2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid / Chrysler Aspen Hybrid - Car and Driver (blog)
A lot more people are considering hybrids these days—but for $45,000. The big price tag makes Chrysler’s first hybrids, the Dodge Durango and the Chrysler Aspen, a much tougher sell. the Chrysler SUVs use the same GM-designed two-mode hybrid system—developed jointly with GM, Chrysler, Daimler, and BMW—that pairs two electric motors with a traditional four-speed automatic for roughly 25-percent gains in overall fuel economy. In the Tahoe and Yukon hybrids, GM went to great lengths to offset the 350-pound weight penalty from all the hybrid gear, installing lighter seats and wheels, a smaller 12-volt battery, and lighter aluminum for the hood, liftgate, and front bumper... Chrysler did nothing to battle weight, and, sure enough, the Durango/Aspen’s heft climbs 400 pounds to about 5700. The biggest contributors are the 150-pound battery, two 75-pound, 87-hp electric motors, and roughly 40 pounds of electrical plumbing. Furthermore, the GM utes get a high-efficiency Atkinson-cycle version of the 6. 0-liter small-block V-8, whereas the Chrysler utes simply get the standard Hemi. Total output combined with the electric motors is 385 horsepower, although with the added weight and taller final-drive ratio, Chrysler predicts the hybrids will be slower than comparable nonhybrid Hemi models. The Chrysler hybrids come only with four-wheel drive (GM offers a choice of two- and four-wheel drive) because, according to. Source: www.caranddriver.com
