2006 Chicago Auto Show

Having heard rumors that DaimlerChrysler may be bringing a number of diesel vehicles into the United States this year, I attended the press preview of the Chicago Auto Show hoping to find some truth to the rumors. My observation is that the rumors seem to be false, at least when it comes to Chrysler products. I found no information about the release of any new diesel models.

I also attempted to get information on the Turbo Diesel powertrain for 2007, again to no avail. The only information available on the Ram product line was on the existing '06 models. Another continuing rumor is the release of a 4500 and 5500 product. You guessed it! I found nothing new on that front either. So having busted out on any of the hoped-for information, I took the time here to cover Dodge's new model introduction (along with one new concept vehicle) and to scope out the competition.

I also shot several videos which you can view by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article.

Dodge New Model Introduction

Knowing that many of our readers are Mopar fans, I'll go over Dodge's new model introductions. As with most press introductions, the execution was a little hokey. This one took the form of "The Driving Game," reminiscent of the Dating Game. You can watch the complete video via the links at the bottom of the article.

2007 Dodge Nitro

The first vehicle out was the 2007 Dodge Nitro, which was introduced as a concept vehicle at last year's show. The Nitro is being touted as Dodge's first mid-size SUV. I thought the Durango was considered a mid-size SUV, but from the specs on the Nitro, I gather they are considering it a full-size SUV (making Ford's Expedition and Excursion gargantuan?). The Nitro has two rows of seating and two V6 engine options. The Nitro and Nitro SLT are equipped with a 210 hp/235 lb-ft, 3.7 liter SOHC V6, and the Nitro R/T comes with a 255 hp/275 lb-ft, 4.0 liter V6.

2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4

Next out after the Nitro was the Dodge Caliber SRT4, a vehicle obviously targeted at the younger buyer looking at the "tuner" cars. The Caliber SRT4 is a wagon-style, four-door car with tuner car styling. The emphasis is on the drivetrain: a 2.4 liter, turbocharged, inline 4 utilizing variable valve timing and making 300 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque running through a Getrag six-speed manual transmission. 0 to 60 performance is under 6 seconds.

Dodge Rampage Concept Vehicle

The final introduction was the Dodge Rampage concept vehicle. With a new Ram model probably being no more than a few years away, this truck gives some clues as to future features and styling of the Ram.

The notable feature is an easily reconfigurable interior. With the exception of the driver's seat, all of the seats can be folded down and stowed in the floor of the interior, providing a lot of interior space for cargo. The center stack "floats" above the surface of the instrument panel and can be pulled rearward and swiveled towards either the passenger's or driver's side for access to navigation, HVAC, and entertainment functions. The free-standing instrument cluster moves with the adjustable steering column. All four doors are operated electrically, with the rear door sliding rearward much like a minivan. A powered running board lowers automatically when the doors are opened.

The back wall of the cab can also fold down into the forward part of the cargo bed, much like the Chevy Avalanche, allowing lengthier items to be carried without having to lower the tailgate. The tailgate is a three position gate. It can be up, lowered 98 degrees (flat) or lowered further to 117 degrees. When lowered to the lowest position, a store-in-the-tailgate slide-out ramp can be extended to the ground to permit easy loading of wheeled cargo like motorcycles, ATV's, etc. The floor of the bed is a dual bed allowing the stowage of cargo below the bed as well as in it. Acting as a second tailgate, the rear bumper fascia also drops down to reveal an enclosed storage space extending (with the seats up) far enough forward to provide room enough to accomodate a stack of 4' x 8' plywood sheets.

Other Dodge Stuff: The Mega Cab, Challenger, Test Track

This event was my first up close and personal look at the Mega Cab short bed dually. Having had preconceived notions of the appearance of the dually fenders (which I didn't like in the photos I'd seen), I was pleasantly surprised. It looks much better than I had expected. I took several pictures at different angles to give you a better idea look.

A vehicle that really tugs at my heart strings (and I imagine many other Mopar fans) is the Challenger concept. It looks awesome in person, and I've included a video of a full 360-degree rotation of it in the videos at the bottom.

Dodge's test track is making a return this year with a few additions. The car portion has a performance section where you can experience the acceleration of the vehicles. The truck test section has added an articulation area which lofts the left rear wheel in the air. Once they get the trucks crossed up, they open the doors to showcase the body strength and torsional rigidity of the chassis. Having off-roaded trucks for years (and seeing how much the bed of a truck typically moves in relation to the cab in a crossed up situation such as this), it was amazing how little movement there is in the current truck (none noticable at all). I had them open up both doors on the drivers side of the Mega Cab, and there were no issues with either door, even in this extreme condition. Video of the truck portion of the test track is also included below. The Jeep off-road portion of the test track looked unchanged. And for the kids, there is a small test track with a couple of go-kart type vehicles they can drive.

The Year of the Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Both GM's and Ford's press introductions were dominated by alternative fuel vehicles. Both made mention of President Bush's State of the Union Address where he talked about E85 (85% ethanol/15% gas fuel). GM's presentation started with comments about what a great year 2005 was for GM, which was shocking given the recent news that we've all heard about. GM and Ford both talked about plans to expand E85 fueling stations, although their numbers disagreed. GM quoted working with Shell Oil Products US and VeraSun Energy Corp. to add 26 additional E85 stations in the greater Chicago area, while Ford talked about increasing the supply in Illinois and Missouri by one third. Ford seems to be focusing on the midwest while GM talks more about a "broader national GM campaign to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the US."

GM stated that they are a leader in flexible-fuel vehicles with 1.5 million flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road with nine models and adding an additional 400,000 manufactured vehicles in 2006. You can read more about GM's FlexFuel initiatives at http://www.livegreengoyellow.com. Ford announced that they are working with the city of Chicago to put hybrid vehicles into service as taxi cabs beginning in 2007 with 2% of Chicago's cabs expected to be in service in 2007. Ford Escape Hybrid taxis are already in service in New York City and San Francisco. You can view the Ford introduction at the video link below. There was no word from DC regarding alternative fuel vehicles.

Ford also had on display the Super Chief concept truck. This truck is powered by a tri-fuel engine and can run on hydrogen, ethanol, or gasoline and has at least 400 ft-lbs of torque on all three fuels.

Chevy FlexFuel Avalanche

Ford Super Chief concept

Medium Duty Trucks

With the rumored and anticipated release of a 4500 and 5500 product from DaimlerChrysler, I took a look at some potential competitors for that product. GMC was showcasing a TopKick 4500 outfitted by Monroe Truck Equipment with a "So Low suspension" allowing the towing of any standard fifth-wheel trailer. A cursory look at the hitch height of this TopKick shows a significantly lower bed height, but the fifth-wheel hitch height still looks higher than a standard light duty truck to me. The interior on the TopKick has a light-duty feel, making it more of a luxury truck than past medium duty offerings. The back seat is an electrically operated couch that can laid down flat.

International is rolling out the production version of the RXT that they showed as a pre-production truck last year. The base engine in the RXT is the International VT365 V8 diesel producing 230 hp/540 ft-lbs. It has a towing capacity of 23,000 lbs. They were also displaying a fifth-wheel version of the RXT with a lower bed height specifically for that market (the hitch height looked lower than the TopKick to me). The fifth-wheel version of the RXT comes with the International DT570 I6 diesel with 310 hp/950 ft-lbs and has a towing capacity of 29,500 lbs.

They also introduced the new MXT. The MXT is targeted at the "image truck market". It is a four-wheel drive truck and is equipped with the International VT365 V8 diesel with 300 hp/530 ft-lbs and has a towing capacity of 16,000 lbs. At this time, it can only pull bumper pull trailers. The MXT is their most "affordable" truck in the XT line pricing out between $69,900 and $85,000. In additional to the civilian truck, they are also working on a military version.

Interestingly, International's line of trucks and engines meet the strict 2007 Federal and California Emissions Standards. Their "Green Diesel Technology" vehicles utilize a catalyzed diesel particulate filter and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to significantly lower the emissions and odor of diesel-powered buses and trucks.

GMC TopKick

International RXT 5th wheel

International RXT

International MXT

In Conclusion

In conclusion there wasn't much new here for our market. I noted no major changes for GM, Ford, or Dodge. All three manufacturers had their 2006 model 3/4- and 1-ton trucks on display with no information on 2007 models. We'll have to wait until later this year to find out what the new emissions regulations will mean for us.

Finally, Dodge is having a consumer event on February 10 at at 9:30 a.m. (according to Dodge the show isn't scheduled to open until 10:00 a.m.) called "Dodge Ram Mega Musical Chairs," where one lucky consumer will win a Mega Cab if they are sitting in the truck when the music stops. So if you really want a Mega Cab and can't afford one, here's your chance. Good luck! The show opens to the public on Friday (February 10) at 10 a.m. (and closes at 10:00 p.m.). It runs through the 19th (it closes at 8:00 p.m. on the 19th).

Video

For TDR members only you can view video in Windows Media Player of the Dodge Caliber, Nitro, and Rampage introduction, Challenger concept, and the Ford intro here:
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Submitted by: Steve St.Laurent, TDR Webmaster