Auto Trends

Some of the highlights in the American realm of car manufacturing over the past two years… Part 2:

Dodge in Review- The word Dodge has stood for performance and power ever since the first Challenger was unleashed upon the American public. With a full line of performance oriented Dodge cars, performance Dodge parts, and an especially popular following of Dodge truck parts; the Dodge line of vehicles is a tried and true combination of pride and heritage.

When you hear Dodge, the first thing that always pops into my head is the Dodge Viper; but that 500 horsepower 8.3 liter V-10 couldn’t have anything to do with that. Of course I hear that one of their Dodge trucks is also packing the same engine; so the word Dodge just may soon bring the image of two vehicles. Of course the Viper has only been around so long, and you cannot ever forget the infamous Dodge Charger and the Dodge Challenger.

With the Dodge Charger’s impressive unveiling, many fans were sold on its new modified look, while others tremendously disappointed. Perhaps not quite as retro looking as they have liked. But the Dodge Challenger has more than made up for the slight Charger shortcomings. The 2008 Dodge Challenger looks everything like the original, only staged about forty years later in the future.

Need a little bit of family room with your performance? The Dodge Stratus is said to be the perfect balance between the two. The Stratus has been said in reviews to be the most practical car on the road today; and that may not be too far from the truth. Before the Stratus, the Dodge Intrepid was Dodge’s family sports sedan, and still makes a great used car buy if you can find one around with an owner willing to part with it.

And who can forget the creative ad campaign of a cute little car starring at you through the television set, greeting you with a hearty “Hi”. Today the Neon is pushing towards a more aggressive performance savvy Market. Cute and performance just do not ever go hand in hand, but if ever there was a car that had a chance to pull it off it would be the Dodge Neon.

Off of the city highway and onto a deserted country bypass we come across the all new concept of the Dodge Caliber. The Caliber is really nothing fancy in particular, but it does make a nice looking entry-level wagon. Add in the SRT-4 package, and you will be taking on Porsche 930’s after dropping the kids of to soccer practice. Speaking of taking on the Porsche, the Dodge Magnum would thus appear to be a worthy candidate of such a duty. Unfortunately this wagon rod has a lot more tooth and bark than bite; that is unless you spend the extra cash for the 5.7 liter Hemi V-8 version. The Magnum will none-the-less leave you grinning from ear to ear!

What does a Dodge owner do when they aren’t out on the streets? Well if they are in their Dodge Dakota ripping up a mountain side, they are probably in tie driveway washing it; dreaming of ripping up a mountainside. The Dodge Dakota unfortunately no longer comes as a standard-cab, so you will have to pickup the extended version these days. If that fact has got you down, you can always spring for the Dodge Ram SRT-10 mentioned earlier. Equipped with the Viper V-10, this Ram truck is one of the fastest production trucks ever. But don’t take our word for it; drive it and see for yourself!

Pontiac in Review- The Firebird has always been a midline affordable sports car with aggressive and breathtaking styling that would eventually make this car a legend in its time. Having ceased production in 2002, we can now only await what could possible be a comeback; that is if the all new retro Camaro, GTO, and Cuda achieve the success they are hyped to.

Speaking of the GTO; this is one sweet ride. The overall looks are lacking somewhat as far as the retro styling of the original; but if raw, untamed horsepower offers bonus points in your book, then I think you just might be able to over look the styling for the fun you will be having behind the wheel.

The Pontiac Solstice which took the place of the Pontiac Sunfire is obviously a whole new beast (literally), but on the other hand it’s actually a rather practical cruiser with enough clever design and features that appeal to families and singles alike; exactly what the Sunfire was supposed to do, but unfortunately failed. The Solstice offers plenty get-up-and-go and after market following to play with, but is also economical and affordable enough for any working family.

The Grand Am and Grand Prix are both quite similar luxury sport sedans/coupes, but the Grand Prix has always been considered the more luxurious model with all the bells and whistles; and by whistles I am referring to the whine of the supercharger that the Grand Prix boasted in the late 90’s. Today these vehicles are being phased out for the Pontiac G6 and G8; the G8 however have not be found on the lots until recently.

The Pontiac G6 is quite a sharp looking sport sedan/coupe, and has been designed to not only show off in the parking lot; but also toot its horn when you are out on a deserted mountain road with its 201 horsepower V6. Complete with stylish alloy wheels and a chrome exhaust tip, Pontiac is going all out on this one, and it is looking to pay off in the long run. Okay, now just as we can’t all have fashion magazine cover models for our spouses, neither can Pontiac just have sports cars for their customers.

This is where we drop off from the sport line-up and introduce the Pontiac Vibe which is yet another crossover SUV, that is fighting among all the other manufacturers to win over the hearts of every soccer mom across the US and Canada. With its five star safety rating, the Pontiac Vibe is definitely a good value for its asking $17,000 price tag.

As if one is not enough, you soccer moms will also have the choice of the Pontiac Torrent. The Torrent is a slight step up from the Vibe and has a little more traditional SUV feel. Complete with an available OnStar package and a price tag of just under $22,000 I would say that it really does not matter which one you choose; as long as you have that extra $5,000 to burn!