2006 Dodge Dakota St Extended Cab Pickup 4-door 3.7l on 2040-cars

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Preserved truck found at the bottom of frozen lake

A fisherman in central Minnesota pulled more than bluegill and bass out of his local fishing hole earlier this month. While ice fishing on Mayhew Lake, a local man was startled when, using an underwater camera to scout for fish, he discovered a vehicle sitting on the lakebed, the SCTimes reported. He immediately called the Benton County Sheriff's office, which sent deputies to examine the vehicle. Once they arrived, the deputies used their own camera to have a look and discovered a late-90s to early-00s model Dodge Ram pickup in roughly 12 feet of water. The Sheriff's department dive team was then dispatched to search the truck and the area surrounding it for bodies or valuables. The truck was lifted from the lakebed through a huge hole in the ice. The Sheriff's office ran the plates and discovered that it was reported stolen in March of 2000 from a nearby address. Investigators believe that given the truck's location, almost 100 yards from the lake's public access ramp and 25 yards from the north shore, that it was driven on to the lake while it was frozen, then allowed to sink to the bottom once the ice melted. Thanks to the lake's frigid waters, the truck was surprisingly well preserved. Aside from a missing grille, a coating of mud inside, and a patina of rust on the sheet metal, there was little damage to the truck despite its long rest in the lake. With an engine full of lake water and the damage done by roughly sixteen freeze-thaw cycles, the truck will never run again, but its condition is a good testament to the build quality of those old Rams. It certainly held up better than that '57 Plymouth Belvedere they buried in the time capsule under the Tulsa city courthouse. News Source: SCTimesImage Credit: Benton County Sheriff's Office Government/Legal Weird Car News Dodge Truck water lake

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with '600-plus horsepower' officially unveiled [w/video]

Dodge has officially unveiled the most powerful vehicle to ever wear the Challenger name - the SRT Hellcat - complete with over 600 horsepower courtesy of a supercharged, 6.2-liter Hemi V8. It will be offered alongside the 485-hp Challenger SRT.
The new, force-induced V8 isn't just the most powerful ever fitted to the Challenger, it's the most powerful eight-cylinder Chrysler Group has ever built. Power figures aren't finalized, so expect to see "over 600 hp" bandied about quite a lot. That fury will be channeled through either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. Yes, over 600 ponies through an eight-speed auto. So far, the only vehicle we know of that delivers more output through that many gears is the as-yet untested Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Sadly, we don't have performance metrics just yet, although if this thing can't crack four seconds to 60 miles per hour, we'll be pretty surprised.
As is the theme nowadays, the 2015 Challenger SRT features a number of driving modes, governing power output, shift speeds for the 8AT, steering effort, traction control settings and suspension settings. There are three pre-programmed options - Default, Sport and Track - and a Custom mode that allows drivers to mix and match to their heart's content.

Consumer Reports says Ram 1500 tops fuel economy fight [w/video]

Consumer Reports takes its independent vehicle testing procedures seriously. In an era when we have to question the EPA's official ratings thanks to recent re-evaluations from Ford and Hyundai, an independent voice is important. So, when CR says something is the best, it's worth paying attention to. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has "about the same fuel-economy numbers that we typically see in a midsized SUV." – Jake Fisher In this case, CR took a look at the fuel economy of the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and found that it came out on top of the fullsize pickup truck pack. The Ram did so with 20 miles per gallon overall and 27 mpg on the highway. CR gave the truck a total road test score of 82. The EPA says that the EcoDiesel 1500 gets 28 mpg on the highway, 20 mpg city and 23 mpg combined. Comparing official EPA numbers, the Ram is also the best among trucks in its class. It's nice when people agree on something. As we know from first-hand, long-distance experience, you can push the 1500 EcoDiesel to 38 mpg. CR found in its own testing that the truck had, "about the same fuel-economy numbers that we typically see in a midsized SUV," said Jake Fisher, CR's director of automotive testing, in a statement. Speaking of midsized SUVs, CR also announced this week that the new Toyota Highlander Hybrid got the top spot in CR's ratings in that category. CR liked pretty much everything about the SUV, saying that the "transitions between electric power and the gas engine are seamless" and that, "the new Highlander also handles better, with a steadier ride and reduced body lean in corners." You can find more at the CR website, in the October print issue of Consumer Reports or in the video and press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. RAM ECODIESEL 1500 TOPS CONSUMER REPORTS FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCK RATINGS Redesigned Toyota Highlander Hybrid Climbs to Top of Midsized SUV List Yonkers, N.Y.- The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel climbed to the top of Consumer Reports' full-size pickup truck ratings with an impressive performance in the organization's fuel economy tests. The EcoDiesel (82 point overall road test score) turned in a best-in-class fuel economy of 20 mpg overall and 27 mpg on the highway, to help it score better than the previously tested Ram 1500 V8 (81) regular gas version and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT (80).