Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab

Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab - When the folks at Dodge's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) set out to build this more practical version of the Ram SRT-10, they took a half-step back from the goal of ultimate performance and instead focused on adding versatility while maintaining its ferocious performance. To that end, the Quad Cab has four real doors, seats a family-friendly six, and comes only with an anyone-can-drive-it automatic.

The 8.3-liter V-10 Viper engine that pumps out 500 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque ensures that performance won't be compromised. However, the Quad Cab, unlike the regular cab, uses Dodge's 48RE four-speed and is automatic only. This tranny usually sees duty on the business end of the Cummins diesel engine in 2500- or 3500-series Ram trucks.

Despite weighing in at 5618 pounds (479 more than the regular-cab SRT-10) and employing a power-robbing automatic, this truck's performance still qualifies as exceptional. The Quad Cab's 5.6-second 0-to-60 time was 0.7 second slower than the regular cab's, and the quarter-mile was 0.6 second off at 14.2 seconds. The Quad Cab squealed its tires to a 0.83-g skidpad rating, 0.03 g less than its two-door sibling, and registered a lofty 147 mph top speed, just 6 mph slower.

Dodge invited us out to its proving ground in Chelsea, Michigan, to sample the SRT-10 Quad Cab in an autocross setting. After a few tire-spinning starts and a couple attempts to hang out the tail around an entire sweeping left-hander, we were left giggling like grade-school dorks who'd just successfully slipped a whoopee cushion on the teacher's chair without his noticing.

Also, the brakes suffer from a condition known as knock-back. This occurs under hard cornering when a wheel (and pertinent brake rotor) moves slightly relative to the location of the brake caliper, causing the brake pad to be pushed back and giving the driver that sinking feeling when he goes for the brakes and—whoa!—the pedal goes nearly to the floor before the pads and rotors are reunited.

Dodge hopes some Viper owners, who presumably have put down 85K for their superfast roadsters, will be willing to shell out another $50,850 ($5000 more than the regular-cab SRT-10) for an SRT-10 Quad Cab. In a year, we'll see if there were enough of them out there to make this powerful truck a success.

Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe

Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe - Turns out we got what we deserved from this altruistic act, too. We got to drive the new Viper SRT10 coupe a long way in the high-speed world of highways and unpatrolled byways, through canyons and valleys and alongside the shining Pacific. After that, trolling the big coupe around in suburban Los Angeles felt like using a sledgehammer to swat a flea.

Some of the noises from the gearbox are pretty rude, too, at times, and you wonder if a couple pounds of noise-deadening liner might have helped. But then you recall driving the car at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, how it ran up the hill to the Corkscrew hard in third gear, the V-10 bellowing as its 500-hp rage poured down the driveshaft and clawed at the pavement through giant 14.0-inch-wide Michelins.

We tried that softtop car by way of comparison, and although the convertible is as much fun as ever, it likes to hang out its tail on the end of the engine's seemingly bottomless tide of torque. The similarities between the two Viper versions are obvious; the chassis are essentially identical. But the coupe was never a sure thing, according to SRT director Dan Knott, and the car was, after all, designed first as a convertible.

In fact, Knott says the only body parts the Viper SRT10 coupe shares with the convertible are the front fascia and the fenders, hood, and doors. New to the coupe along with the new canopy and decklid are the rear quarter-panels, the windshield surround, the door side glass, the rear fascia, and the taillamps.

Although increased practicality seems a bit of an oxymoron for a car well suited to club racing and autocrossing, our trip down through California confirmed the friendly nature of the Viper coupe. With big gearwheels shrilling along under your right elbow at 80 mph in sixth gear at just 1600 rpm on the interstate, the Viper ingests distances with the best of them. Its noise intensity may not be at Lexus levels, but the ride provided by the long-wheelbase chassis isn't bad at all, and I found the seat supportive and shaped to spread the load in a way that produced few pressure points.

That's in keeping with the rest of the car's ergonomics. The wheel is square on to the driver and tilts to suit his or her style. Unlike the original Viper, which had offset pedals, this car's pedals are dead ahead. When adjusted all the way down, they were perfectly suited to heel-and-toe operation by these 34-inch-inseam legs and size-12 feet.

We have no complaints about steering and brake calibrations. The weighting and feedback levels seem just about right, helping lend an overall impression of a car that seems smaller when on the move than when viewed at rest. Another aspect of the Viper coupe that bumps its utility quotient is a short front overhang that largely cancels concerns about bottoming the chin spoiler on curbs and badly engineered surface transitions.

We didn't quite get to that velocity during our drive, but we can report complete stability at 160-plus. For those planning to explore the upper reaches of the dial, it's comforting to know the Viper has Zero Pressure versions of Michelin's Pilot Sport tires, which are self-supporting in the event of a puncture. The car also has as standard equipment a tire-pressure monitoring system, seatbelts with pretensioners, multistage airbags, and ABS.

Accompanying this latest generation of the Viper is the opportunity to select various options to customize the car, including the stone-white stripes made famous by the Viper GTS combined with various exterior colors, two wheel styles (a five-spoke and an H-pattern), and interior leather color combinations.

2007 Dodge Caliber RT

2007 Dodge Caliber RT - The elevated sticker price on the Caliber R/T invites comparisons with cars that weren’t part of that cheap-car comparo, such as the Mazda 3. Although the Caliber’s chunky looks make it seem deceptively large, it’s actually three inches shorter than the Mazda. Compared with a Nissan Versa (which finished second in that comparo), the Caliber is four inches longer.

At least the Caliber’s interior space isn’t wasted. Head-, shoulder-, and legroom dimensions are all close to the Mazda's and Nissan's, but the Caliber's 19 cubic feet of storage space trump the 3's by two and the Versa's by one. When it comes to the feel of the interior, however, the Caliber falls far short of the competition. Our R/T test car came with a nice-looking glossy red surround to the radio and climate-control stack, but the rest of the interior plastics felt cheap.

Like the interior—well, actually like pretty much every part of the Caliber—the powertrain is a combination of good ideas and lack of refinement. The continuously variable transmission, which also has a manumatic mode, works smoothly and makes the most of the engine’s 165 pound-feet of torque. As in most CVT-equipped cars, though, making the most of that torque means holding the engine steady at high revs, and the droning of the taxed four-cylinder quickly becomes tiresome. Tiresome is also a good way to describe the acceleration. Saddled with a 3163-pound curb weight, the Caliber R/T takes 9.6 seconds to hit 60 miles per hour, which is just 0.1 second quicker than the base $15,185 Caliber from the comparo and 1.1 seconds slower than a Honda Fit Sport.

Basically, the Caliber is basic transportation. Its refinement isn’t on par with the competition, and the driving experience doesn’t excite. It’s still a perfectly good car, but it’s not the best in—or even near the top of—its segment. We, like any driving enthusiasts, expect more, even from an entry-level car like the Caliber.

Dodge Durango 4WD Limited

Dodge Durango 4WD Limited - The Durango measured up well in our traditional testing, including a solid first place in a midwinter full-size-SUV shootout (“Gitche Gumee Games,” C/D, April 2004). But a four-day thrash in Michigan’s winter wonderland didn’t reveal much about how the Durango might stand up to the equivalent of a couple years’ of hard work. Computer sims won’t answer that one, either. Only way to get the answer is to drive it, and so, in mid-October 2004, a Durango joined the C/D long-term test fleet.

The Dodge boys also thought we needed a $1200 DVD entertainment system, a power sunroof ($850), and body-color running boards ($445). They were wrong on all counts. They were particularly wrong about the running boards, devices we suspect were created by a cabal of dry cleaners. Anyone who can keep pant legs clean throughout ownership of this or any other SUV with running boards probably qualifies for an Olympic gymnastics team.

With a Hemi under the hood, the Durango has a gross vehicle weight rating (curb weight plus cargo, including occupants) of 6600 pounds, a towing capacity of 8650 pounds, and a gross combined weight rating of 14,000. These are big numbers, even by the hefty standards of the full-size class, and inevitably, they were numbers attractive to folks who wanted to drag something heavy somewhere far away.

The real hauling came once the frost was out of the Midwestern tundra and SCCA club racing resumed, which meant the loads got heavier—about 4600 pounds of trailer and race car, plus some 400 pounds of tools and spares. Aside from a peculiar glitch with the trailer lighting circuit one night in the construction chaos skirting the south end of Lake Michigan—not a good place for your trailer to go dark—the Durango went about its work without a murmur. Even with a trailer, there was plenty of punch for passing on two-lane highways, freeway merges were no sweat, and short haul or long, the Durango’s comfort quotient was high.

So, a solid performer. But not a totally flawless performer. At just over 20,000 miles, a shift from drive to reverse caused the Durango to simply quit cold. This peculiar behavior didn’t repeat, but later that same day the Sirius radio stopped picking up satellite signals. Ordinarily a $300 item, it was replaced under warranty.

Like the durability report, the Durango’s general comfort marks were very good—but not quite perfect. For example, there were complaints about the remorseless draft from the center dashboard vents, which offered almost no adjustability. The middle seat drew some criticism—not quite enough legroom, lumpy padding—and of course fuel economy, an oxymoronic phrase in connection with SUVs in this class, was lamentable.

All things considered, we emerged with a positive view of this Hemi-powered hauler. It’s tough enough to handle heavy duty, civilized enough for all-around use, with a respectable durability index backed by a strong warranty.

Dodge Magnum RT

Dodge Magnum RT - With its sharp responses, particularly in 340-hp Hemi RT trim, it’s every bit a driver’s car, too. We liked the idea and the execution, and we voted it a 10Best Car for 2005. The Magnum’s appeal seems to span generations: Name another vehicle that’s just as likely to have chromed-out, oversize wheels as it is to have kids’ car seats in back.

Almost no option box went unchecked as we added $6170 to the Magnum’s $30,745 base price. Extras included a $1895 navigation system, a $950 sunroof, and convenience items such as heated power front seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, satellite radio, and a multifunctional trip computer.

Of course, the first thing staffers here wanted to experience was the Magnum’s impressive acceleration — 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, with a quarter-mile rush of 14.3. After that initial excitement, we began to notice the details, such as the cavernous people space up front and in back. From the logbook: “Excellent adjustability of wheel, seat, and pedals.” Indeed, the Magnum has more legroom front and rear than does a Chevy Tahoe. Packing five six-footers into the Magnum isn’t a stretch.

Early complaints involved the vast black-plastic interior that doesn’t seem to fit with the stylish exterior. Some had difficulty wading through the various trip-computer and navigation menus; in particular, the nav-screen dimmer and the clock adjustment were elusive to a handful of staffers. But we universally liked the four legible and expensive-looking black-on-white gauge pods, even at night, when they glow elegantly.

So the tab for regular service was rather high at $673, almost $100 more than for a Hemi Dodge Durango (January 2006), and the Magnum’s cabin-air-filter changes alone totaled $141.

The air conditioning mysteriously petered out a couple times on long-distance trips, so at the 18,000-mile stop we had it checked. The problem was a sticking expansion valve, again replaced free under the three-year/36,000-mile warranty. Also replaced at no cost was a sun-visor retaining clip that we broke.

Toward the end of the Magnum’s 40,000-mile stay, a staffer reported increased suspension noises coming from the front, and sure enough, the front anti-roll-bar links and bushings needed replacing. This happened just after the 36,000-mile warranty expired, but our dealer covered the repair bill, citing our service history with them, which they say is common practice.

All those winter miles gave us a chance to demonstrate once again just how effective snow tires are, even with a rear-drive car. Our $756 set of Dunlop Grandtrek WT M2s provided heaps of traction, and we had no reports of getting stuck. Road warrior K.C. Colwell cashed in on a $50 bet by trekking up a particularly steep and snow-covered road in Snowmass Village, Colorado. “There weren’t even any other rear-drive cars around,” he gushed.

All told, the Magnum held up well to our rigorous mileage accumulation. In fact, many staffers commented on how surprisingly tight and solid it felt after 40,000 miles — the lone exception being a loose plastic trim piece that surrounds the shift lever.

Dodge Charger R/T

Dodge Charger R/T - There are, incredibly, five Charger chargé d'affaires. The bottom-feeder SE ($22,299) features a 250-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 and includes a ton of stuff—17-inch tires, traction control, ABS, a CD player, stability control. It's more fun to drive than a V-6 Toyota Camry and is a lot rarer, although that may change if Dodge achieves its goal of selling a quarter of all Chargers to fleets—among them fuzz fleets, so commit this car's grille to memory now. There's another V-6 iteration, the SXT ($25,999), with lots more stuff standard. Next comes the R/T, with leather seats and the multidisplacement 340-horse Hemi ($29,999).

Next comes the Charger Daytona R/T ($32,495), identical to our tester except for a Pep Boys decklid spoiler and the billboard-size words "HEMI" and "DAYTONA" reversed out of flat-black paint, demonstrating to passing constables that you are a person of limited judgment and excess cash. And later this fall will come the SRT8 with a 425-hp Hemi—the ultimate Charger—whose price has yet to be fixed. No all-wheel-drive Charger will be offered.

Mercedes likewise penned the steering rack, and it's a beaut. On freeways, the front tires evince fierce dedication to straight-ahead, and the slight on-center slack you notice in a 300C, which we drove back-to-back, has been eliminated. For the most part, effort is on the high side—and we'd have preferred to feel a little more road texture—but the heaviness disappears at parking speeds. In any event, the wheel itself is NASCAR large, so there's no trouble deriving leverage.

Brake feel is terrific and allows your foot to reliably sense the transition to anti-lock. Better still is the 169-foot stopping distance, impressive for a two-ton anything. The R/T's rotors are big (13.6 inches fore, 12.6 inches aft), and we noticed virtually no fade, even at the racetrack.

Even then, the platform held as firmly and shiver-free as a bridge abutment, and no subassemblies rattled or squeaked. Nevertheless, if you dwell in a frost-heave state and want to ensure that your Charger remains an all-star long-distance cruiser, you may want to dial back to the standard R/T suspension. At least sample it.

Speaking of practicality, the trunk is flat-floored and as big as an Audi A6's, and the rear seats fold flat in a 60/40 split. Two adults can ride comfortably in the rear, in part because there's room to nestle your feet beneath the front seats. But the driveshaft hump is 10 inches wide and 8 inches tall, transforming the rear center rider not so much into Hump Boy as the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Almost everyone carped about the Charger's funereal black-and-gray interior, cheapened by rock-hard armrests and a crinkly dashboard vinyl that would have been more appropriate in a mud-splattered Dakota. And of course the Charger shares its stubby windshield with the turret-topped 300, meaning you'll have to crouch to view stoplights. It's like having a cowboy hat pulled down around your ears.

Of les trois mousquetaires, the Charger R/T is the most fun. It's a notch more visceral—more connected and direct than its brothers—and is the only family member to feel poised on a racetrack. Too bad the Dodge engineers couldn't shear a couple-hundred pounds from the Charger's 4141-pound waistline, which would have altered its personality even more. Chrysler had hoped this 145-mph stroll down memory lane might recollect the Charger's roots as a hippie-era muscle-car coupe, but that didn't happen.

Its styling may not inspire, but the Charger R/T is what to buy if your spouse says a Mustang is too impractical.