2011 Dodge Rollback 5500 - 19 Foot Jerr-dan Steel Bed on 2040-cars

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2013 Dodge Dart gets brace of new special edition models

After almost a year on the market it, it is becoming more clear to Dodge how customers like to option out their Darts, so the automaker has combined popular features into three special edition packages and sweetened the prices. Start with a standard 2013 Dart and add either the SXT or Limited "Special Editions" or Rallye Appearance Group, and you'll save yourself a lot of box checking.
The $595 Dart SXT Special Edition takes the trim just above the base model and adds a new grille, dark-tinted headlights and projector fog lights, LED racetrack taillights, cruise control and audio controls on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Limited Special Edition starts with the top-end model and adds a power sunroof, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control and Nappa leather seats among other features, for $1,810.
The Rallye Appearance Group (pictured) is a package for the SXT, and it blacks out the front fascia, throws on 17-inch wheels and some badging for $395. The new special editions are reaching dealers now and could help the Dart's sales to further improve after a slow start. You can find out more about them in the press release below.

Best and worst car brands of 2022 according to Consumer Reports

It's that time again, Consumer Reports this morning lifting the curtain on its 2022 Annual Car Brand rankings and its 10 Top Picks in the car, crossover, and truck category. Drumroll, please: This year, Subaru climbs two spots to claim the winner's circle, having come third the last two years. Last year, Mazda climbed three spots from 2020 to take the crown. This year, Mazda slipped to second, BMW taking the last spot on the podium, also a one-spot drop from 2021. Six automakers in the top 10 hailed from Japan, which is one more than last year, and five luxury makers occupied the top 10, which is two more than last year. And South Korean representation didn't crack the top this year, after Hyundai managed tenth last year. The seven makes after BMW are: Honda, Lexus, Audi, Porsche, Mini, Toyota, and Infiniti.  The magazine and testing concern says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CR’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." The domestics also took steps back among the 32 OEMs ranked on the 2022 card. Chrysler and Buick were the domestic carmakers who made last year's top 10 in eighth and ninth, respectively. This year, Buick dropped to eleventh, Chrysler to thirteenth. Dodge went from fourteenth to sixteenth. CR continues to ding Tesla's yoke steerer, the not-exactly-natural handhold responsible for the electric carmaker going from sixteenth last year to twenty-third this year.

Man crashes car through store window, says he needs a beer

Police body cameras captured a chaotic scene at a Cleveland-area convenience store after a man drove his car through the front of the store and barricaded himself in a walk-in cooler. According to WJW, the Convenience Mart in Rocky River, Ohio, had just closed in the early hours of May 7 when a black Dodge Challenger barreled through the security bollards at around 40 miles per hour and crashed through the front window. Police arrived to find the car parked in the store with its hazards on, the store clerk trapped beneath debris, and no driver. The clerk told officers the driver got out, told the clerk that he needed a beer, then wandered into the walk-in cooler. Officers found the driver barricaded inside the cooler. A tense standoff ensued with the agitated, confused man, who dared the cops to shoot him. Police learned he was suffering PTSD-related issues from his military service and job with the Federal Protective Service. "The conversation he was having with the police was deranged, consistent with somebody who was going through a mental crisis," RRPD Chief Kelly Stillman told WJW. Eventually, an officer was able to use a taser on the man, who put up a fight but was eventually subdued. He faces charges that include DUI and reckless driving. Thankfully, the store clerk escaped relatively unscathed. His life was saved by a deli case that absorbed the impact of the car and sheltered him from falling debris. "Had the car been over a couple more feet, he was hurt, it could have been serious bodily injury, even possibly death. I mean that's a four, five thousand pound automobile coming at 30, 40 miles an hour. He was lucky, very lucky," said Chief Stillman. Related Video News Source: WJW Auto News Dodge cleveland challenger