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Re: Well, I now have a 2006 Hemi in the garage
Well, yesterday I got back my Titan. I had the Hemi rental for 17 days, for what was originally estimated as a "3 day repair" by the Nissan dealer (Bill Ray in Longwood). What a crock of crap. They fixed my truck twice - the first time it looked like sh!t and I lost my mind! Then they nicked the black plastic top piece of the new bumper with the buffer and scuffed it, so they held it another 6 days while they waited for that little piece to come in. What a bunch of BS! The Hemi was $34/day, and State Farm only covers $16/day, so I had a hefty rental bill. The dealer picked up about $160 of the rental for the extra time.
As for the Hemi, I gave it a good test drive - 17 days and 1000 miles. These are my reflections. Keep in mind I am comparing my own 2004 Titan 4x4 Crew Cab LE to a 2006 Hemi 2x4 mid-trim level Quad Cab:
1. The Hemi was VERY quiet, both engine and lack of rattles and squeeks. The only one was a rattle from the center cub holder while holding a drink. My Titan is a squeeky rattle trap.
2. My Titan feels faster. The Hemi ran good at speed, but feels choked down at low-end. Feels like it would respond very well to exhaust mods.
3. The back seat of the Quad Cab is very small. It is not anywhere near a crew cab. It is simply an extended cab with normal opening doors. The seat back is almost vertical. Would not be comfortable on long trips.
4. The Dodge interior plastic (such as door panels and pillar covers) does not scratch easily, unlike my Titan which scratches if I even brush it with a finger nail.
5. The Dodge steering feels MUCH better than my Titan. It can be operated with one finger even at very low speeds. Not so in my Titan, which feels like it does not even have power steering after getting back in it from driving the Dodge.
5. The Dodge brakes also feel better than my Titan. The ABS works great (I tested it). Upon getting back into the Titan, I was shocked at the higher foot pressure the Titan requires to stop.
In short, I was fairly impressed with the Dodge. Better in some areas, worse in others.
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