Cuda340

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T- A Pony for Grown-Ups.
By Ron Amadon, MarketWatch

"Over the five-plus years we have been writing the column, there has not been a car that we have had such a hard time coming to grips with.
For one thing, this is the first car we have parked in the driveway while its maker hangs on the side of the cliff with all bets going toward a fall into the deep canyon below.
As we write this, Democrats in Congress are talking about a $25-billion dollar loan package for all three of the Detroit automakers. With merger talks with General Motors Corp. on hold for now, most analysts think it will be difficult in these times for Chrysler owner Cerberus to find a buyer.

Therefore, any potential buyer of a Challenger has to weigh the odds of the car company hanging around. Certainly, one could take the gamble that the Challenger could one day bring some big bucks on the classic car show circuit. We would note that none of this matters to the thousands of loyal Chrysler workers who are left wondering and worrying about their futures.
OK, enough of the dark clouds, and now on to the fun stuff. Dodge brought out a high performance version of the Challenger last year. The SRT packed a big 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 that generated 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. With that kind of power, the mileage you would get out of your back tires is marginal at best.

For the 2009 model year, Challenger comes in two new models. The base has a V6 with 250 ponies and 250 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm. Our test model, the R/T, has a 5.7-liter HEMI that bangs out 372 horsepower and 401 lb-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. It is available with either a 6-speed manual tranny, or the 5-speed automatic on our test car. It lacked paddle shifts, but did work rather well with the auto stick on the console. (We would have preferred the stick.)
The R/T is no slouch when it comes to "go" power. A standing start to 60 comes up in the upper five-second range; plenty fast enough for the typical driver, but lacking the boy racer feel of the SRT8. Handling was OK, especially when we asked the Challenger to take on the challenge of D.C.'s potholed streets. There the ride was more than acceptable, but the Challenger seemed a little soft when asked to carve up well-paved back roads.
Styling wise, we thought the updated Challenger was slam-dunk pretty and certainly would stand its own against the upcoming Camaro, a car we hope to test early in the New Year. (See slide show.)

We found the interior of the Challenger to be rather comfortable for two, but forget about putting adults in the rear. They will not be happy there - especially in sunroof editions - due to a lack of headroom. But up front, the leather-trimmed buckets were easy to get comfy in with a minimum of fiddling. The controls were easy to reach and decipher. However, there was an abundance of hard plastic inside, and that could be off putting to some. Yet overall, we would not object to some long trips in this car. The EPA says you should get 16/23 miles per gallon, but that assumes you will behave. (But you won't ... ).

With two high-priced option packages and some other single options totaling $5,085, our Challenger carried what we felt was a reasonable bottom line price of $35,080. One of the options said "for more information call ?1-888" and a number. Hmmm.
In the end, the Challenger struck us as a nice compromise for those who remember the pony cars of the '70s but now want more comfort and convenience, as well as better build quality, for their dollar. It is also a second chance for those who might have missed the Challenger the first time around.

We hated to see the Challenger go away at the end of the week, and would willingly park one in our driveway full time."