2013 Dodge Charger Sxt on 2040-cars

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Gas prices down, 707-hp engine production up... USA!

On Saturday, the United States of America will celebrate its 239th birthday. That means fireworks, barbecues, block parties, and, oh yeah, Hellcat engines and low fuel prices. The most American of (Mexican-built) powerplants, the big, loud, supercharged, 707-horsepower Hemi is slated for yet another production boost to match up with some serious demand, while the dino juice it runs on is cheaper than it's been in over half a decade. The Saltillo, Mexico engine factory already produces some 4,000 Hellcat engines each year – that's in addition to the Tigershark four-cylinder, the 5.7-liter Hemi, and 6.4-liter SRT Hemi V8s – and it's not entirely clear how many more might get added to that total. What we do know, though, is that Fiat Chrysler can't build the engines fast enough. "We're going to build more [Hellcats] for 2016," SRT boss Tim Kuniskis told Automotive News. "It's a small sliver of what we sell, but it really creates a halo for the rest of the lineup. For example, the next highest car, the Scat Pack Challenger, I have essentially a zero-day supply. It's sold out." This bit of good news comes on the back of something equally good – low summer gas prices. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the nationwide average for for "all formulations" of fuel in June sits at $2.885. Ignoring the remarkably low prices we saw in January and February of this year – figures that themselves hadn't been seen since May of 2009 – the national average hasn't sat that low since October 2010. So yes, it's a very a good time to be an American gearhead. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., US Energy Information AdministrationImage Credit: US EIA Green Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Fuel Efficiency Coupe Performance Sedan dodge challenger srt tim kuniskis dodge charger srt

2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak comes solely with supercharged power

The Dodge Challenger Drag Pak has returned for 2020, five years after the last one arrived, and two years after it began development. And while in many ways it looks like past Drag Paks, there are a number of tweaks that should make this the fastest and most capable factory drag car yet from Mopar. Unlike the last model, only a supercharged 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter for the imperically challenged) V8 is available. Mopar says it's more powerful than its predecessor, though exact horsepower wasn't given. It did confirm that the previous car was capable of a stunning 1,200 horsepower. The engine is coupled solely to a three-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifter. 2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak View 17 Photos Supporting the massive engine are many chassis, suspension and driveline enhancements. The independent rear suspension and axles are gone in favor of a solid axle from Strange and a four-link suspension. The front remains stock except for double-adjustable Bilstein shocks. The engine is mounted to a subframe member that's beneficial both to weight distribution and center of gravity. The car gets high-performance brakes and custom Weld Racing wheels with "DRAGPAK" engraved on them. The interior features a welded-in roll cage certified for quarter-mile times as quick as 7.5 seconds. Helping keep the car planted without increasing drag too much are front and rear spoilers from the road-going Challenger, a new addition compared with the previous car. Every Drag Pak car also comes standard with a wheelie bar and parachute. Dodge will only build 50 of these cars, and they'll only be offered as race cars that aren't legal for the street. The cars will be eligible for competing in sportsman classes in NHRA and NMCA drag racing series. Pricing and availability hasn't been set yet, but will be revealed sometime next year.

2020 Dodge Durango SRT Drivers' Notes | When excess is a good thing

Performance SUVs and crossovers from non-luxury brands are still in a nascent stage of development. Models like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, BMW X5 M and others are on subsequent generations of their high-performance high-riding machines. Meanwhile, the 2019 Dodge Durango SRT is still refreshingly new. It’s also about as American as it gets. Dodge shoehorned in the 6.4-liter V8 and gave it an exhaust system that screams ‘Murica at anyone who strays too close. It makes a glorious 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, completing the sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels, which means you have traction — something the Challengers and Chargers with this engine could use a bit more of. Despite the Dodge being far cheaper than other big, high performance luxury SUVs out there, it still isnÂ’t cheap. The SRT has a base price of $64,490. Ours stickers for a much higher $78,235. Unsurprisingly, Dodge makes you pay the big bucks for most of the luxury features and customization options. A $2,395 Technology Group adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and forward collision avoidance systems. Fancy interior materials like a suede headliner, nicer materials on the instrument panel and carbon fiber inserts can be had in a $2,495 package. The stripes are $1,295, and the 20-inch wheels cost $995. To get the second row console with an armrest and storage, youÂ’ll have to pay an extra $595. A $78,235 Durango might sound like a completely egregious amount of money, but itÂ’s still far below what youÂ’ll pay for a BMW X7 or Mercedes-Benz GLS that goes just as fast. ItÂ’s no muscle SUV for the people, but it is a muscle SUV for more people than could afford one previously. Assistant Editor Zac Palmer: An American SUV with a giant V8 feels like a superior descendant of muscle cars than most other “muscle cars” on sale today. Both the Mustang and Camaro slant toward the sports car side of things, leaving FCA to carry on the muscle car tradition. And man, Dodge carries it on well. FCA could slot its 6.4-liter V8 into nearly anything and IÂ’d love it, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it thrashing it about in this behemoth of an SUV. Traction off the line was one major benefit in the Durango over the Charger and Challenger. Matt the throttle and it just leaps forward, similar to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.