I was hearing that the LX sedans were suppose to get a version of the 5.7 HEMI that is in the new truck. Word was that it wasn't suppose to put out the same power as the truck motor, but was suppose to have VVT added to them. Since info on the 5.7 in the Challenger is going to be 370 HP and 398 lb-tq, is this the number we will be likely seeing in the new LX sedans? It would be nice if it got the manuals 375/404 number or even what the truck has 380/400.

 

You're sweating some awful small stuff there. There's a spread of only 10 hp & 6 lb.ft. That's usually what separated the F-Bodies & the 'vette. And in those instances we either didn't miss the difference, or we modded the motor to produce MORE than the 'vette. Either way, we didn't worry about it.

 

It's all being fiddled with for marketing purposes anyway. I understand from a Chrysler engineer that the default power output for the revised 5.7 was around 400-410 hp in a generic application, and I expect the LXs and the trucks to creep up to that incrementally over the next couple of years.

 

I'm not overall concern about the power difference between the trucks and Challenger. I was more wondering if this engine, with its power numbers, is what is going to show up in the MY09 LX sedans. The power numbers was just me whining.

 

Yes, it is. When the Ram was introduced back in Detroit, C&D asked whether that engine would be in the 2009 LX/LYs, and the answer was yes. So you're seeing the engine that's going to be in the 2009 Charger R/T and 300C.

My guess is that the huge truck engine compartments allow for slightly more efficient intake and exhaust, and that if you get an aftermarket intake, you'll see 380+.

 

The LX sedans are getting the Charger R/T's horsepower numbers next year. There was a plan to move the displacement up to the 6.1 liters of the current SRT engine when the SRT engine grows for 2011, but Cerberus is moving far quicker and seems to be constantly changing the game to gain profit and react to CAFE (the Hemi V8 is still a large part of LX sales, and therfore a big CAFE impact), so I can't get a bead on if that's still the plan or not.