hemi hybrid? doesnt sound right. lol all these v8 hybrids are rubbish.

@Cobaltssman:

Agreed, with gas at $4 per gallon who'd want 40% better mileage. I like to send my money right to the pockets of Big Oil Exec's. In fact, why don't we all just send them an extra $20 per month so they can profit even more?

To make it fuel efficient why don't they just throw a two stroke diesle powerd generater under the hood and an electric motor under the cab?

@gary

because diesel is much better than hybrids.

Emissions regulatiosn have ruined the efficiency of diesels in the US, that's why there are so few of them being made.

US diesels must be just as clean as their gasoline counterparts. This means two things. Ridiculously overpriced low-sulfur diesel fuel and additional emissions equipment.

Diesels must have either a urea injection system or a catalytic converter which collects and burns off the crap in the exhaust.

My uncle has a 94 dodge diesel and a 2007 dodge diesel. The 94 regulary got 22+mpg. The 2007 gets around 15-18. Given, it's much mroe powerful, but that's quite a decrease.

A guy I work with has one of the twin turbo v8 diesel Ford f-250's. He said sitting in traffic the engine will randomly rev up on it's own to 2k rpm to burn out the stuff that's built up in the cats. Giving him only 12-14mpg in traffic and 17-19 on the highway. That randomly reving up crap is goign to burn an awful lot of fuel.

This truck should get 14*1.4+ 19*1.25 or 19+ city and 23+ highway. That's better than what the diesels I know of are getting.

Some people need trucks - and luckily high fuel costs will filter out those who do not. But more importantly, the guys that use these for work and play will be able to save money in day to day costs. Every bit counts, and good on Chrysler for focusing on their thirstiest vehicles.

Now lets make the Caliber/Patriot get a solid 36-38mpg on the hwy, or even a BAS system standard on all vehicles.

"lol all these v8 hybrids are rubbish."

A v8 hybrid is the only one that makes sense. Nothing else provides enough fuel savings to be worth the additional cost of the vehicle.

Dodge + Ram + Hemi + Hybrid

now that is quite a oxymoron

Hey Diesel Hater,

I agree 100%, the EPA has gone gonzo over diesel pollution. I got one of the last Dodge models (2003) without the cat (isn't that supposed to be just for gassers?!?!). Mine didn't come with the exhaust recirculation, which, if that was done to a human being to make it more efficient, .... Low sulfhur diesel took the lubrication qualities out of the fuel (and jacked up the diesel price).

My truck gets 27mpg on the hwy, 430hp Banks power kit, and I am currently working on an HHO unit, shooting for 40mpg on the hwy....60mph with the air on. During the summer I filter and run used fryer oil when I can score it from restaurants. I am just a consumer. Certainly, the automobile engineers of today know LOTS more than I do just being a tinkerer.

It really amazes me, and saddens me, that most auto makers either won't build a sensible vehicle or have the law handcuffing their designs. With the technology that is out there, we could put it to use and tell Big Oil to jump off a cliff.

Couldn't you just imagine...a fully electric 350Z, charged from solar and wind power at the house, that would run stronger than a garlic milkshake? Wouldn't that be just too cool? I'd dump my truck in a heartbeat for a setup like that.

It isn't a good thing, that America is dependent on other countries. It is a bad thing. World War 3 will probably be fought in the world stock markets.... sorry, back to the Dodge.

Although this 2010 Dodge sounds like the way it should have been built years ago, and perhaps Dodge is betting Ford and Chevy will fold due to high fuel prices, maybe Dodge figures they will be left standing after all this mess is sorted out.

Then again, maybe 10 years from now, Texas will end up like New York, where it is a rare thing to see a pickup truck in downtown Manhattan (haha).

Why isn't Dodge talking about the half ton diesel???

Thank you TR for a little "green" news,

@cobaltssman = you have proven yourself quite foolish with your lack of knowledge in diesel fuel emission regulation, but its never too late to learn my good man hers a suggestions try wikipedia !

We can thank our good friends the democrats for how strict we are about emissions, they believe that by slowing our deterioration of the earth we may have a better tomorrow... you might be asking what will all this green living cost me? Well its going to cost you a lot it’s going to cost you at least 7$ per gallon for gas in the next 4 years. It’s going to effect where you live and what you see in your lifetime. It’s going to effect your entire life. But if you had the chance to go back in time and save the earth wouldn’t you try? I say let’s bite the bullet folks and accept high prices for the time being and work toward being energy independent and eco friendly for generations to come...

Yea: Darn those governmental guys for making requirements for clean disel... not to mention when they took the lead out of gas.

For that matter, if the car and fuel companies could just dump their wastes in the nearest river, it would cut production costs quite a bit... darn liberals/conservitives/envyronmentalists/parents/whatever.

A discussion "it's the emissions standards killing fuel economy" is rediculious without a conversation of whether emissions standards save lives, and then how many lives/what quality of live is worth how much money in fuel costs for disel drivers... and that seems terribly out of scope.

It's often confused me that the most fuel efficient vehicles (small cars) were the first to mass-market into hybrids. I had always though sports cars (which rarely use the full power of their engine and have large engines) would be first, followed by trucks (which waste more gas idleing than small cars).

To me, this truck makes sense. There's a lot more to be gained by cutting 5 cylinders of a truck not towing, and shutting off a massive V8 at stoplights than from cutting idle on some Corolla. If this truck works, kudos to them. (I just hope they put 120V outlets in the thing so it can be used as a portable generator too)

@ Jerry

I was just making a point the emissions standards have seriously hurt economy. There's no denying that cleaner is better, someone just has to draw a line in the sand. Europe drew the line in a different, and from many people's perspectives, better place. They thought decreased fuel consumption was more important than S02 and Nox emissions. Right now it looks like a choice between emissions that make a difference in our lives and cause athsma and respiratory problems or the invisible gas that makes no perceptible difference in the average person's life but supposedly makes the world warmer. Europe thought global warming green house gas reduction was more important, and the US thought S02 and Nox was more important. Personally, I think the US made the better choice. I'm not getting lung cancer or acid rain from global warming. It's all a trade off, but it's impossible to have both with today's technology.

i didnt post that comment. ugh
that CKV chick keeps posting shit under my name.

Emission controls do decrease fuel economy. Catalytic converters and rich fuel mixtures mean lower than possible fuel economy. However it also guarantees our cities don't look like filthy Beijing covered in toxic smog.

If half of all vehicles in the US switched to diesel without the newly proposed emissions controls, then we'd have serious smog issues that the US has been fighting against since the 80s. Smog can build up fast in a city and causes hundreds of respiratory-related death.

If the US wants to go the diesel route, they should go for algae-based biodiesel: Low sulphur, home-grown puts money in farmers (good as long as its not a large commercial farm).

why are people bitchin about improved emissions for diesel? Everytime I'm sitting outside a resturant eating my diner and an old diesel truck drives by, I just wish I can blow it up. I mean the smog that the trucks dump out is awful. it's causes lung cancer amoung other health issues. Stop your stupidity people.

@ Diesel Hater:

Emissisons standards haven't hurt the US economy. Ignoring them is what has hurt the US economy. Look at many Euro and Asian cars, for example, and you'll see true and continual advances in efficiency. Simply hooking an electric motor into a drivetrain that is otherwise conventinal is, at best, marketing fluff. 40-50mpg is pretty typical for many midsize Euro cars, yet American cars still struggle to achieve 25-30.

Besides cars, there's a stack of opportunity in emissions controls. There's new technology to be designed, built, and exported - and that has a massive flow on effect through the economy, provided you're one of the leaders. Unfortunately, the USA is kicking and screaming all the way towards the inevitable fact that the human race needs to figure out how to survive, while consuming fewer resources.

Americas economy has stalled not because of emissions regulations, but because you have been left behind by the rest of the world.

It's funny actually, all those years hiding behind government protection of domestic industry has sheltered your 'capitalist' economy from the real world. The irony of it is that the USA now finds itself in a position that reflects a communist state that has just opened its borders to the wider world. That is, the products that the USA produces are outdated, poor quality, and overpriced when compared to the rest of the world.

God Bless America - you need all the help you can get!

Just a question, can the hybrid engine provide enough torque for a loaded truck or a truck that is pulling when it is in "electrical mode".

@ JL

You need to work on your critical reading skills. My post was reffering to FUEL economy, not the US economy. I'll try to be more clear for you foreigners in the future since apparently your educational system is lacking.

It's pretty sad you'd jump on any opportunity to bash the US. I like Europe and Australia, why do you all despise us so much? We're pretty much the same, you and I, so lets get along. I even own a european car!

Our auto industry was ruined by union labor and politics. We may, at this point, be behind in automotive technology but it's not like we've produced the fastest FWD car in the world(which is also exremely efficient), the fastest 4 door in the world, the fastest rwd car for under 100k or the fastest car in the world top speed wise in the last 5 years. Ohh wait, but we did! We're not stupid, give us time and fuel efficiency will become a priority.

And BTW, our GDP per capita is at least 30%+ higher per person than pretty much any country in the world including Australia or the UK, so it's not like our economy totally sucks. If you're from Britain, more of your population is below the povery line and you have a higher unemployment rate too, so get off of your high horse. All the European countries have really really high unemployement. Look at real facts instead of just watching the BBC all the time. If you're Australian you're in better shape and I wouldn't mind living there, it sounds awesome from what I've heard.

The more CO2 I can pump into the environement the happier I am because it upsets the crazy libs so much. I will buy a diesel just too upset these crazys.

Is this ute likely too be sold in Austrlia where and when????????