2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and Dodge Durango Hybrid - Car and Driver
For the better part of a decade, Americans have—rightfully—complained that the domestic Big Three have done little in terms of offering hybrids, concentrating instead on big trucks, where they are traditionally strong, and letting Toyota and... The last of the traditional Big Three, Chrysler, has finally arrived at the hybrid hoedown with the 2009 Dodge Durango hybrid and Chrysler Aspen hybrid twins. But they are significant by way of demonstrating the versatility of the new two-mode hybrid system, which was co-developed by Chrysler, Daimler, BMW, and General Motors. GM's version of the system is now available in the recently launched Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids and will be in the Cadillac Escalade hybrid when it goes on sale next year. Rather than installing a puny four-banger to be supplemented with electrical power, Dodge chose to combine two-mode "full hybrid" technology with its popular and prolific 5. 7-liter Hemi V-8, which already had cylinder-deactivation technology to... As full hybrids, the Durango and the Aspen can be driven solely on electric power at low speeds, solely on the gas engine to help charge the battery, or a combination of both when optimal. Like GM's hybrid trucks, the Chrysler hybrid SUVs utilize a clever dual-mode electrically variable transmission that seamlessly transitions between a CVT-like operation and a stepped automatic mode, the latter ridding itself of the inherent... Source: www.caranddriver.com
