G. David Felt

6.4 liter V8 and 410 hp? That is awful, there are V6s with more power, the CTS twin turbo has more power out of 3.6 liters. You'd think a "Power Wagon" would have like 500 hp. Why not put the V10 in the Ram like they used to, even if it wasn't to Viper tune, they could still have 550 hp from the V10, that would be more ridiculous and over the top.

I have to agree that for a power wagon which is not a mass produced product, they should have a better power plant under the hood. I would venture to guess that they went after a MPG thing here.

Have to agree with DF that this is the best looking Mini-Van in the segment. They have a very pleasing external body design with plenty of positives inside.

Honda and Toyota need to dial back the weird external body design of their vans and Chrysler needs to step up the quality factor as the Town & Country Mini-Van I saw over the weekend looked very cheap inside and plasticky.

This I foresee making conquest sales from the established 3 that are out there.

I do not foresee this car gaining market share, they made a terrible mistake much like Honda did with the civic and they will be forced to refresh this by the end of the year!

FT-86 sits too low for us tall guys to get into comfortably, cabin too small and gutless. Not sure how DF defines it feels fast at any speed, but that car is a slug.

I agree it sounds awesome, only you have the quality issues of VW and their poor so called fix of the water issue with their turbo diesels would make me hold off recomending it to others.

WTF! They took a good looking car and made it ugly! What idiots in mgmt approved this and then making the taillights look like all over asian cars is not good.

Very cool, I love the new frame and the capabilities. Makes you wonder how soon before they bring this technology to other lines that can use a lighter stiffer frame for a better handling auto.

I wonder if this means they could use the frame to make a 4 door Convertible that does not weight 3-4 tons?

HEAT GUN TIME!

You want to melt all that pretty plastic stick on's?

I do have to say that Ram and Dodge have gone a little nuts with plastic stickers on the car, Kinda like you expect a toddler to do to their parents window.

whatever happened to the report that the engineering specification was correct but that Delphi was not building to the proper spec?

I didn't see that report.. Interesting though.

Here was one of the stories that USA Today covered about this. Delphi told investigators that the switches were not up to spec.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/03/30/gm-ignition-switches-recall-congressional-report/7085919/

Here is another story covering it in the Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/article/20140330/BUSINESS0101/303300138/GM-ignition-recall

Pretty clear Delphi did not build the right part to begin with, but then OLD GM MGMT accepted it anyway. Not sure why but they did.

Justice served if the people who actually approved the short cut are still at the new GM that they be let go. Still think the Executives should be pulled back in from that time and grilled along with forcing them to pay back their ill gotten gains.

If Mazda actually brought some excitement to the game and variety they might actually grow their business, but this is a one trick pony that is resting on their history and not changing to be better.

I've seen this one on TV for a week or 2 now :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBtVOmhnw-k

Hilarious how infinitely "big" can be defined, eh?

That is actually funny that they would even consider calling it BIG!

Amazing in this day & age they wouldn't offer an auto in those models.

I have worked on a college campus for the last year or so (Capital unviersity). I count three manuals on a campus with 3000 students....a Fit, a 2002 Miata similar to mine, and a Dodge Dart. Interestingly, the Dart and Fit are driven by females.

Fiat needs to do something, theya re selling Fiats with major cash on the hood....

So you are saying that having performance with an auto transmission is a good thing.

G. David Felt

Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer

www.CheersandGears.com

In the news of the last 48hrs has been the story about the large hole in SSL or what is known as Secure Socket Layer.

I don’t usually talk about network security around here, but this vulnerability almost certainly affects you.

Whenever you buy anything online, most often, that transaction is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL). If you’re on a site such as Amazon, then you go to the shopping cart or checkout, at the top of the URL you’ll see http:// change to https://. That is generally an indicator that SSL encryption is protecting your credit card data.

Turns out there has been a massive hole in a specific implementation of SSL. On some sites, all your “encrypted private data” has been clear and open for attackers to see.

If you don’t want your identity hijacked, and ESPECIALLY if you have credit card data on these sites, you should change your password TODAY on Facebook, Twitter, and with Apple (e.g, iTunes). I happen to have a GoDaddy domain, so I need to change my password with GoDaddy, too. If you have a TurboTax or Dropbox password, those should be changed, too.

For a list of major vendors who have been vulnerable AND have installed the fix, see:

http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/heartbleed-bug-websites-affected/

Because SSL is so foundational to e-commerce sites, some vulnerable sites need time in order to install the fix. That means if you change your password to fool attackers on a site that has not yet installed the fix, you’re just giving the attackers your new passwords. If a site where you have an account sends you an email about the Heartbleed bug, take note! Meanwhile, be more diligent than usual about watching your e-shopping transactions!

Full Details about the Heartbleed bug can be read here: http://heartbleed.com/

I am happy to see the plain Tradesman trim on top of the Power Wagon hardware. That's the one I'd take. The graphics are too childish for me. Great package.

Lier! I know you were playing with my Tonka Toys again and wanting that Power Wagon in all it's Graphic Glory as that is how it caught your eye to begin with!

All this nonsense stems from the fact that we do not have a legal system based strictly upon contractual obligations and specific legal compliance. There shouldn't be ANY legal obligation between a manufacturer and the consumer beyond what is specifically advertized about the product and/or stipulated in it's functional specifications. There should also not be ANY legal obligation to the government beyond compliance with specific certification requirements.

In other words... If a car catches fire and it is not marketed as a car that will not catch fire, the consumer has no legal resort and the manufacturer has no legal obligations. You are not entitled to ANY compensatory or punitive damages. Also, the NHTSA can demand that manufacturers certify vehicles to their precisely stated standards using their precisely stated tests. Once they certify a vehicle they have no legal power to then punish the manufacturer for any safety or environmental issues no matter how serious.

Frivolous lawsuits and/or overbearing government intrusions into private enterprises benefits no one but bureaucrats and lawyers. If you think that the absence of such will result in horrible and unsafe products, you are grossly underestimating the ability and discretion of consumers to choose products based on reputations and past performances. Just because no nobody can sue for millions of dollars if their relative die in car fire doesn't mean manufacturers will want to build cars that catch fire, because many consumers won't want to buy a car from a manufacturer known for making such cars!

Your post Rocks!

Long in the tooth but dependable like our good ol small block V8!

The Dart look does not bother me, I hope as others have mentioned that the interior becomes better with two tone options.

Interesting, I am sure many commuters will love the updated auto.

How about a reverse fine against NHTSA for being ignorant in doing their job from the begining back when this problem began.

Talk about a bunch of Morons covering their Arses in trying to make sure they still have a chair at the table of I kiss yours if you kiss mine stupid politics.

Which morons? You mean the ones who knew about the problem 10 years ago but decided that a $0.57 fix was cost prohibitive? I'm sure recalling millions of vehicles, fines,and bad press make it TOTALLY WORTH IT.

They can start by pulling in the executives from that time and grilling them, confiscating their ill gotten gains and holding them accountable for making the right decision than to roast a woman who clearly cares more about quality and the customer than the idiots that made these decisions did back then.

Why not Pontiac? Instant name-recognition and Pontiac used to be regarded as something of a 'mid level' brand. Plus the SAAB platforms would already make for sport-oriented driving.

I'd imagine that the Chinese would actually know how to differentiate Excitement from EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!! unlike GM.

Based on quality of china products, I figure it would kill you within the first 12 months from toxic fumes from the toxin's they mix in with their plastic to get rid of it. Breath and die the Chinese way.

Because Made in the USA is so much better! LOL!

I would rather die supporting an american company than send my hard earned dollars overseas.

You should buy a first gen Equinox then. Nothing more `Merican than the hum of that Chinese built V6.

Nope, I'm a V8 man and that is all I drive. American V8 on CNG!

Have I not seen fiat 4-dr ads, the one with the 2 guys in the desert?

NOPE, Last ad I saw was the J Lo ad.

Why not Pontiac? Instant name-recognition and Pontiac used to be regarded as something of a 'mid level' brand. Plus the SAAB platforms would already make for sport-oriented driving.

I'd imagine that the Chinese would actually know how to differentiate Excitement from EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!! unlike GM.

Based on quality of china products, I figure it would kill you within the first 12 months from toxic fumes from the toxin's they mix in with their plastic to get rid of it. Breath and die the Chinese way.

Because Made in the USA is so much better! LOL!

I would rather die supporting an american company than send my hard earned dollars overseas.

How about a reverse fine against NHTSA for being ignorant in doing their job from the begining back when this problem began.

Talk about a bunch of Morons covering their Arses in trying to make sure they still have a chair at the table of I kiss yours if you kiss mine stupid politics.

Nice truck always appreciated the off road capabilities. Seems RAM is now including a fuel delivery surplus charge as that is one of the biggest delivery fees I have ever seen for an auto.

Why not Pontiac? Instant name-recognition and Pontiac used to be regarded as something of a 'mid level' brand. Plus the SAAB platforms would already make for sport-oriented driving.

I'd imagine that the Chinese would actually know how to differentiate Excitement from EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!! unlike GM.

Based on quality of china products, I figure it would kill you within the first 12 months from toxic fumes from the toxin's they mix in with their plastic to get rid of it. Breath and die the Chinese way.