Dodge Sprinter 2500 12 Passenger Low Miles Van Automatic Diesel Turbo Brilliant on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cold start comparison: 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio vs. 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8

The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a five-seat, compact luxury sport sedan packing 505 horsepower thanks to a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6. My personal 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is ... well ... not. It's a full-sized muscle coupe whose iron-block 6.4-liter V8 makes 470 hp in the very traditional way: it's freakin' huge, like everything else about the car.  On paper, these two have nothing in common beyond the fact that they were built by the same multi-national manufacturing entity.  But if paper were the be-all and end-all of automotive rankings, everybody would buy the same car. And we don't, especially as enthusiasts. Whether it's looks or tuning or vague "intangibles" or something as simple as the way a car sounds, we often put a priority on the things that trigger our emotions rather than setting out to simply buy whatever the "best" car is at that particular moment.  So, what do these two have in common? They both sound really, really good. Like looks, sounds are subjective. While a rubric most assuredly exists in the world of marketing (attraction is as much a science as any other human response), we have no way of objectively scoring the beauty of either of these cars, and the same applies to the qualities of the sound waves being emitted through their tail pipes.  But we can measure how loud they are. In fact, there's even an app for that. Dozens, as it turns out. So, I picked one at random that recorded peak loudness levels, and set off to conduct an entirely pointless and only vaguely scientific experiment with the two cars that happened to be in my garage at the same time.  For the test, I opened up a window and cracked the garage door (so as not to inflict carbon monoxide poisoning upon myself in the name of discovery), and then placed my phone on a tripod behind the center of each car's trunk lid. I fired each one up and let the app do the rest. I then placed my GoPro on top of the trunk for each test so that I could review the video afterward for any anomalies.  I started with the Challenger. The 6.4-liter Hemi under the hood of this big coupe is essentially the same lump found under the hood of quite a few Ram pickups, and it has the accessories to prove it. Its starter is loud and distinctive. Almost as loud, it turns out, as the exhaust itself. As its loud pew-pew faded behind the V8's barking cold start, we recorded a peak of 83.7 decibels. In the app's judgment, that's roughly the equivalent of a busy street.

2019 Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan 35th Anniversary Editions debut in Chicago

Just ahead of the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, FCA revealed a pair of special editions to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the original Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. The 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, Pacifica Hybrid and Dodge Grand Caravan 35th Anniversary Edition models will make their full debut this week sporting special badging and paint. Since the original 1984 models debuted, Chrysler has sold more than 14.6 million minivans around the world. Chrysler introduced the original Caravan and Voyager in late 1983. The pair shared much with Lee Iacocca's storied K-platform. K-based models such as the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon helped turn around Chrysler's fortunes in the early '80s. Likewise, the Caravan and Voyager were a huge success and provided the template for modern minivans including the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. The Pacifica and Grand Caravan 35th Anniversary Editions both come with an all-black interior featuring Cranberry Wine accent stitching on the seats, steering wheel, door trim, instrument panel bezels and door handles. There's also a 35th Anniversary logo on the floor mats plus badges on the grille and liftgate. The package is available on Pacifica Touring L, Touring L Plus and Limited trims, including hybrid models. An optional S package (blacked out trim) can be added to any 35th anniversary Pacifica. The anniversary package can be added to Grand Caravan SE and SXT models. The anniversary package will be available sometime this summer.

SpeedKore carbon-fiber 1970 Dodge Charger packs a 996-hp Demon engine

SpeedKore Performance does some pretty neat things with carbon fiber. SEMA is always the place to show off new and interesting builds, and SpeedKore has a few new offerings on display. We talked about the lightweight carbon fiber 2018 Dodge Demon late last week, but now that SEMA 2018 is in full swing, we've got a look at something even cooler, an all-carbon, Demon-powered 1970 Dodge Charger "Evolution." SpeedKore Performance is based in Wisconsin and has been churning out SEMA showstoppers for years. In addition to the Demon, take a look at this Shelby GT350R the shop modified a few years back. The Charger Evolution is named so because it further modifies the SpeedKore Charger "Tantrum" that was used in the " Fast and Furious" films. That car used a carbon composite body and was fitted with a 9.0-liter Mercury Racing twin-turbo engine making an absurd 1,650 horsepower. The Evolution might be down on power — only 996 horses thanks to a modified Demon crate engine — but the goal was to create something a little more usable than the Tantrum. Upgrades include a smaller supercharger pulley, larger fuel injectors, a custom cold-air intake, stainless steel headers and a custom exhaust with SLP mufflers. There's also a Dailey Engineering dry sump, upgraded oil cooler, and Saldana radiator. It's also lighter, thanks to even more carbon fiber. SpeedKore had a goal to get the '70 Charger to about 3,200 pounds. To get there, the Evolution employs carbon-fiber bodywork, an aluminum floor, a steel roll cage and a new 2x3-inch steel box frame. SpeedKore's autoclave is large enough to bake a one-piece roof, hood and quarter panels. The bare bodywork has been finished with a clear coat to help prevent fading. The Evolution uses billet aluminum for the door handles, fuel cap and grille, all finished in a bronze-nickel coating to pair with the HRE wheels. In addition to the floor, aluminum was used for the firewall, transmission tunnel and radiator shroud. To slow the Charger down, it uses Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers in the rear. The suspension uses Penske adjustable coilovers while Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires wrap 19x10-inch front wheels and 20x12-inch rear wheels. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.