2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4 Wheel Drive, 4.7 Liter V8, Auto Trans, 4 Full Drs on 2040-cars

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2013 Dodge Dart gets all Moparized

Last year, Chrysler announced it would be offering more than 150 Mopar parts and accessories on the 2013 Dodge Dart, and we got a look at some of these parts firsthand at the Chicago Auto Show. Showing off all the optional parts at once would surely create a gaudy monstrosity, so Chrysler chose to equip this particular Dart GT with just a handful of Mopar goodies, which still gave the car a nice and tasteful custom look that is available straight from the dealership (and with a full warranty, too).
Decked out in a factory color called Header Orange Clear Coat - also a very appropriate show car hue - this car added exterior styling parts such as the vented, carbon fiber hood, the bolt-on front chin spoiler and a matte black decklid spoiler. Looking inside the car, you'd think the red-accented interior is part of the Mopar parts bin, too, but this is actually what the standard Dart GT cabin will look like when it goes on sale.

Dodge whips covers off 2013 Blacktop series

Dodge introduced us to its Blacktop model lineup a year ago with the 2012 Charger and followed up with more recently with the 2013 Challenger and 2013 Avenger. Now the automaker will be applying this ominous-looking treatment to the Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey models for 2013 as well. These models will be unveiled next week at the Detroit Auto Show, but Dodge has released most of the details for these new products including pricing and availability.
If the Grand Caravan R/T (aka, the Man Van) wasn't aggressive enough for you or its $30,000 starting price was a little too pricey, then the 2013 Grand Caravan Blacktop could be the ticket. Starting with the SXT trim level (which stickers at $19,995), the Blacktop package costs only $595, and adds unique features such as blacked-out headlights, grille and fog lights bezels and an all-black interior. The van rides on black-accented, 17-inch aluminum wheels. The Grand Caravan Blacktop is only available in monochromatic paint schemes limited to Billet Silver, Brilliant Black, Maximum Steel, Redline Red and Stone White
Likewise, the 2013 Journey Blacktop is offered only on the SXT model (starting at $18,995) with all of the crossover's normal options such as four- and six-cylinder engines, five- or seven-passenger seating and front- or all-wheel drive. The Blacktop package adds $995 to the Journey SXT's price and features many of the same black accents as the Grand Caravan like the headlights, grille, door mirrors and lower fascia. Exterior colors are limited to Bright Silver, Bright Red, Brilliant Black, Brilliant Red Tri-Coat, White, Pearl White Tri-Coat and Storm Grey, and the package's 19-inch wheels come in Gloss Black. Inside, the Journey Blacktop comes standard with black cloth seats and Chrysler's 8.4-inch Uconnect touch screen, but black leather is also available as an option.

FCA inline-six rumored to be real, headed for Jeep Wagoneer

In September, Allpar reported that that clues being dropped at Fiat- Chrysler headquarters, in the carmaker's factories, and on engineer resumes pointed to the development of an inline six-cylinder engine. The site has just proclaimed the rumor is reality, writing that the straight-six, "turbocharged to meet or beat 5.7 Hemi power ratings, with a smoother torque curve, is on the way." The motor's first outing is expected to be either the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, debuting perhaps next year, or the Jeep Wagoneer, debuting in 2020 or 2021. "Tornado" is the purported codename for the power plant said to be just under three liters in displacement, expanding the family begun with the Global Medium Engine 2.0-liter turbo codenamed Hurricane. Engine bay constraints and a long use horizon mean engineers won't simply add two more cylinders to the GME, however. Allpar says the brief is to keep the Tornado GME-T6 — the alphanumeric for "turbocharged six" — no more than three inches longer than the Tigershark 2.4-liter four-cylinder. That means "major design changes" that could include a space-saving head, more closely spaced cylinders, and no cylinder liners. An FCA division called Comau could be called on for its "SmartSpray" plasma lining technology. Allpar muses that the standard version of the engine for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram could get a single twin-scroll turbocharger. Performance trims for Alfa Romeo and Maserati could get different heads and maybe twin turbos, an SRT version might also get both those tweaks. History shows that the Italian versions would make changes to the block, as well. Even so, the Tornado would be less expensive than any Ferrari-supplied V6. A straight-six would put FCA in company with current adopters BMW and Mercedes-Benz, future users like Jaguar, and perhaps Aston Martin. The engine would span the widest range of use cases in the U.S. carmaker's portfolio, though. Potential applications include being a base engine for Ram trucks, serving double duty as a base engine and 5.7-liter Hemi replacement for the Dodge Charger and Challenger, working in the high-end Jeeps, and as a properly hot trim — with Ferrari-designed heads — in the luxury Italian sports cars. The Alfa Romeo Giulia begs for just such motivation to fill the gap between the 280-hp, $42,695 Ti Sport RWD and the 505-hp, $73,700 Giulia Quadrifoglio RWD. And a twin-turbo inline-six in a Maserati Alfieri would stack up nicely with the Germans.