2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost & 2023 Kia Niro Hybrid

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

Join us for our "last call" of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat...

Followed by a step-by-step jump starting guide on "Your Drive."

We'll go "Over the Edge" for a TRD trek to the great outdoors... Ending with an efficient commute in the new Kia Niro Hybrid...

So, come drive with us, next!

Closed Captioning provided by Maryland Public Television.

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JOHN: Many of you have heard by now that the fearsome Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat's historic run of awesomeness is coming to an end.

Some of our greatest Hellcat memories have taken place on the pavement of Savannah's Roebling Road Raceway, so where better to give this Hellcat a final shakedown before it evaporates into thin air much like, the tire smoke it has created over the years.

♪ ♪ Dodge SRT Hellcats will always hold a special place in our collective hearts.

And just looking at this 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost has us contemplating making more questionable decisions than an episode of "Breaking Bad."

It's one of seven special editions that Stellantis has planned as part of a celebratory last call for the Hellcat.

Time to pause for some background on where exactly the inspiration for this spectacularly spooky hot rod came from, which you may need unless you patrolled the late-night Detroit street-racing scene in the 1970s.

It was at that time, a certain Hemi-powered black Challenger with an alligator skin roof and white tail stripe would periodically appear to beat all takers, and then disappear into thin air just as quickly.

With good reason; as legend has it, it was actually a Detroit police officer behind the wheel of what came to be known as the "Black Ghost."

We got right into the "spirit" of things with some straight-line heroics of our own, with our Black Ghost hitting 60 in 3.9 seconds.

Not the quickest Hellcat we've handled, but certainly right there in the ballpark.

Launching takes restraint of course, as with stock tires it's essentially a constant search for grip for the bulk of the quarter-mile.

But it's just as fun as always, and a quick 11.8 second trip to 124 miles per hour.

Available exclusively with Dodge's TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic, means at least you don't have to worry about shifting gears.

It's doubtful the original Ghost's mystery pilot ever had to deal with 807 horsepower, but we're sure he would have managed just fine.

That's 10 more than the Redeye Widebody it's based on.

All coming from that infamous high output version of the Hemi Hellcat supercharged 6.2 liter V8; torque output remains at 707 pound-feet.

That need for restraint carries over to the full track at Roebling Road Raceway too, with all that power waiting to upset things in a hurry.

But as we've come to learn, the Challenger's chassis makes all that horsepower more controllable than overbearing.

Great steering feel and weight, along with the very responsive throttle, are additional much appreciated factors in taming this beast too.

There is still a fair amount of body roll to contend with, and high-mounted seats that want to throw you out of the car more than snug you into it.

But, somehow that just seems to add to the fun factor.

It's all familiar Challenger inside, outfitted in black of course, with additions of a unique instrument panel, and dash logo.

Things are still relatively upscale feeling and very roomy compared to most muscle car rivals, with a nice mix of Alcantara leather and real carbon fiber materials.

In addition to a gator skin roof decal and white tail stripe, all Black Ghosts are fitted with 20 inch Satin Carbon Warp Speed wheels, Dodge lettering in front of the hood, hood pins, chrome fuel filler door, and historical Challenger script logos.

And just to put a bow on this Ghost tale, that original Black Ghost was indeed piloted by a police officer and Army vet Godfrey Qualls.

And it turns out the car has remained in the Qualls family all these years, though that is about to change, as it is being put up for auction this spring.

No doubt it will cost much more than this current Black Ghost which stickers for $100,910.

What you're getting with the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost is much more than just a Challenger SRT Redeye Widebody Hellcat with a bit more horsepower.

You're getting a unique looking high-powered ride with a great story behind it and one that will possibly be a future collector's item due to fact that just 300 of them are being produced.

The SRT Hellcat is indeed going away, and we'll miss it for sure.

But, at the same time, we feel the SRT Hellcat experiment has successfully run its course, proving that Americans can still make incredible muscle cars, and that Dodge can do it in a way that's uniquely Dodge.

Get them while you can.

♪ ♪ As the overlanding craze continues to gain traction, Toyota is one of the brands leading the charge.

They have a lineup of highly off-road capable machines-- both new and old.

This week, Greg Carloss goes up and "Over the Edge" with some Toyota enthusiasts eager to escape the concrete of suburbia, one trail at a time.

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: Off-pavement vehicles continue to flood the market, while automakers cite demand from buyers who like to leave the office on Friday and hit the trail on Saturday.

Admittedly, I've been skeptical about just how many people actually do this.

Then, Toyota invited me to meet some of them.

Here's the thing, I'm not much of an outdoorsman.

I don't spend much time in nature...but I do like driving through it.

So, if I have to spend a few days in the elements to hit the trails in some legit off-roaders, so be it.

KURT WILLIAMS: So, we are on our way to the Destination Outdoor event, which is an enthusiast-based, Northern Georgia get together of all these Toyota and Lexus enthusiasts.

GREG: The Toyota Land Cruiser and 4Runners are old favorites in the off-road scene, but as a new wave of well-off adventurers join the overlanding trend, Lexus has begun to bolster its rough and ready reputation.

KURT: We're seeing a really interesting shift in the way people use 4x4 vehicles in the recent years.

A lot more lifestyle builds.

They're camping out of them.

They're spending weeks at a time or maybe just weekend trips living out of their vehicle.

This one features a full build-out on the inside for the drawers.

So, a refrigerator, a stove deck, a fold down table.

So, it's really set up to be a comfortable daily driver, yet, pull up to camp on the weekend and have everything you need right ready to go right down to a rooftop tent on top.

GREG: As much as I appreciate the premium amenities in the GX build, this Rebelle Rally-running LX 570, internally known as the J201, is more my style.

Probably has something to do with its Magnuson supercharger.

You know, I'm usually the first person to scoff at these luxury SUVs with their super high off-road capabilities and this technology that allows you to do it without much skill, but I certainly enjoy it.

And using these features like crawl control specifically where I just let off the brake, let off the gas and just steer.

The truck does pretty much everything for me, I still feel like, I'm accomplishing something.

It's really a lot of fun and I get to do it in great comfort.

These leather seats are just classically Lexus comfortable and offer nice lumbar support and something I'm looking for on the trail.

Eventually, the trail leads me to Toccoa Valley Campground, which for the weekend, turns into a literal Toyota and Lexus off-road community.

DARIN STEVENS: This is my fun-runner, my weekend ride and it allows me to go places, wherever the Subaru's can't.

Got it in '17 and have been building it ever since.

It's an evolution, it never ends.

Technology has progressed at such a pace to allow somebody that's usually, you know, stuck at home at a computer.

I can operate from anywhere, I have video conference calls in the middle of nowhere.

GREG: A lot of these people build their trucks to get away from society, but that doesn't mean they're anti-social.

In fact, at Destination Outdoor, it's the exact opposite.

Thanks man!

ERIKA RODRIGUEZ: Having all of the people with super cool Toyota rigs I think it's really, really awesome, and everybody is like-- complementing each other on their cool rig and they're like-- "Oh I've been wanting to get that."

Or like, you actually get to check out some things that you probably wouldn't on a website.

This year we got such an awesome camping spot, so we're not gonna move.

So, if we catch a ride with the off-roading, we definitely are down for it.

But Destination Outdoor is really cool just being able to be with everybody.

It's kind of like a little Toyota family.

DARIN: It's all about sharing ideas and being amongst people, you know, like-minded that, uh, obviously have an addiction to this stuff.

GREG: And unless it was poison ivy, I gotta say, even I felt the itch.

JOHN: If your car won't start, it just might be a dead battery.

A simple jump start can get you back on the road in a pinch, but as our "Your Drive" expert Logan McCombs is about to show us, there's a little bit of nuance to this age-old trick.

♪ ♪ LOGAN McCOMBS: If you find yourself stuck with a dead or discharged battery in your car, here's a few things you should know.

If you use jumper cables incorrectly, you can create a voltage spike that can fry the electronics in both vehicles.

Jump-starting with a jumper pack like this is a better alternative.

The battery inside the jumper pack provides the boost to the dead battery at a safe voltage.

First turn off all lights and electronic accessories in the dead vehicle.

Then, connect the positive or red clamp to the positive battery post and the negative or black clamp to the negative battery post.

Then, try starting the vehicle.

The jump pack may need to cool down for a minutes between tries.

You need a minimum of 225 cranking amps to start a 4-cylinder engine, and closer to 400 for a V8, so check the rating and buy the pack that has enough cranking amps, not peak amps.

Remember, jump packs require regular recharging.

You can't charge a pack, throw it in your trunk for six months and expect it to work when you need it.

Jumper cables are still safe to use on most cars.

If you're not sure about yours, check your owner's manual.

The cables should be 4-gauge wire or bigger, with adequate insulation and clean metal clamps.

Cheap cables will get very hot, and damaged cables can shock you.

It's important to make sure the metal ends of the jumper cables do not touch each other or any metal surfaces on the car until they are connected correctly, and that they don't rest on any moving parts of the engine.

Hook the cables up in this full-circle sequence to help avoid that dreaded voltage spike: One red clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery, just remember "Red to Dead."

Then, hook up the other red end to the good battery's positive terminal.

Next, clamp the black cable to the good battery's negative terminal and finally the last black clamp to an unpainted metal engine part or chassis grounding point on the disabled car.

Start the good car, rev the engine lightly for a few minutes, then try to start the disabled vehicle.

If you carry a jump box or jumper cables in your car and know how to use them properly, a dead battery need not leave you stranded.

And if you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek !

JOHN: Next up, Stephanie Hart sharing what's going on with this week's Motornews!

♪ ♪ STEPHANIE HART: Tesla is finally opening up part of its private Supercharger network to other electric vehicles.

As a response to the Biden Administration's EV-infrastructure initiative, Tesla will make at least 7,500 of its chargers available to all EVs, split between 3,500 new and existing Superchargers, with the rest being the slower Destination Chargers.

Some chargers are already open to the public, and can be accessed through the Tesla app.

General Motors has released a pair of refreshed utilities.

The 2024 Buick Encore GX rides with a reshaped grille surrounded by winged LED headlights.

Inside, the upscale interior centers around the new Virtual Cockpit System.

The Encore GX is the, the first North American Buick with the latest, now horizontal, tri-shield logo.

The 2024 Cadillac XT4 also gets a more prominent front end.

Similarly, the cabin sees a variety of material enhancements, and is fitted with a standard 33 inch LED display.

These changes more closely mirror the LYRIQ electric utility and Escalade SUV.

In other car news, BMW's has released the X5 M and X6 M utilities, both offered exclusively as Competition models.

Both also include a new Turbocharged V8 engine and a 48 volt mild-hybrid system-- a first for M. Power is rated at 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, sent to standard all-wheel drive.

Cabin amenities are abundant, including BMW's curved display and a variety of upscale leather interiors.

Meanwhile, Toyota will continue to build the GR Corolla Circuit Edition.

Originally, this trim was meant to be a year-one exclusive, but popular demand has persuaded Toyota to extend production into next year.

Availability beyond that is still in discussion.

Now for even more daily news updates and complete road tests click on the search tab on the MotorWeek website...also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and find us on YouTube to stay up to date on all the latest.

And that's it for this week's MotorNews!

♪ ♪ GREG: This 2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI has been significantly upgraded over the 2021 GLI that we had in our fleet a while back, but sliding behind the wheel has been just like getting reacquainted with an old friend.

Just like in the last GLI we had, we're rowing our own gears and loving every second of it and that's not necessarily a given these days with how good automatic transmissions have gotten.

But this setup is well-suited for daily driving.

The shifter precisely glides into each gate and the light clutch pedal keeps our left legs from getting to fatigued in stop and go traffic.

But just to make sure we're keeping that fatigue at bay, we tend to stick to the back roads in this thing.

Mostly commuting duty these last few weeks, means only about 1,000 miles added to our total, which now sits at 4,500 miles in just 2-months' time.

With 228 horsepower on tap, and that tight 6-speed manual transmission to manage it; the GLI is fun from the moment you hit the start button, with a great 30.8 miles per gallon average along for the ride.

There's a raspy exhaust note too, which sounds great running through the gears, but can get tiresome when steady cruising for extended periods of time.

We'll be living the van life when we check in on our Kia Carnival, on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: There are not too many cars on the road today that are truly unique, but you could make an argument that the Kia Niro is one of them.

Part wagon, part SUV; with powertrain choices that range from hybrid, to PHEV, and even full electric.

Let's see what else we can learn about this all-new 2nd generation Kia Niro!

♪ ♪ The all-new 2023 Kia Niro continues the Niro philosophy of delivering subcompact SUV-style utility in a front-wheel-drive 5-door package with graduated levels of battery assistance available, from standard hybrid to plug-in hybrid, and even full electric.

This standard hybrid showcases the same 1.6 liter I4 engine as before, with a 32 kilowatt electric motor sandwiched between it and the 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Output still 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.

The PHEV adds a more powerful 62 kilowatt electric motor and larger battery for up to 33 miles of EV only driving.

We'll have a complete test of the full EV in the coming weeks, with its 253 mile range, up 14 from last gen's 239.

(car engine revs/tires screech) Our Niro Hybrid, with minimal battery assistance, and low horsepower; is not about getting to point B as quick as possible.

Indeed, it took us a lengthy 9.2 seconds to reach 60.

Still, that's a bit quicker than last gen, despite the same powertrain.

The PHEV, with a lot more electric boost, should be at least a second quicker.

The small gas engine really sounds like it's working overtime, so we do appreciate that Kia still prefers a true 6-speed automatic over a CVT; not that it's any faster, it just makes for much calmer acceleration, taking us 17.1 seconds at 82 miles per hour in the quarter-mile.

Kia has certainly upped their handling game in recent years, and even this Niro, which makes no claims of being a performance car, behaved smooth and easy in our handling course.

There was minimal body roll, along with good balance and grip; all providing a surprisingly fun trip through the cones.

The Niro is plenty nimble and maneuverable in daily use too; it has adequate power for highway merging; though it does even better in city traffic where the subtle electric assistance has you off from a light quicker than expected.

There's also, a new Green Zone Drive Mode that uses navigation data to prepare for when it's appropriate to switch to battery power for known low speed situations.

With every interior dimension seeing an increase, the Niro certainly doesn't feel so subcompact anymore.

Plus, there's a nice sized sunroof to add to the generous cabinocity.

The parametric interior theme is similar to the EV6's, and includes many of the same controls.

Good comfort in the front seats, with some funky shaped headrests that would give Volvo a run for their money.

Rear seat legroom was generous before; it's even more so now, and that's with additional cargo space too, 22.8 cubic-feet up from 22.4, and a max of 63.7 cubic-feet with the rear seats folded.

Our SX Touring tester is top of the line and comes with dual 10 inch displays; one for infotainment and one for instruments; plus, Harmon Kardon premium audio, aluminum pedals, and interior lighting that goes beyond ambient into more disco territory.

Outside, there are 18 inch wheels, LED Projector headlamps, and a power lift-gate.

Wheelbase rises from to 106.3 to 107.1 inches; overall length from 171.5 inches to 174.0.

So, that's a lot longer than Ford's Ecosport, but still shorter than a Honda HR-V. Kia has gone out of their way to give Niro a more purposeful vibe, with faux skid plates, lower body cladding, and exaggerated fenders.

But we're not exactly sure what kind of vibe the large pieces of black plastic on the D-pillar are supposed to portray, though these Aero Blades can be painted in body color, if you prefer.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 53-City, 45-Highway, and 49-Combined.

Our hybrid's test loop came in at 46.7 miles per gallon of Regular.

There is a great Energy Impact Score; 6.1 barrels of oil yearly with 3.0 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $27,915 for a base LX and tops out at SX Touring which starts at $36,215.

The new Niro may not offer all-wheel-drive, or boast off-road chops, but our 2023 Kia Niro Hybrid delivered plenty of citified utility in a small package, that doesn't feel so small any more.

Plus, it looks and drives great.

And with PHEV and full EV versions also available, the Niro only looks better from here.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time-- when we light up the track in the Porsche Taycan GTS, then hit the dirt in the Ford F150 Raptor R. Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , Television's original automotive magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program, call... MotorWeek has been brought to you by... ANNOUNCER: For more than 30 years Lucas Oil products has helped people tackle mechanical problems in the automotive, marine, and industrial fields.

From our original four core products... Lucas Oil has developed over 400 custom products to help both professionals and do it yourselfers.

To learn more visit Lucasoil.com.

Lucas oil, keep that engine alive!

MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper To Bumper, featuring major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast.

Learn more at AutoValue.com and BumperToBumper.com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek .

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it Tire Rack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(car engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.