It's not because it's that great of a motor, it's because it's well-marketed and not too ridiculously priced of an option. I mean, it all makes sense.

Market one feature that is found in all your cars to the point that it becomes a household name, then make that option within reach of the average consumer in terms of price, and then next thing you know, people are buying your cars simply because they want and can afford to be one of the "envied few" who has a hemi (or at least that's kinda what the commercials make it seem like).

I drove my coworker's Hemi magnum and it kinda reminded me of the old 3rd-gen f-body days... those motors pulled real well from a stop, but all of a sudden they hit redline and shifted to the next gear before they ran out of breath and you almost felt cheated... like you should have had some more gear left.

I'd love to race one.

 

The hemi is a great motor. I like it just as much as I like my Ls1.

 

They are built on the same bones and designed for the same brand. Not only that considering one is really the non-wagon version of the other, DCX could have avoided a fiasco by naming them both Magnum. How much difference did you really expect?

But they are still pretty different. The roof line is clearly different, the body line is a bit differnt on the charger than the other two, and there is of course that front fascia you either love or hate.

 

Agreed, but how many people, 3 years ago, knew what a Hemi was? They knew it sounded big, and bad and powerful.
Even Ford puts the "4.6/5.4 Triton" badge under the F150 so you know its got more then a V6. Vortec has major meaning for enthusiasts from Vortec heads for Gen I SBC's, and they know that Vortec engines are in all GM trucks and SUV's. If there was someway to get Vortec into peoples minds and show them that Hemi is junk, then there is no reason to buy a Hemi Ram when you can get a Vortec Silverado, and ALL GM V8's (for trucks) are Vortec, instead of just ONE Hemi for the Ram.

Vortec
5.3 something like that

 

You said it----only enthusiasts know GMs 3 letter alpha-numeric engine codes. Non enthusiasts have no idea. Plus GM reusues alot of engine RPO's---LS1 was a Pontiac, LT1 was carbed and LS6 and LS7 were 454s. I fond that I have to educarte old timers and say that GM mades a fuel injected LT1

In contrast---almost everyone has heard of a Hemi. They don't have to know the significance to of Hemi at all. But hearing of it might get them to order it.

Great marketing coup.
The Hemi truacks are overrated, IMO. My wifes 175hp Grand AM GT is a dead tie with a shortbox, reg cab 2wd.

 

Have you seen a modern Hemi? It most certainly is not an LS1 rip-off. Sure they share some design features like their intake manifolds, but those kinds of things are just the result of a common realization by most manufacturers of the optimal way to do something.

The thing that makes a Hemi a Hemi is the OHV arrangement with the exhaust valve on the outside, and the requisite pushrod layout where the rocker arms point out in both directions from the centreline of the head. This enables a hemisperical combustion chamber as opposed to the LS1's more traditional heart-shaped chambers (and yes I know about the little 'tangs' on the modern Hemi). If you took one apart, there's no way you'd confuse a Hemi with an LSx.

 

Chrysler has done well maketing the HEMI name, but it has more to do with its past then having a name for an engine. GM and Ford doesn't do this bcuz they never really had a motor that dominated a racing series while being a rare sight on the street.

BTW, I don't know how you can see that the HEMI head is a ripoff of the LSx heads. There are vast differences between the heads.

 

Can't tell a sedan from a station wagon?

The Hemi is an LS1 ripoff?

Looks like more a case of sour notes than anything else here.
Be real fellas, even after getting whacked in the head by a 2X4 you won't confuse a Magnum with a Charger or an LS1 with a Hemi!

You're killing me!


As far as marketing, there's nothing new here regarding Chrysler's marketing of the "Hemi", and it's nothing short of amazing that there's so many people falling over themselves both prasing or condeming Chrysler's success. It's been done many times before.

Ever hear of the 5.0? The Magnum? The Rat? The Super Duty? I'm sure there's plenty of others I can't name. Heck, even "454" & "350" was well known.

Gaining fame for a GM engine is no farther than pasting "LS2" on the sides of cars, getting the name off build sheets and into the public eye.

Nothing more.

 

It really is, it's a shame there's no 6-speed available.

 

This isn't new. As I recall back in the heyday of the muscle car Ford and Chrysler had (IMO) better marketing of their engines than GM did.

They had names everyone new like Hemi, Magnum, Wedge, Interceptor and Cleveland. I've never seen a commercial or print ad calling the 454 'Rat' or the 350 'mouse'. That was spoken only by the real enthusiast as a sort of 'inside' name.

As a die hard GM fan, I gotta admit it'd be more fun to say 'It's gotta Hemi' than 'It's gotta LS1'.

 

Actually, I'd rather say "LS1" than "hemi", because it sounds kinda like I've got a clue about my car's engine (I didn't just pull it from some stupid commercial or bumper sticker).

The new "hemi" is an excellent marketing campaign. The reason it doesn't really impress me, however, is that the main reason it is successful is because the Hemi name was legendary 30 years ago, and sort of became mythical/ overblown during the time since then. Of course, if the new engine sucked, they would have screwed up. But the new engine is pretty good, and they had free access to a name that had been trumped up all by itself over the years (with little effort on Chrysler's part). Clever that they thought of using it.

But just slapping LS2 on the side of the Vette or GTO would not elevate it to the level of recognition enjoyed by the "hemi" among the general public. At least not at first. Eventually, word gets out, but the "hemi" joke was successful instantly, because the name was already successful.

And since it is just an engine, and not a whole vehicle (like the GTO), there was little risk in ruining it (unless they just totally botched the power/torque output of the new engine). Bringing back a legendary CAR name, like the GTO, is a little more complicated obviously. All most people know about the real Hemi is that it was fast and powerful. The new 'hemi' is too, so it pulls it off. Recall, too, that there were at least a few purists who complained that the new engine isn't a real "hemi" (and they had a point), just like there were some (misguided) people who said the new GTO isn't a GTO ('cause it doesn't look just like the original).

 

you know..... it's only a matter of time before they increase the displacement of the Hemi. 426 cubic inches of modern Hemi should be a blast.

 

FACE IT GUYS... HEMI right now is just a Great marketing ploy to sell cars.

HAS ANYBODY HERE GOTTEN RIPPED BY A HEMI LATELY?

No, in fact I think a Hemi would be a better race with a stock LT1 vehicle. It can't even beat the regular GT mustang.

IS THE HEMI TEARING UP THE RACE TRACKS?

No, dodge may be back in racing but they are not dominating like they did in 1969 and 1970.

What they are doing is selling ugly cars with a cool history and great commericals?

When was the last time you saw a Camaro commerical? I never NEVER saw one with a LS1 being advertised. I do remember the Lt1 commerical with the little kid in bedroom listening for it to drive down the driveway. But that was for the Lt1.

GM has made several cool commericals for the GTO. But the car was plain and didn't have a flare. The 05 is better, but cost to much price should be 30K max. Make a JUDGE GTO and sell it for 40K

I do give DOGE big points for being creative and fun in selling cars. Not so corporate.

 

Would this Hemi be in an actual car........because it sounds like you're saying this freestanding engine is racing a car.

I guess the marketing does work.

 

The reason GM has never experienced this kind of success has little to do with engine name marketing.

They've never put an LS1 or better V8 into a decent mainstream car. You know, a 4 door or four passenger car. With RWD. We've complained for years that GM had great V8's but hardly put them in anything. Chrysler did, and slapped a reconizable name on them. Voila. Success.