2006 CHRYSLER Aspen 5.7L V8 5AT 4WD (375 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Chrysler dressed up a Dodge Durango, added tons of chrome, and tried to sell it as a luxury SUV. It didn’t work, and after just three years, it axed it from the assembly line.

2007 was a bad time to introduce a luxury car on the market, but Chrysler didn’t know that, so it introduced the Aspen. It was based on the Dodge Durango platform, changed it here and there, and tried to sell it as a luxury car. It improved it each year, but in December 2009, it had to pull the plug after less than 60.000 Aspens were sold.

Unlike the Durango, the Apsen’s exterior featured a ponton bodywork, with flush fenders and a wider front area. The SUV was available in only one trim level, the Limited. The designers choose to place chromed accents on the grille, sides, rear, bumpers, and its optional 21″ wheels. Other than that, the Aspen was a big brick with an average long nose, large enough to accommodate a V8 Hemi under the hood.

Inside, Chrysler proposed a luxurious interior with heated leather seats, a high-performance audio system, and room for up to seven. There was an option for up to seven passengers aboard. Chrysler offered the Aspen with two captain seats in the middle row. For the dashboard, the American carmaker chose to use the same part as the Durango. Unfortunately, the cheap and hard plastic was part of the things that made the car fail on the market.

Under the hood, Chrysler started with a 235 hp, 4.7-liter V8 in 2007 and ended with a 376 hp 5.7-liter Hemi V8. A hybrid version was introduced in 2009, but it was too late. Chrysler already decided to close the plant where the car was built.