The Dodge Durango is the latest model to join the Special Service category of vehicles from Dodge, specially designed for use by police and fire departments, and general fleet customers.
We’ve never been to an event before where we drove so many different cars at once that all the names did not fit in the title of a story. At the recent “Mopar Power Drive” media event at the Dubai Autodrome, we drove the 2012 editions of the — in one big breath — Chrysler 300C V8, Chrysler 300 V6, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Dodge Durango, Dodge Challenger V6, Dodge Charger V6, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Compass, and finally, to throw a curve-ball, the Fiat 500.
This is the Dodge Dart, a new compact car based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Chrysler’s buyout by Fiat are finally paying dividends.
Chrysler’s revival has led to a complete overhaul of all their brands. Most vehicles they are churning just seem to get better by the day. Dodge, their raw performance “muscle” brand, has now finally decided to re-enter the compact segment with a bang. After the renewed success of new Durango, and a heavily revised Charger, out comes the Dodge Dart. Don’t look surprised at the name. It’s not a revival of the Dodge “muscular” Dart from the 1960s. Rather, its an off-spring from the Chrysler-Fiat stables.
A list of the 12 most profitable vehicles since 1990 includes the most obvious candidates, namely premium German cars that are more expensive than they should be, and big American trucks that double as commercial vehicles, aside from some midsize sedans and aging sports cars.
This is the 2012 Dodge Ram in full police-package livery. It will be offered for sale to United States police forces as a “special services” truck.
The Dodge Viper, one of the legendary American supercars, has reminded the world that it is only off the production line, but not off the tracks and not off its menacing glory, with a new record on the renowned Nürburgring track.
We love the new Charger. Add a black and white paint job with flashing red and blue lights, and it makes us go weak in the knees. That is exactly what Mopar has done with its 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit police car ready to chase down the 2011 Ford Police Interceptor that we saw last year.
The previous Dodge Durango was a dud on such a massive scale that it remained on showroom floors right up till 2010, even while production ended in 2008. That fullsize 4×4 is now dead, but its replacement, a stretched midsizer, might very well be among the best in its class.
The Dodge Charger, one of the last American rear-wheel-drive sedan nameplates left in existence, has gone under the surgeon’s knife and come out the other side with few changes. Or so it seems. What you see here is a 2011 Dodge Charger SE, the one with the new 292 hp 3.6-litre V6. We’re possibly the first ones in the UAE, and possibly the GCC, to review one on local roads. And we are absolutely blown away by this car. Compared to the old one, this new model is from a different planet altogether.