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Dodge Charger Pursuit nets quickest lap in police car test

We wouldn't advocate trying to outrun the police, no matter what you're driving and no matter what they are. But if you see a Dodge Charger bearing down on you with blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror, you'd better think twice before attempting to flee, because the Charger Pursuit has once again emerged as the fastest police cruiser out there.
In the latest Police Vehicle Evaluation held by the Michigan State Police at Grattan Raceway, Dodge says its new Charger Pursuit AWD posted a lap time of 1:33.85. That's quicker than any of the other law enforcement vehicles present, but also makes it the quickest all-wheel-drive cruiser available to law-enforcement officials. That may not make it the quickest of all time, but that honor belongs to the rear-drive Dodge Charger Pursuit, which cuts a fraction of a second off its AWD counterpart's time with a 1:33.70. But in regions where the extra traction could come in handy, that's as negligible a difference as we've ever seen.
Of course, the annual PVE sessions held by the Michigan State Police take in to account a wide variety of performance tests, including top speed, acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy and ergonomics. The MSP has yet to reveal its full findings from its 2014 model year tests, but we'll be sure to bring them to you when they are published.

This SEMA special drag race is absurdly awesome

The SEMA Show came and went last month, and it showed us a ton of heavily modded goodies to dream about during the long, cold winter. The Motor Trend Channel on YouTube is keeping the party rolling a little longer, though, with a drag race inspired by the aftermarket event. All of the hosts were supposed to borrow a vehicle from the show for the big race, but only two of them actually cajoled companies into lending their wares. Still, the result includes four very cool and extremely different examples of the breadth of the automotive hobby. First up, there's a 1955 Chevrolet with a 535-cubic-inch (8.8-liter) Hemi V8 stuffed under the hood. Appropriately, it's dubbed the Blasphemi, and with skinny tires up front, fat rubber in the rear and a stripped interior, this this is made to go very fast in a straight line. Next, there's a stock Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat boasting 707 horsepower. Plus, host Jessi Lang has her dog riding shotgun for the race. A Chevy Sonic RS with some body mods, downpipe and intake is also competing. Finally, the most bizarre of the quartet is a custom 1958 Jeep Forward Control with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and treads to replace the wheels. Obviously, the Blasphemi and Hellcat are the only two that really have a chance of winning, but check out the video to see which one crosses the finish line first. News Source: Motor Trend Channel via YouTube Aftermarket Chevrolet Dodge Jeep Truck Coupe Hatchback Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance drag race dodge challenger srt hellcat

Ram exec: first 30-mpg pickup truck will 'win'

It is totally possible, today, to take the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel pickup truck, load it up with gear and people, and drive it from Texas to Michigan while getting 38 miles per gallon. We know because we did it. Officially, though, the 1500 gets just 20 mpg combined. A more impressive number is the 28 mpg on the highway. Bob Hegbloom, the Ram brand director, thinks that there's a more important fuel economy target to hit: 30 mpg. Whichever truck company can manage that feat, he recently told Automotive News, "wins." It's kind of an obvious thing to say, but in the 1500 with both the EcoDiesel and the V6 Pentastar engine, Hegbloom said, "fuel economy is so important." Hegbloom didn't promise that the next EcoDiesel truck will manage to get on up over the 30 hump, but he did say that Ram is not sitting still when it comes to fuel economy. "I just want to have continuous improvement and to keep gaining every day," he said. "We sat still in the past and it doesn't lead to a great place."