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TTAC Does Video: Challenger SRT8 Review

By Roman Mica
September 3, 2009

Welcome to the most recent addition to our team: Roman Mica. Mr. Mica is a veteran journalist with pistonhead proclivities. He's fully committed to telling the truth about cars; so enjoy his contributions while he can still get press cars. I joke. A bit. Anyway, with our limited editorial budget, we'll be linking to Mr. M's website tflcar.com. Every damn time. Both here in the text, and in the linkage area. So get used to it, and the most excellent videography provided by Roman's twelve-year-old son. BTW, why would the Challenger be pissed-off that it has a 425HP engine? Just sayin' . . . Hey, how about we send Baruth over to give Roman a little driving lesson?

TTAC Does Video: Challenger SRT8 Review

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 30 comments

Review: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Track Pack “Classic”

By Jack Baruth
July 29, 2009

Smart consumers know there are plenty of ways to save money on one’s chosen hobby while preserving enjoyment and/or utility. A Gibson Les Paul Studio is very nearly as good a guitar as a Les Paul Standard, and it costs half as much. The Allen-Edmonds MacNeil uses the same Horween shell cordovan as the Alden Long Wing and can often be had for up to a hundred dollars less. The Omega Speedmaster does everything a Rolex Daytona does except create the false impression that one has won an iconic American race. With that said, here’s eight thousand dollars that you would be a fool to “save”: the price gap between the Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and the Challenger SRT-8.

Review: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Track Pack “Classic”

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Track Pack “Classic”

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 70 comments

Review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 ST

By Sajeev Mehta
July 20, 2009

TTAC's Best and Brightest don't need proof that Chrysler dealers are in a world of hurt. Still, seeing their misery displayed on a LED sign by the side of the road rubs salt into the wound. 76% off 2009 Dodge Ram Trucks! And this was before Chrysler filed for Chapter 11, from a dealer that dodge the ChryCo dealer cull bullet. Fine print? Lots. Slime-filled sales tactics aside, it's only a matter of time before the real liquidation sales arrive. If so, is Dodge's most basic of workhorses worth a look?

Review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 ST

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 ST

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 50 comments

Review: 2006 Dodge Viper, Paxton Novi Supercharged

By Jack Baruth
June 18, 2009

Let us drive then, you and I, while the morning is spread out against the sky like a crash victim autopsied upon a table. Let us drive, up winding rain-slicked streets, the chattering traction control and sideways exits in too-narrow lanes . . . All apologies to T.S. Eliot, but what you are about to read can only be characterized as The Love Song of A Supercharged Viper. I was a fan of the 500-horsepower new-generation SRT-10 when it arrived in 2003, fell in love with the variable-cam 600-horsepower variant in 2008, and was utterly smitten by the final Viper ACR when I drove it at Chrysler’s proving grounds last year. With this 750-horsepower, ACR-inspired droptop, however, PRI has created the fastest rental car available in the United States, and that means it is interesting.

Review: 2006 Dodge Viper, Paxton Novi Supercharged

rating summary and performance review: 2006 Dodge Viper, Paxton Novi Supercharged

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 50 comments

Review: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Take Two

By Jonny Lieberman
January 19, 2009

The hand held radio crackled, "Pace car, flag's on the white RX-7. Get in front of him." I was at the first ever 24 Hours of LeMons race to be held in Kershaw, South Carolina. I was behind the wheel of a Vitamin C Dodge Challenger SRT8 with a 6.1-liter Hemi good for 425 hp. We were using it to pace the race. My job was to get in front of a 1981 Mazda RX-7 running under yellow. No problem. 370 cubic inches of American muscle against a wretched 26-year-old rotary? I was about to be the Godzilla to his Japan. Hell, I'd even light it up a bit-- give the crowd something to cheer about. Yeah right. I could barely get in front of the Mazda, let alone woo the teeming masses.

Review: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Take Two

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 73 comments

Review: 2008 Dodge Charger V6 vs. 1993 Toyota Camry

By Paul Niedermeyer
January 5, 2009

My remedy for advanced bailout fatigue (and looming cold December): two weeks in Hawaii. I decided to leave the choice of rental cars in the hands of the island gods. And they spoke, with more wisdom and prescience than I might have imagined. Turns out that escape from the bitter truth about The Big 2.8's death rattles is impossible, even on the most remote islands on the globe. How else could I be comparing a Dodge Charger with a fifteen-year old Toyota Camry?

Review: 2008 Dodge Charger V6 vs. 1993 Toyota Camry

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | Toyota | 79 comments

Review: 2009 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab ST 4×4

By Sajeev Mehta
December 5, 2008

With waning interest in full-size pickups, all the major players have hit the market with a resounding thud. While the dee-luxe apartment in the sky is safe and clear for GM and Ford’s power players, the squeeze play can take the pie away from lesser-known trucks: those that do less, but cost more than expected. That said, now’s not a good time to be the mid-size Dodge Dakota.

Review: 2009 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab ST 4×4

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab ST 4×4

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 46 comments

Comparo: Chevrolet HHR SS vs. Dodge Caliber SRT-4

By Matthew Neundorf
November 21, 2008

In 1976, Volkswagen introduced the world to the Rabbit GTi. The German pocket rocket defined a whole new class for entry-level lead foots. The DNA was simple; a lightweight, nimble chassis coupled with a high-revving fuel efficient motor, a couple of doors and a lift-gate at the back. The hot-hatch was born. Since then, grace has been replaced by grunt. Two hundred horsepower is the starting line. The Mazdaspeed 3, new GTi, and MINI Cooper S lead the way from across the ponds. Stateside, the Dodge Caliber SRT-4 and Chevrolet HHR SS bring more mass and muscle to the party. They may be a two-door stretch to the original definition, but hot and hatched they are. So are either of the latter two worth your money?

Comparo: Chevrolet HHR SS vs. Dodge Caliber SRT-4

Posted in Car Reviews | Chevrolet | Dodge | 39 comments

Review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab

By Don Gammill Jr.
November 12, 2008

March of 1996. I was a college kid desperate for a Florida spring break, with nothing other than my 34-year-old Thunderbird for wheels. The Ford was un-restored, and I was far from the capable wrench-turner I am today. But it didn’t matter. I was going to Florida. In my car. With no fear. Well, not at first, anyway. Before long, I-75 became increasingly rural, and all vestiges of metro-Atlanta quickly faded away. As the sun sank low, my mind began amplifying each squeak, rattle, and groan. I suddenly realized that if my old T-Bird was going to put me down, I’d rather it happen while I was still relatively close to home. With all the discretion and restraint 21-year-olds are famous for, I decided to floor it and see what happened.

Review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 59 comments

2009 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) Review

By Matthew Neundorf
October 6, 2008

Many film buffs consider Richard Sarafian’s Vanishing Point an existentialist masterpiece. Kowalski had no real reason for going balls-out to San Francisco-- other than the drive itself. Pistonheads argue that Kowalski’s ride, an arctic white 1970 Dodge Challenger, was reason enough. Yes, well, Mopar’s E-body entry to the late sixties ponycar parade was short-lived. Dodge only moved 165k units before 'The End" flashed-up on the factory floor. With today's Pentastar losing market share faster than a celebutante shedding clothes at a pool party, the recreated Challenger is carrying a lot more weight these days. So, is there any there there?