Long(-ish) Term Review - 2016 Ram 1500 Big Horn Quad Cab

What happens when you take a strapping young fellow who's been driving sedans for the last 20 years and put him in a half-ton truck for a week?

I'll tell you what, he gains a new appreciation for those drivers who commute in these beasts on a daily basis.

Not that I've never driven a truck for a day or two before. Those times, the experience was um, hairy-chested feeling to say the least but, mercifully short when reality set in. This time around, an opportunity that was a bit negative at first, presented itself. Since my regular car, *ahem* the STEED, was totaled a few days prior and the rental car agency had no sedans available, I took a long look at a big Ram Quad Cab truck sitting in a corner and quietly whispered to myself, "YOLO!"

 I decided that, barring the progress made on finding a permanent vehicle replacement, the Ram would serve as the all-purpose vehicle for a week. Walking around the truck, I began to take in its sheer size. The big cross-hair grille is front and center in all is chromed and slatted glory. Flanked by angled headlights with a large lower bumper (also chromed out) integrating fog lights at the corners, the whole 'face' just forward slightly. See this face taking up your rear view mirror and you'll be instantly intimidated to move over. Hell, if this truck were doing one twenty on the German autobahn, I'm pretty even more exotic material wouldn't hesitate to get out of its way. Being a Quad Cab (in Ram-speak), this 1500 half-ton model has four doors, two regular sized (but surprisingly light) front doors and two smaller doors behind them. Don't be fooled, this isn't a true crewcab design, but the interior is surprisingly roomy. The truck bed measures 6'4" in length and was not equipped with a bedliner, but the big, bright dual exhaust tips are nice styling feature and call out to the brawn under the large hood. Taken as a whole, this Ram 1500 seems to the "trucker's pickup" compared to it's rivals from Chevy and Ford.

Inside, however, you could be fooled into thinking the cabin belonged to a full sized sedan. Material quality exceeds that of many cars I can think of and storage space is abundant. The front space is occupied by comfortable bucket seats with a large center cubby, useful for storing folders and big enough to stash a small laptop. Three cup holders adorn the front of the cubby, large enough for you 7 Eleven Big Gulp. When maximum seating is needed, it folds up to fit a sixth person, though he'd/she'd better be of small stature and not mind a 5-10 minute ride to the store. A bench occupies the rear of the cabin but even there, space is adequate and, when not in use, can be folded up to reveal yet more storage space underneath. The dashboard is feels richer than you'd think for a truck and panel gaps and nice and tight. With the amount of 'RAM" and "Big Horn" logos dotting the cabin, you'll never forget what brand truck you're in. Instead of the big 8.4" screen, this tester was fitted with the one-step down UConnect package consisting of a 5" touchscreen with integrated Bluetooth and voice command. A smaller LED screen sits between the speedometer and RPM gauge gives a variety of vehicle information. One curiosity is the electronic rotary gear selector placed just under and to the right of the steering wheel. In such a large vehicle that's meant to work, operating the selector feels rather dainty. P, R, N, D are your choices with manual gear selection available by using buttons mounted on the steering wheel. Shift paddles would be a better choice but in operation, I imagine an owner would only use these buttons when towing something.

Speaking of towing, this truck is certainly equipped for the job. The 5.7L HEMI V8 rumbles to life on startup, scaring a some squirrels a few times. With 390hp and 407lb-ft of torque, the roughly 5700lb Ram feels surprisingly light on its feet and power is but a throttle tap away. Doling out the power is a ZF eight-speed automatic which, when compared to the five speed unit attached to essentially the same engine in a Chrysler 300C I tested a few years ago, feels much quicker in response to throttle inputs and was vastly smoother in operation. The ride was also much better and less busy than a 2014 Chevy Silverado I drove briefly a few months ago. Credit Chrysler for turning the truck world on its head and fitting the Ram's rear suspension with coils rather than traditional leaf springs. Though still sporting a solid rear axle, coil springs give a vastly improved ride and better wheel control than leaf springs and Chrysler engineers managed to preserve the Ram's load carrying capability, now rated at 10,490lbs. Pretty much equal to what Ford and Chevy boast. As an option, the Ram can even be fitted with an air suspension but this was absent on my tester. Still I was pleasantly surprised at the truck's demeanor on the road. You don't forget that you're driving something big and heavy but at the same time, controlling it is easy. It's not hard to get into a comfortable driving position and the doing so gives you a clear view of the corners of the big hood, though you're always conscious of blind spots. Backing up would be easier is a rear-view camera was standard but as this was also absent, I had to proceed with caution. You can easily lose a compact car behind the tailgate if you're not careful.

The 390hp beast under the hood

No leaf springs here buddy

These dual bazookas give voice to the HEMI

On the highway, the Ram was relaxed and offered ample stability. Loafing along at 1400 rpm, I managed to get a constant 21 mpg on the instant fuel economy readout, the HEMI softly rumbling in the background. The 8 speed automatic certainly helps along with V8's standard cylinder deactivation system which shuts down four of the eight cylinders under light loads. The Ram would make an excellent road trip vehicle. In urban settings however, this 19 ft vehicle is a chore. A huge turning circle and a 140" wheelbase does not lead to a maneuverable machine. Not to mention running some in-city errands quickly dropped my fuel economy to around 12 mpg. Well, that an hearing the HEMI roar under full throttle is intoxicating, if not economical. (Yes, I have a heavy right foot). Despite, this in mixed driving over the course of a week, I managed to get 16 mpg. Not bad for a heavy, V8, four door truck. Sure the EPA rates this vehicle at 15 city/22 highway, but in the real world you'll probably get worse, especially if you use the Ram for its intended purpose.

At the end of the week, I asked myself if I could really live with this truck. Yes, I did have dreams of owning a boat one day and towing with a HEMI-powered truck to the docks. But honestly, this was a smidge too much truck for me. The 26 gallon fuel tank certainly helps to make fillups infrequent but still pricey and if your trips don't involve lots of highway travel and towing you're probably better with the standard Pentastar 3.6L V6. Sure it's no HEMI and it screams more than it rumbles, but rated at just over 300hp, it'll do 80% of what the uplevel V8 can. Plus it will get much better fuel economy doing so. In my week with the 2016 Ram 1500, while I enjoyed driving it, I also felt like I was doing it a disservice. This truck wants to work and my daily errands didn't offer much opportunity to really test the strength of this vehicle. That said, if you can afford the cost of driving it, it'll certainly do it's job well. And towing or hauling doesn't comprise much of your day it's all good. Just hearing that 390hp monster under hood will bring a smile to your face everyday. Hell, I'm still smiling.


As of this writing, the search for a new vehicle is still ongoing. In the meantime, I've got another vehicle reviewing and I hope to complete the search pretty soon. Thanks to Omar at Enterprise!

Short Take - 2016 Dodge Charger SXT Rallye

"That thing got a Hemi?"

Nope, it's got a Pentastar.

What we have here is a Dodge Charger that looks like it's got a fire-breathing V8 under the hood. I'm behind the wheel of a 2016 Charger SXT with the Rallye Appearance package that, at least externally, does quite a good job imitating it's higher-up R/T brother: 20" wheels? Sport suspension? Trunk mounted spoiler? Darkened fascia? All present and accounted for. Right up until you press the engine start button.

That is NOT a Hemi.

What it's got is a 3.6L V6 pushing out 300hp and 264lb-ft of torque (up from 292hp and 260lb-ft, thank you Rallye package!) through an 8 speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. It neither sounds like a Hemi, or goes like one, but for 95% of the driving population, that's more than enough. Riding on the LX1 platform that was last revised for 2012 (but dates back to the Mercedes Benz W211 of the early 2000s), the Charger is getting elderly but you'd never know looking at it. Dodge sought to give the Charger a more Euro look for 2015, starting up front with a Dart-like face accented by a blacked-out R/T clip that, along with LED running lamps around the HID projector lights and in the lower fascia, gives the Charger a sinister look. The rear end is more rounded and, to my eye anyway, better integrates the 'race-track' tail lamps that identify the Charger as a Dodge product. The scallops along the sides that look tacky and forced on the 2014, looks smoothed in and better styled now. Those fakey-doo exhaust outlets now have a more styled appearance and while I wish the tailpipes were actually attached to them, that's just a minor nitpick from me. 

The Charger is a full sized car and with that comes wads of interior room. Front passenger room is more than adequate and it was easy to find a good driving position. The front seats could've used more bolstering, but then that's why you'd by the SRT models. Rear seat room was spacious with ample leg and knee room and three passengers shouldn't have a problem on extended drives. With the revamped exterior comes a reworked interior and it certainly looks it. Behind the new three-spoke steering wheel sits a new gauge cluster that is at once, both nice to look at but slightly infuriating due to the small font of the numbers. However, the new TFT display between the gauges is a welcome addition. Front and center in the dash is the Chrysler UConnect 8.4" infotainment system that remains one of my favorites. The display is intuitive and has quick reaction to touchscreen inputs, the downside being fingerprint accumulation. The shifter, another sticky point of just a few years ago, has been revised to include actual detents based on gear selection so no longer did you have to look at the TFT display to see what gear you were in (take notes BMW). All in all, the interior feels pretty luxurious compared to the 2014 model.

Driving around some airport B roads, the Charger drives big but its firmly damped suspension helps it carry its weight with aplomb. It's only when you really lean into corners that you realize Sir Isaac Newton wasn't kidding. While the 300hp V6 doesn't allow for the tail out shenanigans of the Hemi, there's still enough power on tap to at least make the Charger sporting. One of the changes for 2015 is the Charger's move to electric power steering and three modes to change the steering feel: Normal, Comfort and Sport. Comfort mode makes the steering feel light and allows for easy parking maneuvers while Sport adds (artificial) heft and makes the Charger feel smaller than its 120" wheelbase would suggest. I did try to get the tail out (purely for testing purposes of course) and was able to, while using the shift paddles but 264lb-ft aren't enough to hold it out in a powerslide. That being said, the ZF-sourced 8 speed auto is a fantastic piece, offering seamless upshifts when cruising and quick downshifts when it detects you're approaching a corner. The paddles do work but don't expect dual-clutch levels of responsiveness from them. The brakes, single piston units front and rear, stop the big Charger with authority and exhibited little fade. Underway, the Charger is remarkably quiet and refined, the elderly Mercedes architecture showing itself with bank vault solidity and stiffness. Even though this is an elderly platform, kudos to Dodge (nee Chrysler) for the continuous refinement and tinkering to keep the LX architecture on par with new platforms.

As this is the SXT level, what you lose in power compared to the fire breathing uplevel Hemis (5.7L, 6.4L 6.2L Hellcat) you gain back in gas mileage. The EPA rates the V6 Charger at 19 city/31 highway and I averaged a respectable 26 mpg during my few-hours long flog...er, testing. All wheel drive is an option though it saps fuel economy by 1 and 4 in city/highway respectively. The 2016 Dodge Charger SXT Rallye is a big car and harkens back to a time when full sized, rear wheel drive cars ruled the road. While crossovers are the it-thing today, the Charger still gives its driver all-American bragging rights over plebian Accords and Camrys, if not at the dragstrip. For those chops, Dodge will gladly point you to the 707hp SRT Hellcat in the corner.


Many thanks to Ernie for helping facilitate this review!

Review - 2013 Chrysler 300C

2013 Chrysler 300C

"Is it the car or the road?"

"I think it's the road."

"Yeah, I figured. That Fiesta over there is jumping all over the place."

Heading south on Washington's I5 down to Bremerton and the U.S. Naval town of Kitsap, my Dad was pointing out how badly a Ford Fiesta was handling the ice-ravaged highway in the adjacent lane. While the driver was doing his best to not be skipped out of his lane by the hilariously pock-marked road imperfections, the 2013 Chrysler 300C we're driving registered the constant "thumpety thumps" as minor longitudinal hops in the suspension. Sure we noticed them but we fared far better than the occupants in the tiny, bucking Ford. Neither was tracking dead straight an issue. The steering wheel never jumped out of my hand and the ride remained somewhat relaxed. Such is the big car luxury that the 2013 Chrysler 300C affords its occupants..

Rear is more chiseled and sculpted

First introduced in 2005, the 300C has been no less than a smash hit for Chrysler which, at the time, was married to Daimler-Benz in a tumultuous relationship. Riding on the large LX RWD platform (itself derived from the W211 Mercedes E-Class of 2003-2009), the 300C signaled a huge 'about-face' for a company that drove itself on large, FWD cars that were sleek and featured 'cab forward' design. In contrast, the 300 was large and blocky with a cabin that was not unlike driving a tank. Looking at one instantly evoked images of 1930s chopped-top mobster cars that gangsters such as Al Capone and Frank Costello might have driven. It was instantly a classic. Now in the hands of the Italy-based Fiat Group, Chrysler has sought to update its products and pull itself from bankruptcy after being divorced by Daimler and abused by Cerberus Capital Management Group, then saved by the U.S. Government. The new 300 was unveiled in 2011 and featuring crisper, more contoured lines while riding on a revised platform still bearing the LX codename. The cabin was subtly enlarged, sightlines were enhanced and quality was improved thanks to the high standards that Fiat's CEO, Sergio Marchionne is known for. Where the old 300 could be described as 'art-deco', the new model sports a very upscale, Armani look.

LED Daytime lamps offer upscale appearance

LED accents on the rear brake lamps

My tester, finished in Billet Silver Metallic, was a 2013 300C model with just over 2000 miles on the odometer. Walking up the car, it definitely exudes a cool presence, sitting low on its long 120 inch wheelbase, long hood and short deck betraying its RWD chassis. The belt line sits lower than the previous model and the windshield has a sharper rake, a nod to complaints of the last 300's poor outward visibility due to its chopped-roof appearance. This gives the 300 great exterior proportions, making look like its moving rather than sitting still. Perhaps the most changed part of the car is the schnoz. Gone are the quad element headlights and egg crate Rolls Royce-like grille, replaced by more angular HID lighting bezels, set off by C-shaped LED daytime running accent lights and a slightly smaller, trapezoidal shaped grille with lateral slats surrounded by a film of chrome sporting the winged Chrysler emblem on the top part. Three lower vents are set below the grille and headlights with fog lights placed at the corners of the outer vents. The entire front is contoured back in a nod to improve aerodynamics and improve fuel economy over the 300's blunt nosed predecessor. Around back, the rump has a subtle spoiler built in to the rear edge of the trunk lid and the tail lights are more angular and stylized. All models, whether V6 or V8, have dual exhausts the expel through oval chrome finishers. Sitting on base 18" wheels (19s and 20s are optional), the 300 sports a good upscale and purposeful stance (the DUB crowd will be pleased to know that, yes, you can still stuff 24s in those wells).

The upgrades extend inside with a much airier cabin, thanks to the lower belt line and larger glass area. The steering wheel of previous 300s (indeed most of Chrysler's cars pre-2010) always appeared truck-like and out of place to me. The new four-spoke design is much more appealing with nice surfacing and a thicker rim. The driver's binnacle boasts impressive lighting and a three dimensional look for the gauges with large speedometer and tachometer to the right and left respectively while in a row below are the fuel gauge, coolant temperature and oil pressure. Located between the speedometer and tach is a 4 inch TFT multifunction screen that, by using a small controller on the left steering wheel spoke, can call up various parameters about either the car's vitals, entertainment, trip or fuel mileage. With navigation engaged, it also displays prominent warnings regarding upcoming directional changes. It one ups other systems by actually displaying an image of what the highway exits or merges look like, I found this quite helpful in getting around the Seattle area.

Front seats are supple and comfortable

Good space in the rear

Gauges are bright and clearly legible

Phone pairing a no-brainer

The rest of the interior was rich in its ambiance. Unlike the flat look of its predecessor, the 2013 300C has an artful look to its center console with quality dash trimming and subtle chrome accent surrounds (a dark charcoal wood finish adorned parts of the new one-piece dashboard). The console's centerpiece has to be the fantastic looking 8.4 inch LED touch screen that handles virtually all communications, climate control, navigation and entertainment functions of the car. Response time sifting through the various menis is brilliant with the use of hard drive technology (as opposed to the old DVD-based interface) and the UConnect Bluetooth voice system is easily the best of the business when it comes to handling voice commands. Pairing my phone was never an issue and the system understands a variety of voice inputs, even my Jamaican patois never seemed to faze the system. USB and AUX capability are standard as well as SiriusXM satellite radio with Travel Link and the Garmin-based navigation system (which also has SiriusXM live Traffic Link service) , while kiddie-like compared to other German or American systems, was simple and easy to operate. Whether speaking an address or typing it on screen, the system is brilliant in its execution and operation. A ParkView rear back-up camera with distance marking is also standard (a good thing since visibility out the slim rear window is still not ideal). Front and rear seat warmers (and cooling on the front thrones) are also standard (and a Godsend in Seattle's freezing climate this time of year) as well as a heated steering wheel and remote starting which quickly heats up the interior of the car. The standard 276 watt, Alpine six speaker audio system is powerful and clear (a Beats By Dre 552 watt system can be optioned as well as a 19 speaker Harman Kardon system). The seats are supremely comfortable, offering good long distance cruising comfort and good space, even in the rear for large passengers. Another cool feature are the cupholders which are illuminated and can keep beverages warm or cold.

Navigation is bright and easy to use

For 2013, the 300C can be equipped with either the new 292hp Pentastar 3.6L V6 hooked an equally brand new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission or the previously standard 363hp 5.7L HEMI V8, which soldiers on with a 5 speed automatic (the 8 speed arrives for the HEMI later in the model year). Now I should state that 2013 V6 300s also sport a different electronic shifter that is T-shaped like the throttle of a luxury yacht (have a look at the shifter in an Audi A8 to see what I mean) and having taken delivery of this particular 300C, the absence of this shifter led me to believe that this was a 2012 V6 model still sporting the now ancient 5 speed. Ambling around SeaTac Airport I was quite surprised at how unusually unstrained the supposed Pentastar V6 as it pulled the big 300 around (is this really 260lb-ft of torque at work?) and how it sounded, this being a rental, I had no other immediate cues to go by (plus it was wet and I had no intention of playing with the throttle, especially loaded with family). The characteristic V8 rumble was muted from the inside and it wasn't until I took the 300C solo for an hour to take some photos that I popped the hood and was quite pleasantly greeted by the words 'HEMI' on the engine cover. Another tip to what's underhood can be taken from the driver's central display where, under light engine load conditions such as on level roads and descents,  the word 'ECO' illuminates. This indicates that the V8 has deactivated four of its eight cylinders as a fuel saving measure in a system Chrysler has dubbs 'Fuel-Saver Technology'. The V6 isn't equipped with this technology and, in conjunction with the 8 speed auto, earns EPA mpg ratings of 19 city/31 highway. Pretty good for a 4000lb full sized luxury car. The HEMI also gets decent ratings of 15/23 but should improve once it chucks the 5 speed for the newer 8 cogger.

5.7L HEMI V8 - 363hp/394lb-ft of torque

Complete with Fuel-Saver Technology

5 speed automatic

Around town, it's easy to be addicted to the 394lb-ft of torque that's just a throttle press away. Prod the gas pedal enough and the tires can easily break free, even more so now on Seattle's wet roads. Traction and stability control are there to save the unruly driver from any childish antics but it can be disabled just enough to allow the kid in him to play a bit. Out on the highway when merging and all eight cylinders are on full boil, the HEMI pulls like a diesel. Unrelenting in its build up of speed, it is only then, in the upper reaches of the rpm range that the full roar of the engine invades the relative quiet of the cabin. The 5 speed allows the driver to manually swap gears using Chrysler's AutoStick feature. With the shifter in D, all the driver does is slap the stick left for upshifts, right for downshifts. I found it somewhat useful negotiating Washington's mountainous roads but the response to my commands were slow and dimwitted so it 90% of its time was spent in full automatic mode. On a particularly curvy, two lane section of road just outside Gig Harbor, I was behind a late model Toyota Avalon that was moving at a pretty good clip. Despite the driver's best efforts, he couldn't get away from the big Chrysler, even where the 300's burly power might have been an issue on the wet and slick surface. The fully independent suspension handled the 300's size superbly and, as big as it is, it drives like a much smaller car in the twisty stuff. Body lean was muted and the German roots of the chassis are apparent in the 300's no-brainer attitude when hustling along. The tuning of the electrically powered assist steering (EPAS) is also a positive note as the amount of heft and assist strike a good balance though, like most of these systems, feel and communication are notably absent. Large vented brakes at all four corners can haul the beast down with authority and were constantly exercised on a particularly grueling downhill section. Never once did the brake pedal go soft (and the car was pretty loaded). This may be a big car, almost Crown Victoria sized, but it's no slouch when the highway ends and country roads beckon. A buffalo in dancing shoes...go figure.

Base price for a 2013 Chrysler 300 with the Pentastar V6 is around $30000 while the base 300C stickers for $35490. Those thirsting for more power can chuck the V6 for the HEMI for an additional $2200 (though as for right now, the 5 speed will have to do) like our tester. The few power junkies can skip the 300C altogether in favor of the 470hp 300 SRT-8 for $48995. Chrysler has done a very effective job with recreating the 300 and it shows in the level of attention to detail paid to virtually every surface of the car. Having shed the feel of a 1950's chopped-top, mobster-ride look, the 300 now evokes a rich, upscale ambiance that perfectly fits Chrysler's aspirations as an upscale brand. On a wider note, it also shows that America can build a car that is every bit as opulent and luxurious as the import brands. Having survived a tumultuous decade, Chrysler is finally on the right path to relevance and with notable products like the Jeep Grand Cherokee already winning awards for quality and this latest 300, the future can only get brighter.

Imported from Detroit has never sounder cooler.


Special thanks to the good folks at Enterprise at SeaTac Airport for helping to facilitate this review.