uhh why didnt they have them before?

woah if only $240 bought you “uplevel” everywhere

So how many people do you know, even if they are only vaguely aware of what is currently happening with Chrysler, that would pony up close to 50 large to be the guinea pig for their first foray into the hybrid game knowing the whole corporation could basically be Smithsonian fodder in a matter of weeks? That’s what I thought: Mr. Diddley Squat, Mr. Phat Phukinchance and Ms. Nada Hopinhell.

Hey Canuck….quit your day job and post for a living…….

And they still don’t have a vehicle that beats 30 MPG. Now if they could get this technology into the Caliber, a 40% improvement would make it competitive against the non-hybrid Civic. Sad.

Hey Hangonbig, canuck is one of the few that can elaborately get his point across with a sense of humor. What the hell did YOU just add to this thread?

With that out of the way, what a freakin’ waste [this whole hybrid SUV thing]. Sorry, you can’t have your proverbial cake and eat it too. Gas mileage went from 14mpg to 20 mpg? In other words, gas mileage went from ****ty to bad.

justagigilo85, how exactly is this a waste? You may not like these vehicles, but some people do have the need for a full size SUV with towing capability. Why shouldn’t they have the option to purchase a hybrid vehicle that suits their needs?

I interpret your post as saying that Chrysler wasted its time by spending money and resources to increase MPG by 43% in one of its thirstiest vehicles. Well I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t realize that making progress was a waste of time. As consumers, we should have demanded that manufacturers who produce full size SUVs with large V8s improve their economy from ~12mpg to over 40 in just a few years without any steps in between. Yeah!

Sounds like a nice blend of power and efficiency
Hopefully we’ll see more in the future, at lower prices
DrFill

Johnny was going to be a stand-up comedian…

…but Tanya Harding got to him first.

A sub $1,000 price difference? Weird…and it displays how pointless it is to have 2, if they aren’t even offered in significantly different trims with different packaging…Chrysler sorta…sucks.

Seems a little futile to me….There are other SUV’s out there that compare in both towing and MPG performance for thousands less ie Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder. Does anyone need 365 hp and a hybrid? Seems that 0-60 is pretty pointless when towing….

@ TBP

Dude GM sells them too, Chrysler had a few months to see how GM is doing, the sales are abysmal. After seeing this the first thing they should have done is put this hybrid into a minivan or Sebring. And just for the future…………………..never follow GM, because CEO is a moron.

Hey justa…… was giving johnny a compliment….been laughing my ass off all morning….did not say why DONT you quit your day job.

This is the same tranny and batgtery pack as in GM. If GM will take over and dismantle Chrysler they may keep RAM line (Durango?) It looks like Jeep will be French speaking.

It’s amazing how many of you are saying “put this technology in [X]“! First, the technology in question is a transmission for longitudinally mounted power trains that was developed by Chrysler, Mercedes, BMW and others as a joint project. These products were actually green lighted with Chrysler and Daimler were known as Daimler-Chrysler; at that time $4.00 gas wasn’t a blip on anyone’s radar. The great news is that even in 5,000+ behemoths they wring out 20 MPG City and 22 MPG Hwy. Now, imagine what this drive train will do in the 300, Charger, Challenger and Grand Cherokee which are all smaller and lighter vehicles. Hell, this power train could have saved the Magnum which would be pretty much the ultimate family car if it had decent fuel economy. This transmission combined with the 3.5L V6 could actually become a compelling combination in the 300 Touring so it wouldn’t be so much of a snooze-fest.

I will agree that having both the Aspen and Durango is pointless, and it looks like the re-organization of Chrysler will result in the death of the Aspen and Durango both, probably having the platform move over to Jeep and re-skinned as something that could actually sell.

The R&D spent on the Aspen and Durango hybrids is the same R&D that GM spent on their hybrids.

Last I checked, GM was a more respected brand among yuppie car nerds (eg, leftlane crew), and they didn’t mind this so much, some even argued that a more economical fullsize SUV or large pickup would make a bigger difference to the environment than a highly economical compact car getting slightly more economical.

This is true..

A 5.7L Durango would originally have gotten about ~10-12MPG city, and can now get ~18-20MPG City with the hybrid model.

As for those doubting the smaller cars, they are about to get a slew of improvements – not to mention the DSG transmissions that have been sitting in Chrysler’s development since –1998–. You can blame Diamler for slowing down progress on that project

Next year you will (if Chrysler still exists next year), be seeing a lot more – Ram hybrids, possibly LX hybrids (although that may or may not happen), but more importantly the next generation LXes, the mid-model cycle Sebring/Avenger, and a few other vehicles will be getting new V6s that are a lot more economical (MDS and VVT on the V6s!)

Now to those who refuse to believe in actual innovation, why don’t you bend over and buy a Matrix or something (heheh, rebadged Pontiac)

Innovation is great ootlink — Now lets find someone willing to pay an almost 10k premium to save about 30 bucks on a fill up. At 30 bucks a tankful, it will take about 330 fill-ups, or 6.5 years if you fill up once a week. The payback on a hybrid SUV must be astronomical. This weekend on autoweek tv they clamied that the payback on a camery hybrid didn’t occur for 220,000 miles.

miket said, “There are other SUV’s out there that compare in both towing and MPG performance for thousands less ie Honda Pilot…”

I have only one thing to say YOU’RE AN IDIOT!!!

You can’t tow more than 3000lbs in a Pilot or a Ridgeline (Honda’s version of a truck)

You are one of those numb nutz that doesn’t know about or need the true capabilities of a full frame truck.

20mpg in the city is awesome in a vehicle that has those capabilities and 4×4.

Also, the Pathfinder doesn’t come close in the MPG department.

Um…sudo, it appears you are the idiot. the Pilot tows 4500 lbs, right off Honda’s website. I think that the 2007 had a higher capicity of 5000, which is what I drive. Thats enough for most people. Hell, I tow around that with mine regularly, and get about 20 mpg (although a lot less when towing). If you really need to tow 6500 lbs – go for it. But, lets be realistic. The vehicle payback time is pretty excessive, for features most people never use. Thanks for playing though….

It’s not 5000lbs. Honda states you can tow 4500lbs if the load is more aerodynamic (like a boat so less load on the drive train) and has trailer brakes. You’ll burn out that TTD from Borg if you’re on a slippery boat ramp in one hit.

I am being realistic, I tow my drag car to and from the dragstrip with my Trailblazer with no problems. No Pilot would be able to do that.

Miket, “Now lets find someone willing to pay an almost 10k premium to save about 30 bucks on a fill up.”

Um… I hate to say this but hybrid or not, the tank is still the same size. Instead of saving $30 per fill up, you’ll be going longer between fill ups.

Also, the premium is only $5,255.