RLSH700

Axle: I hear you loud and clear about the downshifting complaints. That causes the engine to use more fuel, plus it can't be helping the transmission to have to constantly shift back and forth. In all truth, it is probably more than just the exhaust, it could also be the intake and a few other factors. Generally an exhaust improvement causes the hp & tq peak to go higher as opposed to lower on the RPM level.

Yes, if the Challenger receives updated engines, like any other vehicle, it could have some first year problems. I would wait a year or two before getting the new engines to let them work out the bugs. Your right that newer car flaws are a lot less severe and less common than cars of yesteryear. Even new cars towards the end of their run can have problems when they are new. My family had a 1996 Olds Ciera (5 years after getting rid of it, I still have a special place in my heart just to hate it) and even though it was the last year of that model (thank God), the starter went out on it within the first month of ownership. The most recent problem we had with my parent's 02 Caravan was the windshield wipers got out of squence (they were running into each other). It was quite amusing to watch.

Lear4406: Even if the Challenger is the slowest in the pack (which I doubt), that will not stop me from getting one. I love the Challenger and only the Challenger out of its competition. I just want to see Chrysler succeed is all. Also it depends on which comparison you looked at between the Viper and Z06. They were pretty much neck-to-neck, but now they upped the power on the Viper so the horsepower wars continue on those models.

I'm not going to hold my breathe that the Challenger will win in the eyes of the magazines. They generally hate the cars I like. They also are inconsistent in their reasoning (sometimes they cite "bang for your buck;" other times they cite "the best interior;" other times they cite "driving characteristics;" but the rest of the time its the actual performance). I don't let magazine editors make decisions for me. It's my money, I'll choose for myself.