More Muscle, Less Thirst

If you love the Dodge Ram as much as we do, you'll sleep easy knowing the new model is going to be the holy grail of trucks. Ram is dominating again with the 1500 making it more powerful, and even more MPG oriented.

Car And Driver writes:

In a market where fuel economy is paramount—particularly for full-size pickups—the Ram’s new standard powertrain raises the stakes in both power and thrift. Chrysler’s 3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve 60-degree Pentastar V-6 replaces the previous SOHC 3.7-liter 90-degree 12-valve V-6, an upgrade that’s analogous to swapping your tired old plow horse for a derby-ready thoroughbred. Output jumps from a seriously anemic 215 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque to a robust 305 and 269, respectively.

read more: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-ram-1500-first-drive-review

Baby Center Showcases Chrysler

Chrysler is stepping up it's game with family safety by forming a partnership with BabyCenter and the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country.

Sacbee writes:

"The partnership with BabyCenter will enable the Chrysler brand to develop a relationship with and garner insight into the hearts and minds of mothers and allow us to engage with BabyCenter's core audience," said Saad Chehab, President and CEO of Chrysler Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "The 2012 Chrysler Town & Country minivan offers families versatility, luxury, and convenience at a value, and BabyCenter understands how moms research, consider, and ultimately choose a vehicle for their family, making this the right match for the brand."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/13/4721048/babycenter-drives-chrysler-brands.html#storylink=cpy

The Dart: Crushing The Competition

Dodge has met its destiny with the Dart... it's destiny... to CRUSH the competition and it's starting fresh with the Compact Car Segment.

The LA Times calls the Dart a Party Crasher saying:


Conspicuously absent from this soiree has been Dodge. Its previous offering was a hatchback thing called the Caliber, as in "Boy, this is a really low-caliber product." To no one's disappointment, it left the party in 2011. But now Dodge has returned for the 2013 model year. And this time, it brought along its Italian majority-owner Fiat.

Behold the Dodge Dart, a sedan that starts at $16,790 and should have no trouble making friends. It's American history riding on European success.

PHOTOS: The 2013 Dodge Dart

Beneath the Dart's curvaceous body panels and trademark design cues of current Dodge products is an assemblage of parts sourced from Fiat. (Fiat, you'll remember, owns a majority stake in Chrysler, which owns Dodge). The Dart shares its chassis, suspension, an engine and a transmission with another Fiat entity, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (pronounced like Romeo's paramour with an A at the end).

This Alfa is a popular sell in Europe and critically appreciated, so Dodge decided to use it as a point of reentry into the critical compact segment on our shores. The company then thumbed through the pages of its automotive history and plucked the successful Dart nameplate last seen in 1976. It will ring nostalgic for some generations, and completely fresh for others.

Read more: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/09/business/la-fi-autos-dodge-dart-review-20120809 .

Amped Up Attitude

Jeep has taken a bold product and made it even more bold by adding some attitude.

There's no better fit for this change than the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 destined for 2013 buyers.

Cars.com writes:


Jeep's amped-up Grand Cherokee SRT8 is already loaded with attitude, but apparently it's not enough. Two aggressive-looking appearance packages will join the SRT8 lineup for 2013.


The white Alpine and black Vapor special edition models add a new Black Vapor chrome finish to the standard 20-inch wheels; a black-gloss exterior finish; new hood and door badges; and a unique grill, light bar and step pad.


Read More: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/08/jeep-adds-more-attitude-to-2013-grand-cherokee-srt8.html