Topic: CD Article: 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona

[Arthur Dent]

I can't wait to drive the SRT-10 Ram... (insert Tim Allen grunt, grunt, grunt here)

I got a ride in one - crazy performance - even cornered way better than I thought possible. Dumb, crazy idea but in a good way.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Well, I always hear people dissing trucks like this and the Chevrolet SSR. Now that the SSR has more power, I kind of think it makes more sense.

It's something that goes pretty much like a last gen Corvette (or something wickedly fast at least), has WAAAAAAAAAY more storage than the dinky trunks in sports cars, is much wider and roomier a cabin, gets similar mileage, is imposing - if not exactly sleek-sexy, and in the case of the SSR (which could be considered that) is also a damn good hardtop convertible.

I didn't find the price of the Ram HEMI so, so bad either. And not with discounts.

BTW, nice Dakota there Lesley. What do you think of the new one? I much prefer the previous generation's look to this buggy-eyed one.

[Lesley]

Thanks!  My 'dak' has definitely undergone a transformation over the last year - one that was a long time in the making.  It's been dormant for almost 3 months while a completely rebuilt 360 was swapped into it and matched to a race built tranny with shift kit... then it sat til I could find a computer that would talk to it all (the engine was not available for that truck year).  There were many changes in electronics and sensors in the years between 97 and 2000 - so figuring out the glitches was a challenge to say the least.   It's finally running (engine is perfect - think Olds 442 or 70s Cuda - just the right amount of lope, but not rude) but there's still a solenoid issue with the tranny that should be fixed this week.

I had one of the new Gen 1V dakotas in winter - aside from the looks, there were a lot of improvements over the previous generation - brakes and calipers are a lot larger, headlights are far better, front end is much beefier. Nice truck to drive - the looks don't do it for me though.

[mdxtasy]

Hey you could say that about every Porsche on the market too... they too have little wings that come out when you go faster than 120kph or something like that.

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that once a vehicle goes faster than X kph, it'll want to take off because of too much air that slips under it... hence the wings to pull the car down to the pavement.

Well Shnak, perhaps I clarify what I mean by a design flaw....any time a car is released into the market but then recalled to address customer concerns over handling characteristics is what I consider a defect in design.   

http://www.fantasycars.com/Audi_TT/audi_tt.html

[Shnak]

Hey you could say that about every Porsche on the market too... they too have little wings that come out when you go faster than 120kph or something like that.

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that once a vehicle goes faster than X kph, it'll want to take off because of too much air that slips under it... hence the wings to pull the car down to the pavement.

Well Shnak, perhaps I clarify what I mean by a design flaw....any time a car is released into the market but then recalled to address customer concerns over handling characteristics is what I consider a defect in design.   

http://www.fantasycars.com/Audi_TT/audi_tt.html

Maybe Audi didn't expect their consumers to take corners at 220kph with their TTs? 

but yeah, like your article says, maybe Audi wanted to bring the TT onto the market and they missed that flaw... It didn't take them very long to rectify the flaw though... that's gotta be worth something, no? 

[AVToller]

I think that if Ford or GM had done that, we (including me to be sure) would have had a field day about their incompetence.   

[Shnak]

I think that if Ford or GM had done that, we (including me to be sure) would have had a field day about their incompetence.   

Maybe, but we'll most likely never know simply because when's the last time they have had "the guts to bring such a radically looking car into production" like the TT article says... 

[mdxtasy]

Good to hear that the manufacturer addressed customer concerns over the stability issue....but was this car a classic case of form over function? 

Either way, the SRT-10 is a much cooler truck...more expensive yes...but atleast it doesn't follow this HEMI fad.