2004 Dodge Dakota Slt Extended Cab Pickup 2-door 4.7l 4x4 122k on 2040-cars

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Motorweek goes retro with '80s hot hatch shootout

Motorweek's decades of history on television make it the perfect medium to look back into the automotive past and see how things are different now. It recently added old road test videos to its YouTube channel of the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra, as well as the Ferrari F40. For one of its newest flashback clips, Motorweek has exhumed an affordable five-car challenge of 1986's premiere hot hatches.
By today's standards, this is an eclectic field that features fondly remembered classics like the Volkswagen GTI 16-valve and Acura Integra. However, it also throws in some nearly forgotten contenders like the Dodge Colt Turbo and Ford Escort GT. The angular Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S rounds out the group.
It's fascinating to watch Motorweek run the quintet through the slalom, down the drag strip and on various roads. What's most striking in this clip is the difference in the definition of a performance car between then and now. With its 16-valve, 1.8-liter four-cylinder, the GTI is the burliest of the contenders with 123 horsepower, but it still takes 8.8 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. By today's standards, that would make it a plain-jane economy car, and not even a particularly quick one.

Dodge Hellcats change their stripes for 2016

If you've been on the fence about ordering up a new Dodge with Hellcat power, this might just provide the extra incentive you were looking for. Starting this month, Dodge is offering a new stripe option, exclusive to its most powerful muscle cars. The SRT Hellcat stripes are now available to order on the top-of-the-line, 707-horsepower versions of both the Charger and Challenger. The dual full-length stripes run all the way up from the front lip, over the grille, up the hood, accentuating the NACA duct, along the roof, down the trunklid, across the rear spoiler, and down the rear bumper. They feature a carbon-fiber texture, and can be ordered with any of eleven colors for an extra $995. Along with the stripes, Dodge has also announced that it is extending the availability of the exclusive Plum Crazy color – which was originally scheduled to expire at the end of December – for another month. The throwback hue can be ordered on Charger and Challenger models ranging from the SXT through the R/T models all the way up to the SRT 392 and Hellcat. 2016 CHALLENGER AND CHARGER SRT HELLCAT MODELS EARN EXCLUSIVE STRIPES, DODGE EXTENDS PLUM CRAZY PAINT - All-new SRT Hellcat dual exterior stripe design adds even more Dodge attitude to 2016 Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat models - SRT Hellcat-exclusive dual full-length carbon-fiber pattern stripes provide a customized-from-the-factory look - Dealers will start taking orders for Hellcat stripes in January 2016 - SRT Hellcat dual stripes have a U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $995 - Dodge is answering enthusiast demand for Plum Crazy exterior paint with an additional one-month run of the legendary and limited-edition high-impact hue January 8, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - For more than a year, Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat models — the fastest and most powerful muscle cars ever with 707 supercharged HEMI® horsepower each — have stormed roadways and drag strips with acceleration blasts to 60 mph in the low 3-second range, generated more than 61 million sensational YouTube video views around the globe, enabled an entirely new generation of Dodge enthusiasts and now for 2016 have been rewarded with their very own Dodge performance stripes.

2018 Dodge Durango SRT Quick Spin | The modern hot-rod wagon

I love big, overpowered SUVs. Except for Mercedes-AMG, no one makes fast wagons anymore. Models like the BMW X5 M and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S fill that niche, combining a powerful engine with copious amounts of room for cargo and passengers. These SUVs are too porky to handle well on a track and too big and wide to properly tackle a curvy backroad. But with a soft suspension and a 0-60 mph time of less than 5 seconds, they are perfect for cruising city streets and pulling away from unsuspecting Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros. That makes the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT perfect for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Dream Cruise is an annual car meet along Woodward Avenue, just northwest of Detroit. While literally any motorized vehicle is welcome, the street is mostly filled with American cars from the height of the domestic auto industry. For a late 20-something like myself, watching and partaking in the Dream Cruise fills me with a sense of nostalgia for a time and place that never existed for me, just like watching John Wayne in anything from "Stagecoach" to "True Grit" makes you long for horseback rides in the Old West. The Durango SRT, with a pushrod Hemi V8, 392 cubic-inch badging on the fenders and muscular styling, enhances the experience. Sure, it's not nearly as cool as Mopar stalwarts like the 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner or the 1970 Dodge Daytona, but it's filled with the same sense of purpose. Dip into the throttle and listen to that eight-cylinder chorus erupt with a sound that's wholly unique. Not even the pushrod V8s from GM snarl and crack like this 6.4-liter Hemi. It's the same sort of sound you'll hear from countless Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth products during Dream Cruise. You don't need to go fast to get the full understanding of the Durango SRT's purpose. Ignore the SRT-tuned suspension and heavy steering. What you really want to do is open the SRT menu and adjust the custom settings. Set the engine and transmission in track mode and put everything else in the street setting. You'll get all the available power and straight-line performance combined with a nice, cushy ride. We're not sure what FCA has planned for the future. While the industry moves toward electrification and autonomous ride-sharing vehicles, the automaker is pouring money into vehicles like the Durango SRT, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Future prospects look hazy.