Dodge Reviews & Ratings

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 continued »

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 continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 68 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 continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | Toyota | 77 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 continued »

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

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 45 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 continued »

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 continued »

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?

2009 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) Review continued »

2009 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 66 comments

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Review

By Sajeev Mehta
September 1, 2008

There was a time when a muscle car’s only traction control was in your right foot; when the human utricle and saccule were the world’s finest yaw sensors. Sadly, those days are gone forever. Yes, but… Let's get one thing straight. The original Challenger was no muscle car. And when Dodge’s pony car performance met (and lost to) emissions controls and fuel economy, the little demon turned into a compact luxury coupe of questionable Mitsubishi heritage. Fast forward to the frenzied pace of the Barrett-Jackson Pimp-O-Rama and the next logical iteration was obvious: the Challenger is now a true Muscle Car.

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Review continued »

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 76 comments

2008 Dodge Durango Limited Review

By Mike Solowiow
March 24, 2008

I drink Espolon tequila. It's not a matter of taste, smoothness or snobbery. Veteran drinkers-- like car buyers-- know it's always better to buy top shelf hooch to minimize the inevitable after-effects. Get drunk on the cheap and you pay the price (the old "I have to get better so I can die" routine). By the same token, buy a Dodge Durango and it will burn all the way down to the pit of your automotive soul, leaving you with a hangover that will last years. Where's the fun in that?

2008 Dodge Durango Limited Review continued »

2008 Dodge Durango Limited rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 50 comments

2009 Dodge Journey Review

By Michael Karesh
February 22, 2008

Back in 2004, Chrysler thought it had a segment-busting winner with the Pacifica. Neither car, minivan, nor SUV, the luxurious large "crossover" was supposed to play a key role in Chrysler's planned move upscale. Buyers lined-up none deep for Chrysler's bloated station wagon. The automaker was forced to de-content, discount and discontinue the disastrous distraction. Stunned by the Pacfica-shaped sales sinkhole, it took Chrysler another five years to field another three-row crossover. The 2009 Dodge Journey is in many ways the anti-Pacifica. Will it be any more successful?

2009 Dodge Journey Review continued »

2009 Dodge Journey rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Dodge | 98 comments