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Chrysler Aspen

Dodge Durango
Yes, it still has a HEMI

Chrysler doesn't want to be left out in the development of hybrid vehicles and is racing to get two full-size SUV hybrids out the door in 2008. Chrysler's first hybrid vehicles available in North America will come in the form of the Dodge Durango and it's blinged out counterpart: the Chrysler Aspen.

Both SUVs will feature the infamous 5.7 liter V8 HEMI engine with Multi-displacement System (MDS) and a two-mode hybrid system. The hybrid system was developed in conjunction with General Motors and the BMW Group.

Power will come from the electric motors alone, the 5.7 liter HEMI engine or any combination of the two. In addition, two electronic continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes as well as a transmission with four forward gears are also available.

"The all-new Chrysler Group HEMI Hybrid will offer our customers the best of both worlds: renowned performance and significantly improved fuel economy," said Frank Klegon, Executive VP of Product Development for the Chrysler Group. "With the new HEMI-powered Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, we are delivering the ultimate combination of fuel efficiency, overall performance and capability in a premium full-size SUV."

Chrysler estimates that overall fuel economy for the big SUVs will improve by 25 percent. City MPG is expected to be boosted by 40 percent. The 4WD versions of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango are currently rated at by the EPA for 14/19 (city/highway) 2007 and 13/18 for 2008.

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They still don't get it
By jcrash on 4/30/2007 4:27:55 PM , Rating: 5
If an American car company would decide to throw caution to the wind and make the most economical lineup across all makes, they would take the lead in car sales back.

LESS HP, LESS SIZE... it will work. Just do it.




RE: They still don't get it
By gramboh on 4/30/07, Rating: 0
RE: They still don't get it
By AmpedSilence on 4/30/07, Rating: 0
RE: They still don't get it
By Oregonian2 on 4/30/2007 5:38:07 PM , Rating: 2
Such things are done on a massive scale.

In cars, my old Chrysler T&C is the same as
a Dodge and a Plymouth minivan (except for the
options, where the T&C is optioned "above" that
could be done with the other two -- at least in the
year I got it).

In laundry soaps, there's a thousand brands. At least
half are all the same company. The major difference between
the different products is the texture and color (according to
something I was told by someone who should know), but after
being dissolved in the wash water are pretty much the same
thing. You think you're given lots of choices with the idea
that you are made happy (so long as one of theirs is picked).

One clothes manufacturer will have a zillion brands and
although the details are different, they all have an opening
for a head, two arms, legs.

The Durango and Aspen wouldn't be the same, they'd be optioned
(and priced) differently, with the Aspen likely the higher end
version. Like having the higher-end shirt even though it's made
by the same guy in Tunisia.


RE: They still don't get it
By Sahrin on 4/30/2007 5:51:27 PM , Rating: 2
Every manufacturer does this - even the vaunted Japanese brands. GM, for one instance: Chevy Suburban, GMC Denali, Cadillac Escalade. It's not particularly clever or original.

The primary reasons this is done is because you can develop a "platform" (wheelbase, frame/unibody, transmission, engines) and apply that to multiple models - design the car around the main components. This saves a LOT of money, as you might imagine. The "cookie cutter" cars are usually done to support the multiple brands that manufacturers have (GM is traditionally the worst at this, as they have 5 brands where the typical automaker has 3 mainline brands). Dealers who have a Chrysler franchise want to be able to offer the same vehicles as dealers who have a Dodge franchise, as they are *technically* in competition with each other.


RE: They still don't get it
By andrinoaa on 5/1/2007 2:06:25 AM , Rating: 2
Why don't we all just drive a Kenworth. You definetly will be safe in a crash with an SUV LOL


RE: They still don't get it
By Samus on 5/1/2007 2:09:45 AM , Rating: 2
Look at GM, the king of branding. At least Ford is lax on doing this sort of thing, usually only sharing platforms between Ford or Mercury (Lincoln, Jaguar except the X-type, Land Rover and Volvo vehicles are generally unique platforms)

But then theirs Mazda, which Ford mostly owns and has used platforms from for over 20 years.

Escort=323/Protege
Ranger=Mazda B Truck
Fusion=626
Probe=MX6
Escape=Tribute

The list goes on there...

But at least Ford has many unique platforms that were never used outside of Ford/Mercury, such as the Tempo/Topaz, Taurus/Sable, Crown Vic, Mustang/Capri.

But I guess a few SUV's work their way up too, from the Expedition to the Mountaineer to the Navigator.


RE: They still don't get it
By Super on 4/30/2007 4:38:03 PM , Rating: 2
[sarcasm]But what will mommy do when she goes to get groceries by herself and she's minus 200hp?[/sarcasm]

I wish the auto-industry would wake up and start making more economical vehicles. There is a need for larger engines with lots of horsepower and torque, but it's not needed for the city commuter and mother of 1 who needs to run errands around town and get groceries.


RE: They still don't get it
By Oregonian2 on 4/30/2007 5:42:09 PM , Rating: 2
That mommy would be in the market for a SUV (what these are)?

She can buy a Dacia, cheap and small (including its engine).


RE: They still don't get it
By lucyfek on 5/1/2007 12:51:33 AM , Rating: 2
having no other selling point, they have to sell them per pound.
now all is clear.


RE: They still don't get it
By borowki on 4/30/2007 5:39:04 PM , Rating: 2
But American car buyers won't throw caution into the wind. It's dangerous to drive a small car among small SUVs. Driving a Fiat Panda could get you killed in a collison.


RE: They still don't get it
By Oregonian2 on 4/30/2007 5:44:50 PM , Rating: 2
But then the company making these is a German company. But you say, they make in them in the USA (and Canada)? Well, Honda does too, but they still seem to be called Japanese cars.

The Aspen is therefore a German car. :-)


RE: They still don't get it
By Hoser McMoose on 5/1/2007 5:43:20 PM , Rating: 3
Everyone please repeat after me:

SIZE DOES NOT EQUAL SAFETY! (Yes I am yelling)

If you want a safe vehicle you need intelligent design, NOT a few thousand pounds of steel around you. I'm not saying that a Fiat Panda is a safe car (I haven't a clue one way or the other), but simply being big definitely is NOT the solution.

The numbers have come back time and again, despite being large, SUVs are no safer for the occupants of the vehicle than most sedans. The problem is simply that they handle like crap and weigh so much that it's very difficult to stop the things in an emergency. End result? You're more likely to be IN a collision in an SUV in the first place.

Here's a fairly recent comparison of some vehicles:

http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4204.pdf

Notice that the absolute LEAST safe vehicle to drive in is a Chevy Blazer (2WD/2-door). At 232 deaths per 100M vehicles on the road is was more than 3 times more dangerous than either a Toyota Echo or a MINI Cooper and more than 10 times worse than a similar sized Lexus RX330.

If American car buyers are REALLY interested in safety, they would be buying either minivans or import luxury vehicles.


RE: They still don't get it
By cornfedone on 4/30/07, Rating: -1
RE: They still don't get it
By Grast on 5/1/2007 4:14:37 PM , Rating: 2
While I agree with your stance for a quality, good performance, and clean emissions, where do you get off blaming the consumer for $3.00 gas?

Please take a macro-economics class and learn how supply and demand works. Gas is $3.00 a gallon for two real reasons.

1. Demand is higher than supply due to limited supply capability. This is due to no new refiries being built in the last 20 years.
2. Gasoline is a commoditiy. As thus, factors outside supply and demand can raize and lower prices. IE... A war in Iraq, Iran flipping the rest of the world off....

There is no awnser to this issue other than migrate off of gasoline for autos. However, that will not happen until some other type of alternate energy carrier is available and cheap energy can be generated in sufficiant quantities.

Later...


RE: They still don't get it
By theapparition on 5/1/07, Rating: -1
RE: They still don't get it
By jskirwin on 5/1/2007 10:09:30 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
You also see the massive amount of hp increase in ALL autos, import and domestic. You may like small underpowered cars, but the buying public in general does not.


I don't have a dog in this fight because I myself prefer small, fuel efficient cars that are boring but perform well (yes, I'm describing the lowly Honda Civic). However, I agree completely with your statement. In fact, it appears that the bulk of hybrid technology is being used to boost hp instead of fuel efficiency.

This may be due to an "arms race" on the American road. Americans in my area (Megacity 1) drive extremely fast and aggressively. You need the extra hp to compete with the increasing hp of the other cars on the road. Even in extremely congested areas I've in traffic that is nearly bumper-bumper and running at 70mph. When an accident happens, it always involves 3 or more cars. It's insane, but it's reality - and I think that Americans are stuck in the arms race and buying accordingly.


RE: They still don't get it
By GoatMonkey on 5/1/2007 11:23:05 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Americans are stuck in the arms race and buying accordingly

So that means if we had nuclear cars we would all be afraid to use them and pollution would drop massively!


RE: They still don't get it
By andrinoaa on 5/2/2007 7:14:42 AM , Rating: 2
I just saw an evil alien in the streets around lil old melbourne town (australia, 53rd state of the union)It was labelled F250 -- F#$%^&*G hell what a monster! And you guys actually drive these things? Whats the economy 2miles/gallon? The arms race has been exported! LOL LOL


HEMI?
By Guigsy on 4/30/2007 5:18:17 PM , Rating: 2
I know having a Hemi engine is an emotive thing (in the US anyway), but it's old INEFFICIENT technology. It was a breakthrough in its day (100 years old according to Wiki), but 4 valves per cylinder has long since overtaken it. Why put an inefficient gas engine in a hybrid arrangement?




RE: HEMI?
By JDub02 on 4/30/2007 5:55:06 PM , Rating: 3
The new Hemi isn't much like the old one. That's kind of like saying the 2007 Chevy Impala is using the same technology as a 1962 Impala. Same name, two different things. The auto industry does it all the time for marketing.

DC's new Hemi engine is a vast improvement over the Chrysler 318/360 it replaced in every category: horsepower, torque, and fuel economy.