2010 Dodge Nitro - Review Summary

The Nitro is a strange beast; from a purely objective standpoint, it's a rebadged, somewhat reskinned version of the 2010 Jeep Liberty. From a practical standpoint, it's an old-style utility vehicle that aspires to be a car.

The Liberty is not known for terrific on-road prowess, and neither is the Nitro. The Nitro's ride is stiff, but its steering and handling doesn't deliver. The boxy packaging affords some good cargo configurations, and the Nitro is small and maneuverable enough for the city, yet performance is unremarkable. Acceleration isn't as quick as you'd expect from the standard 210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6; the 260-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 is adequate, though fuel economy is unimpressive in either case. What's more, with no low range and more vulnerable body cladding, this model isn't intended for off-roading.

The story doesn't get much better, as the Nitro's interior lacks refinement and the ride gets choppy at highway speeds while the steering requires constant corrections. Features are the only bright spot; a MyGIG entertainment system includes real-time traffic and music storage, while remote start, rear park assist, and a Bluetooth interface are available.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X

Dodge pulled the cover off the newest special-edition model of the 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 lineup. The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X is a turn-key, non-street legal race car that is slated to make its on-track debut in the summer of 2010.

"The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X takes the performance attributes of Viper to an even higher level for a wide range of drivers starting with the grassroots racer all the way up to the professional," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. "This project is a result of many years of performance engineering expertise from our SRT team, combined with the passion and dedication of Viper Nation, to keep the Viper racing tradition going strong on tracks around the country and the world."

Combining the best performance attributes of the record-setting, street-legal Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) and the safety equipment of championship-winning Viper Competition Coupe, the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X is powered by the SRT-developed 8.4-liter V10, equipped with factory headers and a low-restriction exhaust system, that produces 640 horsepower (40 more than production model).

The suspension also is tuned and upgraded specifically for on-track usage, while the weight is lightened by a full 160 pounds (versus the standard production Viper) to take on even the most challenging road course. Additional aerodynamic upgrades improve downforce, while enhancing stability and significantly improving grip in high-speed cornering.
Similar to the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, the Viper ACR-X contains factory-installed safety equipment such as a factory-designed roll cage, fuel cell and race seat. Additional racing components are added to meet the significant durability and reliability requirements for on-track competition.

In what will be the final year of production for the current generation Viper, the ACR-X is the third limited, special-edition model to be introduced by Dodge. "We're going to make 2010 the most exciting year for Viper yet with specially developed cars for the street and the track," added Gilles. "The ACR-X is targeted at road-racing enthusiasts who want to successfully compete in our ultimate American sports car."

Last month, the SRT team used a testing session at Laguna Seca raceway to shake down the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X for the first time. Behind the wheel was professional driver Kuno Wittmer from the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship series, who was able to run consistent 1:31.00 lap times around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course. Wittmer's lap times were more than 3 seconds faster than the street-legal Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR that holds the production car track record at Laguna Seca raceway.

"The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X is incredible," said Wittmer. "After a short warm up, I was running lap times as quick as exotic GT race cars. I was blown away by the power and acceleration, and even more surprised at how the ACR-X navigated the challenging Laguna Seca corners and how friendly it was to drive at the limit.

"All aspects of the car work together perfectly to plant all that horsepower and torque without issue," Wittmer added. "This will be a great package for someone coming out of grassroots racing with a desire to step-up to GT level competition. Dodge nailed it with this one!"

The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X is designed to compete in the Viper Racing League, Sports Car Club of America and National Auto Sport Association events.

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X will be approximately $110,000. Production is slated to begin in Spring 2010.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 Gets Special Treatments

As the last model year for the current-generation 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 winds down, the Detroit automaker has given some of its dealers a crack at creating three special models. Just 50 cars are being built under this program, Dodge said on Monday.

The dealer-inspired SRT10s are striking. They include the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Roadster, featuring a Race Yellow Clear Coat exterior with yellow driver's stripe, developed with Woodhouse Dodge of Blair, Nebraska. The second is the Reverse SRT10 ACR, featuring the reverse color combination of the Snakeskin Green Special Edition, developed with Tomball Dodge of Tomball, Texas. The last is a Black SRT10 Coupe with Plum Crazy dual racing stripes developed with Roanoke Dodge of Roanoke, Illinois.

The nation's largest Dodge Viper dealer

If we were told to think of the places where you were most likely to find the nation's largest dealer of a large, growling, all-American sports car, Blair, Neb., probably wouldn't come to mind.

But there is Woodhouse Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, right across from a street from a Wal-Mart that's being built in what used to be a corn field. We mentioned the dealer recently in a post about how Dodge is giving special editions of the sports car, the Dodge Viper, to three dealers. Then we heard from Woodhouse's Viper, SRT and Hurst manager, Bill Pemberton, who filled us in on the details.

"I sell the bulk of our cars to New York, New Jersey, California," Pemberton says. They contact Woodhouse in Blair, about 20 miles from Omaha, rather than their local dealer, because of its speciality tuning operation, he adds.

2010 Dodge Viper ACR-X

The ACR-X is a modified version of the Viper ACR, but one big difference is that the ACR-X isn't street legal, so don't plan on ordering a custom license plate for it. No, X doesn't mean all-wheel-drive; in fact, it doesn't have a denotation, except perhaps Xtreme. The ACR-X comes complete with a gutted interior, a full roll cage, a fire suppression system, a race seat, a six-point harness, and a MOMO steering wheel, all topped off with Michelin R compound racing slicks. It uses the ACR's same mammoth 8.4-liter V-10 engine, but here it produces a back-bruising 640 hp at 6100 rpm (40 hp more than the street-legal ACR) and 605 lb-ft of torque at 5100 rpm (45 lb-ft more than the ACR). The added thrust comes courtesy of engine programming and a free-flow exhaust system that is deafening inside the cockpit but manages to sound oh, so sweet. The six-speed manual transmission comes with a short-throw shifter that provides a sturdy feel.

Sticky accelerator pedal prompts Chrysler to recall Dodge Caliber

The recall, comprising of 34,614 Calibers and 90 Compasses, majority of them sold in the nation, are vehicles with model year 2007.

Toyota vehicles had a similar defect
The pedals in these vehicles were manufactured by the CTS Corp., an Elkhart, Indiana- based original equipment manufacturer.

The company claimed that given the throttle control technology, the accelerator pedals do not "present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety."

In fact, the same manufacturer had supplied similar parts to Japan’s Toyota Motor Co. as well. Toyota, recalled 2.3 million vehicles in a series of recalls, wherein defective accelerator pedals led to unintended acceleration.

"Clearly, Chrysler and CTS have taken a look at what happened at Toyota and said they don't want that happening to them," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety.

Ditlowb was referring to the beating Toyota’s reputation took. Chrysler is wary of that and is putting all possible checks and balances in place to ensure that it does not get a negative publicity.

"Everybody has been paying much more attention since the Toyota recalls and product liability issues," said Aaron Jacoby, head of law firm Arent Fox law.