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Dodge Journey to get a performance-focused replacement in 2022?

The Dodge Journey is neither fast nor agile, but it has proved a hard-to-hit target for everyone trying to figure out what the next generation will hold, including Fiat Chrysler. In 2014, the automaker's five-year plan for Dodge included an all-new Journey in 2016, and a hotted-up SRT version of the crossover come 2017. In 2016, "supplier sources" told Automotive News a new Journey on rear-drive Alfa Romeo's Giorgio platform would show for the 2019 model year, and production would be moved from Mexico to Italy, Those prognostications came to naught, the 11-year-old Journey riding on its Mitsubishi-based platform into 2020 with fewer options. Now Mopar Insiders says the next-gen Journey could come in 2022 as an early 2023 model, still on the Giorgio platform and given a performance-focused brief. According to MI, the new Journey — and it's not clear if the name will be retained — comes in strict two-row, five-seater guise. It "will be around the size of the Stelvio," the Alfa Romeo coming in at 184.5 inches. Previous reports have said the Journey will be shorter than the current 192.4-inch model, but longer than the Stelvio. The Dodge Charger is said to donate major styling cues, and there will supposedly be a Scat Pack trim. Under the hood, the entry-level engine will be the same GME 2.0-liter four-cylinder in that makes 276 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque in the Stelvio. MI believes a Hemi V8 will make the options list, hence the Scat Pack. Previously, other outlets have figured a turbo V6 like that in the Alfa Quadrifoglio models will stand in as the upgrade, although the model is "being developed with V8s in mind." Any engine choice is expected to be paired with an eight-speed transmission. All of those options far outdo the 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 172 hp and 165 lb-ft, shifting through a four-speed automatic, which is the only powertrain possible for the 2020 Journey. The platform switch and the change to rear-drive will greatly enhance on-road manners and performance, but MI believes an all-wheel-drive option should make the transition. If Journey production moves to Italy from Mexico, Fiat Chrysler will open up capacity in North America for big-profit crossovers and trucks, and get more from its underutilized European operations. Rumor says the Journey would roll down the same lines as the Stelvio in the Cassino Assembly Plant; the crossover is still sold in Europe and other markets as the Fiat Freemont.

2020 Dodge Charger Widebody First Drive Review | Wider is better

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. - The guy in the white Silverado is already pissed off. He didn’t appreciate the first two times we blazed the rear tires of this 2020 Dodge Charger Widebody Hellcat through three gears, so we might as well do it again. ThatÂ’s right, sir, we are number one. Dodge seems to be playing by a different set of rules than the rest of the industry. While everyone else is worried about small crossovers and CAFE regulations, miles per gallon and electrification, autonomy and Elon Musk, the gang at Dodge is building AmericaÂ’s best muscle cars ever. Unapologetic, loud, in your face, tire-smoking muscle cars. Hellcats, Demons, Scat Packs and Redeyes. For 2020, the brandÂ’s list of Hemi-powered, rear-wheel-drive tire fryers now includes Widebody versions of the Charger Scat Pack and Hellcat, borrowing parts and inspiration from Widebody Challenger models, which began showing up for 2018. Dodge will also offer the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition to commemorate the 1969 Charger Daytona, a NASCAR homologation special with special aerodynamics for the superspeedways, including a massive rear wing and pointed beak with pop up headlamps. 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary View 14 Photos Just 501 will be sold, the same number of Daytonas Dodge had to build back in the day to satisfy Big Bill France. ItÂ’s available in four colors, and for 2020, itÂ’s the only Charger to wear B5 Blue, which was also originally offered in 1969. ItÂ’s a favorite color of classic Mopar muscle car enthusiasts. “Customers said we were giving too much love to the Challenger and ignoring the Charger,” said Jeff Strauss, the senior manager of Dodge/SRT Sales Operations. “ThatÂ’s not the case anymore.” The Widebody Package will be optional on the Charger Scat Pack (the white car in the above photos), but itÂ’s standard equipment on every 2020 Charger Hellcat and only adds about 30 pounds to the car. Just as on the Widebody Challenger, the plastic wheelwell flares widen the sedan's 3.5 inches, and their wider 20x11-inch forged aluminum wheels wear massive 305/35ZR20 tires front and rear. All-seasons are standard, but the cars are best on the available Pirelli Summer tires. There are also new front and rear fascias, rocker trim and a reshaped rear spoiler.  “My main goal was to make the cars look bad ass,” said Mark Trostle, FCAÂ’s head of performance, passenger and utility vehicle design.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.