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[quote]Scott Burgess: Review
The new Dodge Challenger has the muscle to compete and smoke 'em
PASADENA, Calif. -- You know it's going to be a good drive when the race track supervisor reminds you to keep the driver's window rolled down "for extraction purposes."
Translation: That ain't your mamma's Hemi under the hood, so don't get stupid and assume you have the driving abilities to handle it.
Only after hitting 115 mph on the downhill straightaway of Willow Springs Raceway can I can report back that the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, which hits dealerships this May, is better than the original. The first Challenger would have never handled the blind uphill corners as easily as this chiseled machine. Its electronic stability control popping to straighten me after over steering with too much speed. The 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 pushing me back in my seat with every tap of the accelerator. The big Brembo brakes gobbling up speed as I approach the 90-degree left hand turn known as Castrol Corner. The steering always true to the imperfect line I've mapped out.
Based on the retro-styled concept vehicle that blew away the automotive world two years ago at the Detroit auto show, the new Challenger graduates from Old School muscle to high-tech performance. And it only took 35 years.
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It may look like a bulked-up original, undergoing a Barry Bonds-type transformation. But unlike Bonds, who declines to talk about his growth in power and hat size, this car embraces performance enhancement.
Built on the Chrysler's LX platform (the same underpinnings as the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger), the Challenger SRT8 marks the return of the Dodge's pony car. And for the first time, Dodge has started with the performance-oriented SRT model, with the R/T and base models expected to arrive at dealerships later this year.
It's a wise move. Nostalgia-generated hype may have put the Challenger on the fast track for production, but the SRT8 model serves as a Mopar man's alternative to the Ford Mustang GT500.
Starting at $37,995, the Challenger SRT8 looks better, rides better and outperforms better than ever before. Detroit and Hollywood tend to over produce sequels, this time Detroit got it right. It's the Empire Strikes Back of automotive second editions.
Much that's old in the new
The design has stayed true to the original but in modern proportions. Measuring 197.7 inches in length, the Challenger looks lean and long (it's 10 inches longer than a Mustang). Its profile maintains a taut, fast look, with the rear slightly elevated. The front end is all 1970 Challenger -- the full-width grille and side-by-side round head lamps. Instead of a chrome bumper, the front uses a body color fascia to surround the sunken grille and fog lights. The dual hood scoops and double wide stripe across the hood dramatically tout the car's power.
Many of the design cues technically point to the concept vehicle, which was, in turn, designed off the 1970 Challenger T/A. The car's A-line -- that ridge along the side -- starts lower in the front and pops up along the rear fender to give the Challenger stronger-looking hips. The taillamps stretch across the back of the car with the reverse lights directly in the center, much like the original. The 20-inch tires look crammed into the wheel wells. Even the fuel cap is reminiscent of the old model.
One modern-day trick used on the Challenger is the black stripe below the door. Designers used this to hide some of the car's body. The 1970 version had body panels that curved sharply under the body like an airplane's wing. (And modern day wind tunnel testing proved the old model could take flight.)
This car has the looks to stop traffic.
In fact, when a group of us drove out of Pasadena in silver, black and orange Challengers (those are the only colors a