Dodge Regent

Which Dodge Regent version to buy: 3.6, 3.7, 4.1 or 5.1, Manual or Automatic

If you are choosing a Dodge Regent, the catalogue gives one generation (1951–1959), one body (Coupe), and eight named versions, all dated 1959-01-01 to 1959-12-31.

Which Dodge Regent version to buy: 3.6, 3.7, 4.1 or 5.1, Manual or Automatic

If you are choosing a Dodge Regent, the catalogue gives one generation (1951–1959), one body (Coupe), and eight named versions, all dated 1959-01-01 to 1959-12-31. Horsepower, torque, 0–100, top speed, fuel use, kerb weight, gross weight, ground clearance, tank size and wheel size are not measured on every version, so the buy decision is displacement, cylinder count and layout, gearbox type and gear count — not power-per-litre or weight-per-horsepower. Pick 3.6 MT or 3.6 AT for the smallest engine (3572 cm³, 6, Inline). Pick 3.7 MT or 3.7 AT for 164 cm³ more (3736 cm³) with the same 6, Inline layout. Pick 4.1 MT or 4.1 AT if you want the only 8, V-shaped engines (4539 cm³). Pick 5.1 MT or 5.1 AT for the largest displacement (5129 cm³, 6, Inline). On every pair, Manual is 3 gears and Automatic is 2 gears. All eight are Gasoline, Carburetor, No boost, Front, longitudinal, RWD, fuel 76.

Dodge Regent specs that actually differ between versions

The generation span is 1951-01-01 to 1959-12-31 with 8 versions. The version rows themselves start and stop in 1959. There is no second generation and no restyling listed as a separate generation, so you are not choosing “which generation” — you are choosing engine size and gearbox inside one Coupe generation.

What does not change version to version (English labels from the data):

• Fuel type: Gasoline
• Boost: No
• Engine position: Front, longitudinal
• Fuel system: Carburetor
• Fuel grade label: 76
• Drive: RWD
• Front suspension: Independent, spring
• Rear suspension: Dependent, leaf spring
• Front brakes: Drum
• Rear brakes: Drum

What does change: displacement, cylinders, cylinder layout, gearbox, number of gears.

Engine comparison: 3.6 vs 3.7 vs 4.1 vs 5.1

Displacement is the only size figure measured. Differences below are arithmetic on those figures.

Step sizes between engines (same gearbox family):

• 3.7 minus 3.6: 3736 − 3572 = 164 cm³
• 4.1 minus 3.7: 4539 − 3736 = 803 cm³
• 5.1 minus 4.1: 5129 − 4539 = 590 cm³
• 5.1 minus 3.6: 5129 − 3572 = 1557 cm³
• 4.1 minus 3.6: 4539 − 3572 = 967 cm³

3.6 and 3.7 share 6, Inline. 5.1 is also 6, Inline, but 5129 cm³ — 1393 cm³ more than 3.7 (5129 − 3736). 4.1 is the odd one out: 8, V-shaped, 4539 cm³, which is 590 cm³ smaller than 5.1 but two more cylinders and a different layout. If you assumed “more cylinders means more displacement,” the data contradict that: 5.1 is larger in cm³ than 4.1, with fewer cylinders.

Power (hp), power (kW), rpm for power, torque (Nm) and rpm for torque are not measured on 3.6 MT, 3.6 AT, 3.7 MT, 3.7 AT, 4.1 MT, 4.1 AT, 5.1 MT and 5.1 AT. You cannot rank versions by horsepower, power per litre, or torque. The extra displacement is the extra you can count.

Manual vs Automatic: what the extra gears buy

Each engine exists twice: MT and AT. Gearbox labels and gear counts:

• 3.6 MT, 3.7 MT, 4.1 MT, 5.1 MT: Manual, 3 gears
• 3.6 AT, 3.7 AT, 4.1 AT, 5.1 AT: Automatic, 2 gears

Arithmetic: Manual has 1 more gear than Automatic on the same engine (3 − 2 = 1). Displacement, cylinders, layout, boost, drive and fuel system are identical inside each pair:

• 3.6 MT vs 3.6 AT: both 3572 cm³, 6, Inline
• 3.7 MT vs 3.7 AT: both 3736 cm³, 6, Inline
• 4.1 MT vs 4.1 AT: both 4539 cm³, 8, V-shaped
• 5.1 MT vs 5.1 AT: both 5129 cm³, 6, Inline

There is no price in the data, so “what the extra money buys” cannot be stated as currency. What Automatic “buys” relative to Manual on the same engine is a 2-speed Automatic instead of a 3-speed Manual — not more displacement and not a different drive.

If you want more gears: any MT. If you want Automatic: any AT. If you want both the largest engine and more gears: 5.1 MT. If you want Automatic and the only 8, V-shaped engine: 4.1 AT.

Performance, mpg and reliability figures that are not measured

For 3.6 MT, 3.6 AT, 3.7 MT, 3.7 AT, 4.1 MT, 4.1 AT, 5.1 MT and 5.1 AT:

• 0–100: not measured
• Top speed: not measured
• City fuel use: not measured
• Highway fuel use: not measured
• Combined fuel use: not measured
• CO2: not measured
• Eco class: not measured

You cannot pick a version for faster 0–100, higher top speed, or better mpg. Those numbers are not in the catalogue. Reliability and common problems are also not in the data; do not treat silence as a score.

Fuel label on all eight is 76. Compression ratio and bore × stroke are not measured on all eight.

Dimensions, weight and tank: same gap on every version

Kerb weight, gross weight, ground clearance, fuel tank and wheel sizes are not measured for 3.6 MT, 3.6 AT, 3.7 MT, 3.7 AT, 4.1 MT, 4.1 AT, 5.1 MT and 5.1 AT. Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: both weight and hp are not measured. Ground clearance cannot separate a “high” Coupe from a “low” one. Tank size cannot separate range.

Chassis items that are stated and do not differ: Independent, spring front; Dependent, leaf spring rear; Drum front; Drum rear; RWD. Choosing 5.1 AT over 3.6 MT does not, in this data, change suspension type, brake type or drive.

Which generation changed what

There is 1 generation. Years: 1951–1959. Body: Coupe. Version count: 8. There is no later generation in the data to compare against, so nothing here is “the generation that added AWD” or “the generation that switched to discs.” All eight versions sit in 1959 inside that one generation. A buyer is not choosing generation 1 versus generation 2; the only generation is this one.

Which version to choose

Use this order. Every name is the catalogue name.

1. Smallest engine, Manual — 3.6 MT 3572 cm³, 6, Inline, Manual, 3 gears, RWD, Gasoline, Carburetor, No boost. Lowest displacement in the set. Hp, Nm, 0–100, top speed, mpg, kerb weight: not measured.

2. Same smallest engine, Automatic — 3.6 AT Same 3572 cm³, 6, Inline as 3.6 MT. Automatic, 2 gears. Choose this over 3.6 MT only for gearbox type, not for more engine.

3. One step up in size, still 6, Inline — 3.7 MT or 3.7 AT 3736 cm³: +164 cm³ versus 3.6. Still 6, Inline. 3.7 MT = Manual, 3 gears. 3.7 AT = Automatic, 2 gears. The 164 cm³ gap is the smallest engine step in the table.

4. Only 8, V-shaped engines — 4.1 MT or 4.1 AT 4539 cm³: +967 cm³ versus 3.6, +803 cm³ versus 3.7, −590 cm³ versus 5.1. Cylinders: 8. Layout: V-shaped. This is the only layout change in the model. 4.1 MT = Manual, 3 gears. 4.1 AT = Automatic, 2 gears. If the reason to buy is “V-shaped 8” rather than “largest cm³,” this pair is the answer — even though 5.1 is larger in displacement.

5. Largest displacement — 5.1 MT or 5.1 AT 5129 cm³: +1557 cm³ versus 3.6, +1393 cm³ versus 3.7, +590 cm³ versus 4.1. Cylinders: 6. Layout: Inline — same cylinder count and layout as 3.6 and 3.7, not as 4.1. 5.1 MT = Manual, 3 gears. 5.1 AT = Automatic, 2 gears. If the reason to buy is maximum measured engine size, this pair wins. If the reason is more cylinders, it does not: 4.1 has 8.

Short pairing rules (still only the given numbers):

• Same engine, more gears → MT over AT.
• Same gearbox, smallest step up from 3.6 → 3.7 (+164 cm³).
• Same gearbox, only 8, V-shaped → 4.1.
• Same gearbox, largest cm³ → 5.1.
• Do not rank by hp, 0–100, mpg or weight: all not measured.
• Do not rank by generation: 1 generation, Coupe, 1951–1959.

3.6 MT, 3.7 MT, 4.1 MT, 5.1 MT, 3.6 AT, 3.7 AT, 4.1 AT and 5.1 AT are the eight names to match to modification pages. Hp is not measured on any of them, so two versions with the same name are not split by power here — each name appears once.