Cuda340

The Dodge Challenger SRT8 is here to drink gas and eat up the roads
The Dodge Challenger SRT8 is here to drink gas and eat up the roads with its 425-hp Hemi V-8.
Steven Cole Smith

Sentinel Automotive Editor

May 10, 2008

"Let's get this out of the way first: An EPA-rated 13 miles per gallon in the city, 18 on the highway, an optimistic 15 mpg overall.

Yes, that's on premium gasoline, not regular.

Yes, there's a federal "gas guzzler" tax: $2,100.

The EPA's consumer Web site, Fuel economy.gov, breaks it all down for us: At $3.73 a gallon, it says filling the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8's 19-gallon tank costs $63.78. That it costs $6.22 to drive 25 miles. That it costs $3,732 a year to drive a national-average 15,000 miles.

Which would cost $1,143 in a Toyota Prius, Fueleconomy.gov gently lectures, noting that the Prius would use 7.4 barrels of oil a year, compared to the Challenger's 22.8.

And don't even get Fueleconomy .gov started on the Dodge Challenger SRT8's "carbon footprint," which measures "a vehicle's impact on climate change in tons of carbon dioxide emitted annually." The Challenger's carbon footprint is a size-18 clodhopper, at 12.2 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The Prius' dainty footprint: Four tons. So consider us suitably chastised over how much we like the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, and not all of that appreciation is directed at the sinful 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi V-8, though a lot of it is.

No, that appreciation is based largely on how this is a far, far better car than many of us were expecting, with killer styling that looks marvelous on the street and an interior that is very un-Chrysler-like, and we mean that in the best possible way. Taken as an overall package, this car works.

And what may be the most important part of this: Lots of what appeals with this flagship Challenger SRT8 should also apply to the lesser models, which hit the market later this year as 2009s.

The fact that Dodge is launching only the ultimate SRT8 model as a 2008 is smart marketing: When the V-6 and less-powerful V-8 models arrive this fall, the public perception of the Challenger will be based only on the fire-breathing SRT8, which lists for $37,995, including shipping but not the guzzler tax. This should only benefit the $23,000 base V-6 Challenger, which should still be basking in the glow of the SRT8. That's the idea, anyway: Go look at the SRT8 now, and if you can't afford it, come back in five or six months for its less-sinister sibling.

The Challenger -- all Challengers -- are, as you would suspect, styled in homage to the original, which lasted only from 1970 to 1974, and was never that big of a hit even then. Until the Challenger arrived, Chrysler relied on Plymouth to carry the pony-car banner with the Barracuda: The Challenger was, pretty much, a rebadged 'Cuda, but bringing back a Plymouth now would mean reviving the entire brand.

Easier, then, to take the proven rear-wheel-drive platform found under the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum -- a platform developed when Mercedes-Benz was involved in the design -- and tweak it to fit under a Challenger body.

As that platform would suggest, the Challenger SRT8 is a big car, weighing in at a porky 4,140 pounds. With this engine, that weight is a factor only when cramming the car into a tight turn, where inertia can't be overcome even by massive 20-inch tires and alloy wheels. But when we finally get to test the V-6-powered Challenger in a few months, we have to wonder whether that weight will make this pony car feel a little more like a plow horse.

That size does, at least, translate into a roomy interior and big trunk, though the rear seat is pretty tight. The front bucket seats, though, are near perfect, and the driving position is pleasantly European. While instruments and controls maintain a mildly retro theme, they are very much up-to-date.

On the road, the monster V-8 and

RoswellGrey

Of course, Fueleconomy.gov fails to note the Prius' overall ecological "footprint," which is much worse than any conventional car made, starting with the material for batteries that come from the mine in Canada that has created a "dead zone" of several hundred square miles and poured acid rain on much of the rest of that country....

JJMPB

they tend to over look those things

stevelegel

I phoned the Sentinel for back issue. I confirmed that the article ran in the "Rides" column of the Classified ad section, May 10.

I'll post it to the list when it arrives.
Steve

RLSH700

To get the full effect of the emotions, be sure to read the fuel economy section with the comparison to the Prius with a nasal tone in your voice and with a note of irriation. It makes the whining quite humorous. 15mpg isn't optimistic if you ask C&D as they got 19mpg on combo driving. As already mentioned, the Prius like most things that are radical and extreme is a hypocritical car that does more damage to the environment than the Challenger ever will. Note to the person who wrote this article, do your homework first before you give the Prius the Noble Peace Prize or Canonize it as a Saint.

Overall a nice review, I like that they also give the Challenger a lot of credit for the interior. I also like that they agree with my viewpoint on the marketing on this model. It creates a better image of value.

DSkippy

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,5719072.story

somebody bad mouthing the Challenger and this article.

I had to chime in.

lear4406

Boy Skippy that story made my blood pressure rise. Talk about grouping us all together. Someone needs to get out a little more. Theres enough speeding and ill behavior on the road from all types of people and vehicles. I see it daily from the guy in the muscle car to the small woman in the big SUV. Ricer boys to fabernuggins. WOW that article reeks of a bad childhood spent on a moped. He needs to learn to let it go

Thor77

Glad to see you got your .02 in there. I am not completely unconcerned with the environment, but the pompous tone of the article made me sick. [:'(] The author seems to just hate fun.

RLSH700

Good job, DSkippy. You had me laughing at a few points by pointing out the how they were being hypocrites. I've I get the time I might have to chime in.

Thor77, it isn't a case of not caring, its a case of disagreeing based on conflicting facts and people trying to tell the rest of us how to live.

kramtrah

Great comment Dskippy. You always say it so well brother!