Jeremiah 29:11

Live from Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds: The 2008 model lineup


Posted Jun 21st 2007 4:35PM by Chris Shunk

It isn't just any day when you get to drive dozens of different vehicles that aren't even on sale yet. Chrysler made today just such a day at its Chelsea, MI proving grounds, as the Pentastar rolled out its entire 2008 lineup for automotive journalists to inspect and drive. We were able to drive everything except the 600-hp Viper for 2008 and the new Dodge and Chrysler minivans, which was a bit of a downer, but not nearly enough to spoil an otherwise fun day.

The driving route lined up for us included artificial road hazards, hairpin turns, and a few straightaways that demonstrated just how impressive the 6.1L Hemi SRT engine really is. Other than the aforementioned Viper and minivans, Chrysler left the keys in literally everything else, from the SRT 300C to the Sprinter van and Ram 3500 flat-bed. AutoblogGreen was also on hand to drive Chrysler's new two-mode hybrid system equipped with a Hemi engine in the Aspen SUV, and we'll tell you just how that went as soon as the embargoes are lifted (or as soon as someone else opens the floodgates.)

One of the most popular events of the day was an off-road course where we could see just how capable the Jeep lineup really is. Even the JT concept was on-hand for the rough housing, and the end result was some very dirty metal and a few dinged-up quarter-panels.

RLSH700

Hmmm...I wonder why they didn't make a direct reference to the Challenger, just to the 6.1L Hemi engine. It isn't going to be offered in anything it hasn't already been offered in so far for 2008 and why else would this demonstrate how impressive the 6.1L Hemi is when it has been offered in multiple cars for more than two years now. It must be having the manual over the power wasting W5A580 transmission.