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Sunday Drive: Spying an automotive future of performance

I spy, with my little eye ... the future of the automotive world here in the United States. That pretty much sums up this week's Sunday Drive, in which we pull out the most popular stories on Autoblog of the previous week and try to draw some sort of conclusion as to what binds them all together. This week, it's spy shots, starting with one of the biggest and baddest muscle cars the world has ever seen: the Dodge Challenger Hellcat. The Hellish coupe gets a new hood for 2019 with dual scoops, but that's about the only meaningful change for the new model year. No matter. As long as it's packing 700-plus horsepower under those two hood scoops, all will be right with the world. Moving on, we take keep the performance angle but move it from the street to the dirt with a new version of the Chevy Colorado ZR2 that we think is probably called the Bison. We think it'll keep the high-tech suspension bits of the regular ZR2, but add expedition gear that may include a snorkel and a winch. Which, if true, is pretty dang cool. Keeping the truck theme is the 2019 GMC Sierra. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about the trim level in which the truck was spied, and that's what makes this specific example interesting. Base-model trucks almost never get much attention, but they sell in droves to workers who need an honest-to-goodness truck for work or play and don't care about bells, whistles, or massive chrome badges. And finally we have the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, which is on fire on the sales floor right now. But those are all V6-powered Wranglers flying off the showroom floor. Soon, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine option will become available, and now we know that it will return up to 23 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway. That makes it the most fuel efficient Wrangler that Jeep has ever sold. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the automotive news that's fit to publish. 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat with twin-scoop hood spied with no camouflage Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison caught testing 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 spied in base trim level 2018 Jeep Wrangler four-cylinder fuel economy revealed Spy Photos Chevrolet Dodge GMC Jeep Truck Coupe SUV Off-Road Vehicles Performance dodge challenger srt hellcat sunday drive

Dodge revives Challenger T/A and Charger Daytona trims for 2017

Dodge is reviving the Challenger's T/A trim and the Charger's Daytona line for 2017. Introduced on iconic Woodward Avenue just days before the annual Woodward Dream Cruise kicks off, the new variants promise more performance hardware and sportier aesthetics. We'll start with the two-door. The Challenger T/A, available with either the R/T trim's 5.7-liter V8 or the fire-breathing 6.4-liter Hemi V8, is inspired by the Challenger T/As of old. That means a less restrictive, 2.75-inch active exhaust system and a conical Mopar air filter. But there's no clear bump in output – Dodge still lists the base 5.7-liter at 375 horsepower and the 6.4-liter model at 485 hp. But hey, they're going to look cooler. Unlike the Challenger Hellcat, which should have it as standard, Dodge is including a Satin Black hood on every Challenger T/A. In fact, Satin Black is a recurring theme on this Challenger's front fascia, roof, rear decklid, and T/A bodyside stripes. And yes, the 20-inch Mopar wheels are black, too – they're also an inch wider than normal. Dodge is offering the T/A in three different trims. The base T/A has everything we described above, while the T/A Plus adds some comfort features like heated and vented Nappa leather seats, an 8.4-inch UConnect system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo, and a shortcut button for the Dodge Performance Pages. The T/A 392, meanwhile, adds the 6.4-liter V8, even wider wheels, and Brembo six-pot calipers. If you prefer smoking tires with four doors, there's the new Charger Daytona. No, there's not an enormous wing on the back. But Dodge added the same kind of engine/exhaust upgrades found on the T/A while upping the top speed from 135 to 150 miles per hour. Satin Black features prominently again, with hood and rear fender graphics. The roof is also black. Unlike the Challenger, Dodge is only offering two different versions of the Daytona – the 5.7-liter base model and the 6.4-liter version, called the Daytona 392. Prices for the Challenger T/A start at $38,485, including a $1,095-destination charge, while the T/A Plus adds $2,750. Adding the 392 means shelling out $45,090. For the Daytona, you'll need a check for $40,985 for the 5.7-liter or $46,090 for the 6.4-liter. Orders for the Charger Daytona open in September, while the T/A is a month later. Related Video:

BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.