Dodge Ram BFT

The Chrysler people claim that BFT does not stand for what you think it does, instead suggesting less profane names like Big Fine Truck or Built For Towing. In fact, it's more built for hauling. At a time when pickup cabs are growing and their cargo beds are shrinking, the BFT reverses that trend, with an extra-long, 10-foot cargo box. Advanced studio designer Scott Krugger's team started with a Ram 3500 HD Mega Cab dualie. They replaced the four-door Mega cab with a standard cab, which is two feet shorter.

They then custom-fabricated a 10-foot box from a standard 8-footer. The engine is a Cummins turbodiesel, naturally, with a prototype air intake and a custom exhaust (horsepower and torque figures are not yet available). The truck features a 6-inch Superlift kit and rolls on 22-inch, 10-lug wheels. Chrome tubular step bars and bed rails complete the look.

Dodge Ram BFT


Dodge Ram BFT


Dodge Ram BFT


Dodge Ram BFT


Dodge Ram BFT

Dodge Nitro Car Reviews

Dodge has worked hard to make the Nitro seem bolder than bold, and on the outside it is indeed a bold, tough-looking little truck. With Jeep Liberty underpinnings, it should also be pretty tough in reality, especially with its standard 3.7 liter truck engine. For those who need to be bolder, there’s a powerful 4.0 liter engine, used in the not-so-tough-looking Pacifica. Its 250 horsepower, pushed through five gears, all seem to be available at just off idle, so it provides instant gratification.

Part of the tough motif are big square headlights, and these are actually functional, projecting a fairly bright beam; they also dispel any remaining similarity to the Liberty. Oddly, though, the Jeep door-handles remain, including the quaint thumb-press that made its return on the PT Cruiser.

Inside, the Nitro isn’t especially tough or bold; unlike the “trucks will be trucks” Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier, the Nitro has a smooth, comfortable ride, good sound insulation, and quiet engine. The heavy vibration and stiff ride of the “real trucks” was replaced by a Toyota-like comfort level. The interior was not particularly upscale, with plastic everywhere on our mid-level test SLT. The seats were comfortable, with a less than luxurious but somewhat tough-looking cloth and decent support; the rear seatbacks fold forward for a nice flat loading surface, and the front passenger seat also folds down, a neat trick that enables hauling long, bulky items when needed.

dodge nitro center stackThe interior styling is typical 21st Century Plastic, with lots of dull chrome relieved in spots by shiny chrome. The climate control is the clever new Dodge corporate unit, with bright chrome accents that are the actual knobs, and labels on the pushbuttons for (from left to right) the rear defroster, air conditioning compressor, and recirculation; the knobs themselves control fan speed, temperature, and vent choice. The system is instantly familiar and usable, and what’s more, it feels good. At night, the selection notch is clearly lit from the side and the front.

The stereo is the standard Chrysler corporate selection, now without separate bass and treble knobs, but with a push-to-select audio setting system that doesn’t require much more effort or distraction. Integrated into the stereo, whether you buy it or not, are UConnect buttons for Bluetooth-compatible cellphones. Satellite radio is optional, along with a navigation system. The sound on our optional unit (with six-disc DVD changer) was excellent, though talk radio voices come out, especially on AM, with far too much bass - even with the bass control at minimum.

The usual Chrysler trip computer is standard on the SLT model, with controls mounted on the steering wheel (the company seems to be experimenting with new and different places for those buttons). The trip computer has a new control system, with three buttons instead of the past two, yet manages to be more confusing than in the past. Eventually, no doubt owners get used to it. As with past Jeep and Dodge systems, you can use it not only to get compass heading, temperature, average gas mileage, and distance to empty, but also to set the car’s various preferences (door locking, lights, etc.) and to check on the air pressure in the tires.

dodge nitro test driveThe standard new Dodge gauge cluster is present, with its usual white backlighting (contrasting with the green backlighting throughout the rest of the cab). The usual gauges are all there and quite clear, with a sensible 120 mph speedometer and a tachometer whose scale ends with the redline (instead of having the fashionable huge “you can’t go here” area). A bit of chrome would be nice here, but it’s still clear and readable in all types of light.

Storage abounds, with map pockets, a Toyota-style compartment to the left of the wheel, the usual cupholders (this time with grippers in the bottom), a little change area by the automatic gearshift, and a two-level console between the front seats (the second level is reached by taking out a plastic insert which has an integrated three-column coinholder). There’s also a good amount of space behind the rear seats, and a little plastic clippy thing by the rearview mirror for holding turnpike tickets or directions.

The ride and handling of the Nitro are better than in the Liberty, because this vehicle was designed without the need to have good off-road characteristics. The various off-road measurements - approach angle, departure angle, ground clearance - are all better in the Liberty, but the Nitro can boast of better cornering, a smoother, softer ride, and a better overall feel. That’s pretty good, because the Liberty wasn’t bad at all. Cracked pavement, potholes, and old cement roads were no match for the Nitro’s shock absorbers.

The 3.7 liter engine puts out a good amount of power through the four-speed automatic; a manual transmission apparently wasn’t in the cards, and the five-speed is reserved for the 4-liter engine, which paradoxically needs it less. The Nitro isn’t a performance vehicle by any means, but it can hold its own easily enough, even though sometimes that means a second downshift accompanied by lots of noise. Those who want more can get the 4-liter. In both cases, the power ratings are deceptive, because these engines make good power relatively low in the rpm range. Acceleration with the base engine is good for the class - not the best, not the worst.

Dodge Nitro


Dodge Nitro


Dodge Nitro


Dodge Nitro


Dodge Nitro

Dodge Challenger SRT8 Limited Edition Review - Just Keep Livin’

Pros

• Bad-a$s looks
• Bad-a$s power
• Uncontrollable urge to drive fast

Cons

• Bad MPG
• Failure to impress young ladies
• Uncontrollable urge to drive fast

Introduction
“That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older and they stay the same age.” - David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused. That’s who I felt like while driving around town in this twenty-first century reincarnation of the 70s muscle car. Oh wait, that’s not the right quote, I meant to use this one: “Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin’ right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We’re talkin’ some f***in’ muscle.” Although Matthew McConaughey’s character drove a 1970 Chevy Chevelle Super Sport, the ‘09 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is the truest in form to the 70s muscle cars compared to the recently-updated Ford Mustang and the Transformers star-struck Chevy Camaro. And just like McConaughey in the movie, I was all smiles ear-to-ear every time I stepped out of the Challenger SRT8.

Driving Impressions
Here are some details on this bad boy - It’s a top-of-the-line 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Limited Edition with a 425-HP/420 lb-ft torque 6.1 liter HEMI V8 putting power down via 20″ 245/45ZR20 front and 255/45ZR20 rear 3-season performance Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, 3.92 Axle ratio instead of the standard 3.06 and a six-speed manual transmission - all these add up to a scary amount of power and torque and basically you almost always are the first one off the line at the stop lights. The SRT8 wore a beautiful Bright Silver Metallic clear coat with carbon fiber hood striping on the outside, and sports a very impressive Dark Slate Gray interior with premium leather trim bucket seats with an SRT accent stripe across the top. It was trimmed to the T with the “Customer Preferred Package 21X” which includes the SRT Option Group II. What does that mean, you say? Well, it’s quite a tongue-twister: 6-disc CD/DVD/MP3 player/integrated multimedia navigation uConnect GPS with Sirius Traffic, 13 Kicker SRT High-Performance speakers, 200W subwoofer and a 322W amp, etc.

Driving the Challenger SRT8 is like trying to ride a wild beast at the Coliseum during the days of the Roman Empire. All eyes are on you, with half the people cheering you on and the other half waiting to see you crash and burn (especially among the many Prius drivers here in the Bay Area). The HEMI V8 grunts like a wild beast and howls when you step on the accelerator. The car feels really big probably because it is really, really big. I could almost see Oregon just over the air scoops on the hood as I drove it up north to the Muir Woods National Monument north of San Francisco. It has so much power and the 6-speed wants you to keep accelerating forever. It was hard to see out the side of the car because of the giant C pillar so I stopped trying after a while. I figured people would just get out of the way.

Build
Solid. The doors shut with a low thud similar to the latest offerings from Europe. The leather-trimmed wheel felt really good and the immense car felt really solid. Even on hard corners the car did not squeak or squeal, and felt like a much smaller car. The seats are solid and felt snug providing plenty of support. I’ve read lots of reviews where people knock the interior of the Challenger, how there’s not much difference between this and other Chrysler models. This is true but I didn’t care. There’s too much driving to be done. The only rattle came after day two and was located somewhere in the dash left of the steering wheel. It was kind of annoying but only took place between 1000 and 2000 RPM so I didn’t hear it much. The panels fit together pretty well and the whole car felt just very solid. Chrysler has come a long way. If you were the grease-monkey type, there’s plenty of room in the engine bay, even with the monstrous HEMI V8 inside. Though if you spent this much money and it’s not your primary driver, you’re probably not one to own a wrench.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics
The steering wheel felt big to me, but it was in proportion to the vast interior space, which has enough room for John and Kate +8. The controls were fairly well thought-out, no major complaints. Everything is where it’s expected. The coolest thing about the instrument is the Performance Highlights portion hidden behind a few clicks of the steering wheel buttons. There’s a 0-60 timer, 1/8 and ¼ mile timers, a braking distance tracker, and a G-force monitor that shows you both real-time measurements and session highs. “Awesome!” was the word that I kept murmuring to myself. Like I mentioned before, the seats were comfy and support was good.

The integrated nav/radio/CD/DVD/MP3 system was very clean and worked fairly well. Entering addresses was painfully slow, however, and usually you’re halfway to your destination before you finish punching in all the letters. The pistol-grip 6-speed shifted really smoothly, and it felt like a short-throw shifter even though it’s not. Ergonomics-wise the only main drawback is the outside door handle. I know it looks like the original and is a standard part, but the door is heavy and I felt that a grip bar design, like those on the Dodge Caravan, would work better.