Cruising around at the Chelsea Proving Grounds Chelsea , Michigan - Chrysler's test facility is located west of the Motor City. This is where Chrysler invites members of the media every year for a sampling of the following model-year products. As always, the level of organization and preparedness was great; everyone got the opportunity to experiment with a vast number of new Chrysler toys.
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| A Jeep Patriot going through a section of the Lyman Trail off-road course. |
The Proving grounds cover 3,800 acres of land on which we find 95 miles (152 km) of durability roads; 47 miles (75 km) of asphalt, 36 miles (58 km) of concrete and 12 miles (19 km) of gravel as well as some of the most comprehensive off-road testing obstacles and trails. Since 1954, when the facility began operating, it has been involved in the calibration of over 800 products. Its amenities are used to measure noise, vibration and harshness, ride and handling, drivability and emissions. The huge compound also houses a 26,000 square feet Impact Test Building, an 11,000 square foot wind tunnel and a laboratory. The 4.71-mile-long (7.5 km) oval track is currently undergoing a facelift. There are about 700 people employed at the CPG.Some might recall that a number of speed records were established at the CPG. Back in 1969, a Dodge Charger Daytona stock car travelled at over 200 mph (320 km/h), the first time this was ever achieved on a closed course. Unfortunately, these results were never made public. Likewise, the Dodge Ram SRT-10 entered the Guinness Book of World Records as "The World's Fastest Production Pickup Truck." In early 2004, it posted a two-lap, both-directions average speed of 154.587 mph (247.3392 km/h) over a "flying kilometre" on the oval. There was quite a bit to try out at this year's event. The 2008 model is an important one for the newly-independent company and it would be safe to say that things are looking up. We were given a tour of the all-new 2008 Grand Caravan and Town & Country as well as the new Jeep Liberty. On the spot, the new production vehicles that were available for a quick test drive included the revised Dodge Magnum, Dodge Sprinter (in all shapes and sizes), Dodge Ram (in all shapes and sizes), Dodge Charger, Dodge Dakota and many Chryslers and Jeeps including the 300, Crossfire, Compass, Patriot and Grand Cherokee.
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| 2008 Chrysler Town & Country |