Acura pushes power into RL; Dodge debuts Challenger
— -- Other automakers have a variety of models top show, including sleek coupes and updated sedans.
Here's the hot stuff making its debut at the Chicago show, open to media representatives Wednesday and Thursday and to the public Friday through Feb. 17.
2009 Acura RL: The remade Acura RL gets the largest engine every to grace the upscale Honda brand.
The new 3.7-liter V-6 develops 300 horsepower. It has a five-speed paddle-shifting automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The RL also gets bigger wheels — 18-inch instead of the 17-inch rims in the current model.
It goes on sale in the spring. No price yet.
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8: Not just any ol' Hemi, but a chuffing big 6.1-liter Hemi makes the midsize Challenger retro-muscle car into an SRT8 — Dodge's designation for the highest-performance models. Expect it in April, boasting 425 horsepower, 420 lbs.-ft. of torque, mated to a five-speed automatic and shamelessly asking for premium fuel, as muscle cars did when gasoline was 40 cents a gallon. Should be good for 13 mpg in town, 18 on the highway, Dodge says.
Challenger SRT8 is meant to be a limited-production item — Dodge doesn't say how many — and each gets a numbered plate on the dashboard. Starts at $37,995, including destination charge. Dodge pledges standstill to 60 mph in "the low 5-second range," and promises less than 17 seconds for the 0–100–0 mph test made famous by the Shelby Cobra's big engine and big brakes decades ago. Burn up the quarter mile in less than 14 seconds, says Dodge. The original Challenger arrived in 1969 as a '70 model, late to the high-performance party, and production halted in 1974.
2009 Hyundai Sonata: Hyundai is adding a few tweaks to its flagship.
Outside, the car gets new headlights, taillights and chrome strips across the grille and along the sides.
Under the hood, Sonata will have a new four-cylinder engine that the South Korean automaker says will deliver both more pep and better fuel efficiency. Gas mileage goes up 1 mile per gallon to 22 in the city, and up 2 on the highway to 32 mpg in the automatic transmission version. Horsepower is boosted from 162 to 175.
