|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Chrysler » Jalopnik Reviews ( RSS)
-
|
Last month's review of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 may have seemed to some a blinding orgy of Detroit love. Having just moved from Detroit to New York City, I was homesick and was seemingly in need of a shot of Motor City muscle. Still, I offer no apology, because despite the rose-colored glasses, I managed to outline the three glaring issues with the low-volume '08 model year Challenger SRT8 — the outdated interior, the weight and most importantly, the automatic transmission. After spending a day this past week driving the new 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, SRT8 and SE on the roads of New York City and on the Raceway Park track at Englishtown, NJ, Dodge has fixed at least one-third of the Challenger's problems. That's a good thing for Dodge, because I left the rose-colored glasses back in Detroit. galleryPost('2009ChallengerSRT8Burn', 6, '2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Turns Tires To Smoke For Your Pleasure'); galleryPost('2009ChallengerRTRed',...
|
-
|
Why you should buy the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 : You love America and everything it stands for. You break out in hives at the thought of restoring an old '71 Challenger, but still want to live life looking good, moving fast and bleeding red, white and blue. Your nickname was "Super Soul" or your last name is "Kowalski." Why you shouldn't buy this car: You hate America and everything it stands for. You are content living your life in a drab, vanilla coma, never once yearning to break free to live life the way it should be lived. You know, like it was thirty years ago. Also, you're a red commie liberal hippie who smells vaguely French. Comprendez-vous? galleryPost('DodgeChallengerSRT8Review3', 9, '2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 - Exterior Detail'); galleryPost('DodgeChallengerSRT8Review1', 12, '2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 - Exterior'); galleryPost('DodgeChallengerSRT8Review2', 6, '2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 - Interior'...
|
-
|
Exterior Design: ***** The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 gets all five stars for providing a perfect example of a polarizingly retro design done right. You either love it or you hate it. Although we've yet to find a single soul who is willing to shout this pony down in person. From the big, strong front fascia and that creased centerline to those broad haunches in the back, this muscle car oozes bad-ass. Interior Design: *** Inasmuch as the exterior was crafted with pound upon pound of love and care, the interior feels like the ginger-headed stepchild of the design process. The flat plastic dash, while soft-to-the-touch, looks bare, forlorn and unloved. The woven leather steering wheel feels less sturdy than this car deserves. Still, the Challenger SRT8 gets one star for a back seat with the spaciousness of the original, another star for those bolstered front seats and yet another for the faux suede along the doors. Nice touch, Dodge. galleryPost('DodgeChallengerSRT8Review2', 6...
|
-
|
Michigan's M-1 is a state trunk road that starts at downtown Detroit's waterfront drive, Jefferson Avenue, then shoots north in a straight line for 21.4 miles, past some of the poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods of the metro region until it loops back down the other direction in the city of Pontiac. And really, nobody calls it "M-1." Everyone knows it as Woodward Avenue and it's the heart of the Midwestern metropolis dubbed the Motor City. But until this morning, I didn't realize how important this stretch of road was to me. Many of you may not know, but this past month I moved to New York. Until the start of last month, I'd lived my entire life in this corner of Michigan. But this week I'm back in Detroit for one reason, and one reason alone — an entire week of driving the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 . It's a car imbued with so much positive energy there's only thing I can think of to do it justice. I plan on running Dodge's muscular...
|
-
|
Why you should buy the 2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition : You need a big cruiser, but need muscle car speed. Your department has a bunch of money to spend after a big drug bust. You've got to reunite your band and save an orphanage. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You think high-speed pursuits are unnecessary and dangerous. You complain about high gas prices. You think the police shouldn't carry guns. You're a neo-Nazi from Illinois. galleryPost('08DodgeChargerPolicepart3', 9, '2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition - Exterior Details'); galleryPost('08DodgeChargerPolicepart2', 9, '2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition - Interior Details'); galleryPost('08DodgeChargerPolicepart1', 9, '2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition'); Suitability Parameters: Speed Merchants: No Fashion Victims: No Treehuggers: No Mack Daddies: No Tuner Crowd: No Hairdressers: No Penny Pinchers: No Euro Snobs: No Working Stiffs: Yes Technogeeks: No Poseurs: No Soccer...
|
-
|
Exterior Design: **** The 2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition benefits from the inherently aggressive looks of the standard Charger's angry headlamps and strong rear haunches. Of course, each car's style will be affected by the livery of its jurisdiction. Our car looks badass in black with the exposed steel wheels and a spot lamp mounted in the A-pillar, but we would've liked to have a push-bar in front to make it even more intimidating. Interior Design: *** Function rules over form inside the Police Edition. The center console and floor shifter have disappeared, making room for a large mounting surface for police equipment, relocating the autostick to the steering column. You would think a cop car might have some sort of donut holder molded into the dashboard, but there aren't even any cup holders. But the three stars come entirely from the rubber floors, making you free to spill beverages or bodily fluids without fear of a difficult cleanup, and the red night-light. galleryPost...
|
-
|
Exterior Design: **** The 2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition benefits from the inherently aggressive looks of the standard Charger's angry headlamps and strong rear haunches. Of course, each car's style will be affected by the livery of its jurisdiction. Our car looks badass in black with the exposed steel wheels and a spot lamp mounted in the A-pillar, but we would've liked to have a push-bar in front to make it even more intimidating. Interior Design: *** Function rules over form inside the Police Edition. The center console and floor shifter have disappeared, making room for a large mounting surface for police equipment, relocating the autostick to the steering column. You would think a cop car might have some sort of donut holder molded into the dashboard, but there aren't even any cup holders. But the three stars come entirely from the rubber floors, making you free to spill beverages or bodily fluids without fear of a difficult cleanup, and the red night-light. galleryPost...
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("DodgeCharger_BluesBros_v4.flv", 494, 290,""); If you saw Top Gear last week, you saw the boys compete to find the best sub-£900 replacement for the British standard Opel Astra police car. They shouldn't have bothered. There's already something bigger, stronger and faster in the colonies — and we've driven it. Just ignore the price tag and fuel economy. —Ed. Barreling down the highway in the 2008 Dodge Charger Police Edition, I'm on a mission. It's 106 miles to Chicago, I've got a full tank of gas, and I'm supposed to meet Hardigree on the Southside in an hour at the 95th Street drawbridge. Legally, there's no way for me to make it on time, and even though this is a cop car, I've no sirens or flashing lights to assist me in pursuing above-the-law speeds. What I've got instead is a stripped-down, blacked-out cruiser that feels like the spiritual successor to the Dodge Monaco Elwood Blues picked up from...
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("300c-part3.flv", 463, 387,""); So you've seen the brief introduction to Chrysler's MyGig entertainment center and you've watched me get my hands dirty setting it all up, so what's the final verdict? Well, watch the talking head above and see. I am very happy to bear witness to Chrysler taking another step towards the future of car entertainment and infotainment centers--which amounts to simply slapping a complete PC into the dash. So which manufacturer wants to be the first to have a factory installed Windows- or OS X-powered machine that is completely open to customization? Any takers? I guess I'll just to do it myself. galleryPost('300cheritageext', 3, '2008 Chrysler 300c Heritage Edition'); galleryPost('chrysler300cmygigint', 3, 'Chrysler 300c Interior & MyGig');
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("300c-part2.flv", 463, 387,""); Last week, I gave you a brief introduction to the Chrysler MyGig system in a 2008 300c Heritage Edition, and now I'm here to show how all of this hard drive mumbo-jumbo works. All in all, it's a really, really easy system to use. So easy I would be comfortable letting my grandmother attempt to save music to the hard drive. Stay tuned for part three when I give a final verdict, including putting on my favorite Negative Nancy hat. galleryPost('300cheritageext', 3, '2008 Chrysler 300c Heritage Edition'); galleryPost('chrysler300cmygigint', 3, 'Chrysler 300c Interior & MyGig');
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("mygig1.flv", 463, 387,""); Now that we've finished putting the Microsoft Sync system through the grinder , it's time to take a look at the MyGig system featured in a variety of Chrysler vehicles. To simplify, MyGig is a pretty standard infotainment center, but with a "ruggedized" hard drive slapped behind it. Check out the video preview of the MyGig system above and stay tuned for Part 2, in which I slip on my Speedo and dive into the MyGig system like nobody's business. galleryPost('300cheritageext', 3, '2008 Chrysler 300c Heritage Edition Exterior'); galleryPost('chrysler300cmygigint', 3, 'Chrysler 300c Heritage Edition Interior, MyGig');
|
|
|
|