Cuda340

Here is a review of the R/T by the Dallas Morning News:

Dodge's retro car meets the challenge

12:00 AM CST on Sunday, November 23, 2008
TERRY BOX

Give me some retro with my $2 petro, please.

A few months back, in the heat and hysteria of our $4-a-gallon summer, I figured by now we'd all be stuck in jellybean cars that puttered along on stardust and dried figs or something.

Many of us prefer something with a little more salsa and red pepper in the tank, thanks – which didn't seem too likely a few months ago. But in this mondo-bizarro year, gas prices are now falling faster than a Big Oil fat-cat without a golden 'chute, just as the old-world pony-car segment is reawakening.

Who could possibly have predicted that in July? Granted, our domestic automakers teeter between disaster and oblivion, but after 35 or so short years, we should soon be able to again choose among a Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro or Dodge Challenger.

And all at least resemble – if not mimic – their predecessors from the '60s and '70s. Is this a great country or what?

Ford, by the way, will be freshening its '60s-style Mustang late next year, tweaking its looks a little and giving it a few more much- needed horsepower. General Motors, we presume, will launch its red-hot Camaro early next year, and we're getting reacquainted now with the latest arrival in the segment, Dodge's much- anticipated new-old Challenger.

It might not seem like much against a backdrop of economic collapse, rising unemployment, turmoil in the Middle East and global warming that the Governator says is causing California's incessant fires. But, hey, I can be kind of shallow.

And this could actually be kind of important in the auto world. How much longer do you think self-indulgent, impractical vehicles like pony cars will be welcome on the streets of Obama Nation?

As you know, Dodge introduced the Challenger line about a year ago with the top-of-the-line SRT-8 – a $40,000 coupe with a face from 1970, a modern 425- horse Hemi under its long hood, taut suspension and bad intentions.

That was followed this year by the Challenger R/T – powered by a "smaller" 375-horse, 5.7-liter Hemi – and the V-6 SE. No matter what model you choose, the Challengers are the most retro of all the new pony cars – looking a lot like 11/10th-scale versions of a '70 Challenger, as Motor Trend described them.


Big surprise

That view seemed pretty accurate on the day Dodge delivered my silver Challenger R/T to the Daily Planet. If you expect something about the size of a new Mustang, you will be surprised – but at least this one won't be delivered by your stockbroker.

At a little over 4,000 pounds, the Challenger barely qualifies as a pony car. It's more like a Clydesdale that can run.

But that's one of the prices you pay with the Challenger, which rides on a slightly modified Chrysler 300 platform with independent rear suspension – a platform developed during Chrysler's prior relationship with Daimler that was created with Mercedes-Benz suspension pieces.

Though now more than 5 years old, the platform is one of the Challenger's strengths. The other is the deep-breathing Hemi engine, which lacks the explosive nastiness of the original '60s Hemi but is a whole lot easier to live with. (If you married your girlfriend from that period, you know exactly what I'm talking about.)

The Hemi in mine was tied to a very slick six-speed manual and equipped with tire- melting 3.73 gears. Oddly, the Challenger also showed up with plain five-spoke 18-inch wheels and relatively skinny 235/55 tires – making for a lot of air in the car's expansive wheel wells.

With a window sticker of $32,180, my midlevel R/T wasn't as dramatic-looking as it could have been. (I recommend that you opt for the 20-inch wheels and a bolder color.)

You will probably also be a bit underwhelmed when the Challenger's big front doors swing open. Mine was fitted with pretty basic black cloth seats and many square feet of hard plastic surfaces from the windshield to the back seat. (It kind of reminded me of an old college roommate's 1968 Plymouth Road Runner.)

Legroom in the back is more than adequate if you were known in high school as Shorty, and acceptable for those with a loftier view of the world. The Challenger has 32.6 inches of rear leg space, compared with the Mustang's very tight 30.3 inches.

White-faced gauges and carbon-fiber trim helped break up the blackness a little, but at one point I decided that the square-shaped dashboard and somber door panels looked like something you'd find in a police cruiser. (Not that I have any extensive recent knowledge of that, of course.)

But style is highly subjective, and much of what this particular Challenger lacked could easily be altered with options or aftermarket parts and pieces.


Powerful stuff

More important to me were the engine and suspension – both of which are better than those in the Mustang.

Fire up the Challenger and, like the Mustang, you hear a muffled, pleasant rumble inside.

The clutch is light and the pistol-shift on the six-speed is easy to row through the gears.

Hit it hard and the Hemi will moan and growl to 60 in about 5.5 seconds, which is reasonably quick. Ease back a bit and it will deliver 16 miles per gallon city, 25 highway.

I wished for a bit more slam-you-in-the-seat surge from the car, but it had plenty of snap, generated with fine background sounds. And though a little bouncy on rough surfaces, the R/T settled into a composed stride on smooth surfaces.

Unlike its famous predecessor, the steering was tight and responsive – though a bit light from too much power assist, I thought. Also as you would expect today, the brakes were strong and capable.

Still, it didn't feel as eager to be tossed into a corner as a Mustang – though I have read reviews that say the Challenger is superior to the Mustang on a track. My backside says different.

If the R/T were mine, I'd lower it, and install a cold-air induction system and aftermarket exhaust – as well as the 20-inch wheels.

But even bone stock, the Challenger has apparently been a bright spot for deeply troubled Chrysler LLC.

"We were still in ramp-up when fuel prices shot up, and that didn't have any effect on sales of the Challenger," said Mike Accavitti, a spokesman for Dodge. "It is truly, truly something we are really proud of. It's a real testament to what we can do."

Maybe someone should share that with some of the stuffed suits in Congress.