Sxt Coupe 3.6l Cd 4 Wheel Disc Brakes Abs Brakes Am/fm Radio Air Conditioning on 2040-cars

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Dodge Charger SRT Widebody spied filming a commercial

The voice you hear in the video just below appears to be from Instagram user eviil_srt, and as you can tell, he's quite the Mopar superfan. Thing is, the car you see in that video appears worthy of such a fan's adoration. It's clearly a Dodge Charger Widebody, a vehicle that we've been anxiously awaiting ever since it was revealed in prototype form by Mark Trostle, head of design for Dodge and SRT, at Spring Fest 14. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Actually, we've been seeing hints of the wide Charger far longer than that – it was spotted testing on public roads before its officialish debut, and even prior to that, the car's rumored existence had the Internet rumbling with the force of a 700-plus-horsepower supercharged Hemi V8 for months. All that preamble brings us back to the present and the aforementioned Instagram post, in which this upcoming production Widebody was spotted presumably filming for an official television commercial debut. Note the body-color license plate on the Charger Widebody in the video, which indicates it's probably being used for an official purpose by Dodge. It's a short clip, but just long enough that we can clearly make out a big rear wing, vented bumper cover, and deep diffuser punctuated by large dual exhaust tips. We also see some extremely wide tires front and rear, which makes sense considering that there's very likely a whole corral's worth of ponies underhood. The current Dodge Challenger Widebody style is offered on the 485-horsepower R/T Scat Pack trim level, the SRT Hellcat trim level that bumps horsepower all the way to 717, and, for buyers who really hate their rear tires, the 797-hp Hellcat Redeye trim level. Dodge hasn't yet extended the excessively powerful Redeye engine to the Charger line, but the other two levels seem likely. And who knows – the Widebody's introduction might be the perfect opportunity to build a Charger Redeye. In any case, the fact that Dodge is filming commercials indicates that we won't have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

2018 Dodge Durango Pursuit SUV is the tall arm of the law

Dodge is adding to its police car portfolio with the 2018 Durango Pursuit, a specially-prepped police version of the automaker's SUV. Available with an optional 360-horsepower Hemi engine, the Durango Pursuit comes with everything you'd expect in a truck built to protect and serve. We'll try to avoid too many Blues Brothers cop car references but, yes, this Dodge includes some serious "cop shocks" and that aforementioned "cop engine," among many other modifications. The Hemi engine produces 360 horsepower and 390 lb. ft. of torque, all of which is routed to an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time AWD system. According to Dodge, this is the most popular powertrain fitted to the existing Charger Pursuit police car. The brakes have been strengthened and are capable of bringing the Durango Pursuit from 60-0 mph in 134 feet. The Durango Pursuit also adds a two-speed transfer case, which should prove handy when bad guys try to escape by venturing off road. "Unofficial testing results at the Michigan State Police 2018 model-year vehicle evaluation event created such a stir among law enforcement agencies that we simply had to find a way to build this vehicle," said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge/SRT, FCA North America. Despite the apparent buzz around this police vehicle, Dodge has said the Durango Pursuit V-8 AWD will only be available "for a limited time." And as you've already guessed, you have to be in law enforcement to place an order for one — sorry to disappoint. Other notable features of the Durango Pursuit include 8.1 inches of ground clearance, a tow rating of 7,200 pounds, heavy-duty oil cooler and water pump, 220-amp alternator, a spare tire mounted beneath the rear of the truck to free interior space, a spotlight wiring prep package, along with trailer sway control. Dog lovers will be pleased that K-9 units have been taken into consideration, too. The Durango Pursuit is available with a tri-zone climate control package, to make certain badge-wearing four-legged constables remain comfortable while fighting crime. Related Video: Dodge SUV Police/Emergency police car

FCA's shifter fiasco proves novel gear selectors are a bad idea

What's wrong with PRNDL? Why are automakers trying to overly complicate the simple task of selecting gears? If there's any lesson to learn from the recent news that NHTSA is investigating 853,000 Fiat Chrysler vehicles over its problematic gear selectors, it's that the trend of fancy shifters needs to stop. Now. Last year, NHTSA opened an investigation into Jeep Grand Cherokee models, and has now expanded this probe to include the 2012-14 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. The problem? The shifter – assembled by ZF – is confusing for many drivers. "Testing ... indicates that operation of the (electronic) shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection," a NHTSA document states. More than 100 crashes and over a dozen injuries are linked to this problem, according to The Detroit Free Press. To us, the problem isn't just limited to FCA. These unnecessarily novel gear selectors are spreading like wildfire across the industry. Honda and Acura use a weird pushbutton setup. Lincolns have buttons on the dashboard. Jaguar's shifter electronically raises out of the center console. Mercedes uses a stalk with up-for-Reverse, down-for-Drive, push-for-Neutral arrangement. And what the hell is BMW thinking with its M cars? FCA has since abandoned the confusing shifters in question. The 300, Charger, and Grand Cherokee now use the rotary shift dial that's quickly proliferating across the company's brands. Simplistic gear selectors might not be sexy, but no one ever complained about not being able to find the right gear in a Hyundai Sonata. What's most interesting is that this NHTSA investigation could push FCA – and possibly other automakers – to redesign vehicle functions that otherwise operate as designed. Just because most people will never have a problem putting a Dodge Charger in Reverse doesn't mean there isn't a flaw with the design. But perhaps a more simplistic solution – good ol' PRNDL – would have prevented these issues from the start. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Copyright 2016 AOL Government/Legal Chrysler Dodge Jeep FCA shifters