Apparently the picture above is just one of the several found online by Carscoop of what appears to be patent drawings of the next Dodge Durango. Only reports are now saying that the vehicle could drop the Durango name and instead launch with the Magnum title. If you remember, Magnum was the name for the low-roof wagon that Dodge offered for several years off the Chrysler 300 underpinnings. Whatever the name, it appears to be a much sharper looking vehicle than the outgoing Durango it would replace.
(Image source: Carscoop)
Forbes ranks the dirtiest vehicles, it appears the Big 3 are learning!
Some might see this list and say, “that’s why I refuse to buy American!” However, when I look at this list created by Forbes, I see two things. The first thing I see is that the article is totally biased in the fact that it fails to mention that 4 of the top 10 dirtiest vehicles are from German manufacturers. The second thing I notice when looking at this list is that it appears that the Domestic 3 are learning. Of the 6 American made vehicles on the list, 3 are out of production, another 1 is nearing its end and the other 2 are being substantially reworked to put them among the best in their class for fuel efficiency. The list is below, along with the air pollution / greenhouse gas scores next to each vehicle.
- Jeep Grand Cherokee (3/1)
- BMW M5 (6/0)
- BMW M6 (6/0)
- Chevrolet Trailblazer (6/0)
- Mercedes-Benz CL600
- Mercedes-Benz S600
- Chrysler Aspen (6/1)
- Dodge Dakota (6/1)
- Dodge Ram 1500 (6/1)
- Dodge Durango (6/1)
The other small annoyance to me is the fact that the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango showed up on the list even though they are basically the same vehicle and received the same score. I know it’s not good to have a vehicle fall on this list, but the American 3 are making a comeback in this area with vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and Ford Fusion hybrid. (Note: vehicles in red are out of production/nearing the end of production, vehicles in blue are up for significant updates.)
Dodge plans two-mode hybrid in Ram for 2010 calendar year
Dodge originally had two hybrid offerings, the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs. Those two vehicles were killed before many could be produced, but that hasn’t stopped Dodge from moving ahead with other plans. According to the Detroit News, Dodge plans to put their two-mode hybrid powertrain in the Ram for the 2010 calendar year. This is the same system that was jointly develped with GM, BMW and Daimler. For more, head on over to the Detroit News.
(Image source: Chrysler)
2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Once again, Jalopnik has come through and found images of the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango full-size SUVs. They offer up an interesting comparison with side by side with the current models. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Chrysler design but these new offerings look pretty sharp. Much more modern, with tighter tolerances between body panels. Chrysler is also claiming that the new vehicles will offer a 19% fuel economy improvement, and also have Consumer Reports reliability 40% better than industry average. I wish Chrysler the best of luck in accomplishing those goals.
