 122.4 inches surpasses the
long-wheelbase Transit Connect by about two inches, and the
single-wheelbase NV200 by seven. There's 4 feet, four inches of flat
width between the rear wheel wells, and seven feet of floor length
behind the front seats.
The five-passenger
ProMaster City wagon offers four feet of cargo floor behind the rear
seats, six with the seat folded. All come with sliding rear doors on
both sides and 60/40 rear cargo doors that open 180 degrees. High-roof
and seven-passenger variants are offered elsewhere, and Ram says it
could get them to North America in fairly short order if it believes
there's demand.
The ProMaster City cargo starts
at $24,125 including a $995 destination charge. The wagon adds $1,000.
Both will be offered in two trim levels and three window configurations,
with glass optional on the rear side and rear cargo doors. Engines and
transmissions are shipped from Dundee, Mich. and Kokomo, Ind., for
vehicle assembly in Bursa Turkey, and all ProMaster City vans arrive as
passenger wagons to avoid the
so-called chicken tax on light trucks.
How's it drive?
Very well
indeed, though we aren't sure where drivability ranks when companies are
filling commercial fleets. Nor can we tell you what it's like to climb
in and out of the back of a ProMaster City 100 times a day on busy city
streets, or to squeeze a large, heavy object through its rear doors with
a forklift.
Ram offered the ProMaster City for
30 miles of road time, some parking lot exercises and short loops in
competitors with much higher mileage. We appreciated the opportunity,
but we were left to evaluate the van as we might consider a Toyota
Corolla, and that evaluation could have limited value for people buying
what will primarily be a commercial vehicle. It could have even less
value for people buying several.
We can tell you
that the ProMaster City gets out of the hole with more vigor than its
competitors, thanks to the nine-speed trans and a very low first gear
ratio. To 30 mph or so, it goes almost as well as that Corolla, and we'd
bet $50 that it's the quickest among its competitors. Quick is
relative, of course: In a timed 0-60 mph run, the ProMaster City might
squeak through in a tick under 10 seconds.
Its
brakes are better than adequate for safe, hard stops from 60 mph or
so-at least when the ProMaster City is empty. It's well planted and
exceptionally maneuverable, in the North American context of a
commercial van, even with 1000 pounds loaded in back. The steering has
genuine feel-neither too light nor too heavy-and evokes fading tactile
memories of brand new, fully hydraulic power assist. On a less positive
note, we'd bet the farm that the ProMaster City has the biggest
curb-to-curb turning arc among its competitors.
Speaking of big, the five primary interior knobs (two for audio,
three for HVAC) are just that. They're easy to find and grab, whether
you're wearing gloves or not. The ProMaster City's dash/switch scheme is
a strength versus the competition. The Transit Connect layout, modeled
after the mobile-phone-modeled button array in the Ford Fiesta, is more
dense and cumbersome than the simple knob/touchscreen arrangement in the
Ram.
There are nice touches throughout, even in
the most bare-bones ProMaster City: USB and auxiliary ports, decent
interior lighting front and rear, and big, easy-reach door releases with
the door locks incorporated. Unlocking and opening is one simple
motion. If the wipers are on, the rear wiper automatically starts when
you engage reverse.
There are annoyances,
too-like the cabin-wide overhead bin. It holds lots glasses, gloves or
wallets, but you can't see where they are once you've put them in. More
troublesome is the power-mirror switch, especially in a vehicle that
might have multiple drivers. Its way up by the driver's side A-pillar,
and unless you play in a professional sports league, you probably can't
reach it with your back settled in the seat in driving position. So you
lean forward and adjust, lean back and look….and again until you get the
mirrors right.
The ProMaster City is surprisingly
quiet inside. There's almost no boom or vibration in the big, empty
sheet metal box behind you. Thanks to the independent rear suspension,
there is less rear axle noise than you'll hear in competitors as you
bounce along, and generally less bounce or tire skip, loaded or empty.
All told, the ProMaster City might be the most drivable small van of the
bunch. We're just not sure how much that matters.
Do I want it?
Are
you a plumbing contractor, HVAC technician or florist? Do you operate a
delivery service? If so, you certainly might. The ProMaster City will
do a lot of commercial jobs you don't need a full-size, truck-based van
to complete, and it will do many of them better with much, much lower
operating costs. That's the primary reason the Ford Transit Connect has
launched a small wave of new competitors.
If
you need belts for seven passengers, you'll have look to Ford.
Otherwise, the ProMaster City seems as good a place as any to start
shopping.
