In the November 2008 Car and Driver, the Challenger SRT8 was rated 15 out of 22 in its Lightning Lap road course test.

Here are the rankings:

1. Mosler MT900S
2. Viper SRT10
3. Ferrari 430
4. Nissan GT-R
5. Corvette Z51
6. Cadallic CTS-V
7. BMW M3
8. M-B C63 AMG
9. Cobalt SS
10. Mitsu EVO MR
11. BMW 135i
12. Lexus IS F
13. Audi S5
14. S2000 CR
15. Challenger SRT8
16. Lotus Elise SC
17. G37 Sport
18. WRX STi
19. Caliber SRT4
20. VW R32
21. Civic Mungen Si
22. Volvo C30 T5

A reader thought that this ranking was not fair because of the inclusion of several exclusive high-priced cars. So he divided CD's as-tested cost by the average lap speed to give an idea what it costs to "buy" miles per hour. As an example, the top-rated Mosler costs $3,760 for each mph, while the inexpensive Cobalt costs only $300 mph. Here are his revised ratings of CD's rankings:

1. Cobalt SS
2. Caliber SRT4
3. Volvo C30 T5
4. Civic Mungen Si
5. VW R32
6. WRX STi
7. S2000 CR
8. Mitsu EVO MR
9. Challenger SRT8
10. BMW 135i
11. G37 Sport
12. Corvette Z51
13. Lotus Elise SC
14. Audi S5
15. Cadallic CTS-V
16. Lexus IS F
17. M-B C63 AMG
18. Nissan GT-R
19. BMW M3
20. Viper SRT10
21. Ferrari 430
22. Mosler MT900S

So, the Challnger moved up from #15 to #9 based on the cost/fun factor. We, however, already knew this. For the money, it is really hard to find more performance and head-turning ability than the Challenger!

 

nice its good to see that it scored in the top 20 considering "Americans only know how to go in a straight line" lol...i guess what i have been hearing about this car handling better than any other muscle car are true.

 

Twisty roads are what I'm all about whether it be cars or bikes. I've got a couple of sports cars to compare the Challenger to and I can tell you this big boy is no slouch when the road starts to slither. You can feel the weight but the body stays flat and the weight transfers predictably.

 

Funny to see how that calculation throws the top three to the bottom. But of course everyone knows this. The marginal cost of each additional unit of speed is ever higher. Nobody who cares about speed per dollar buys an F430...unless they're cross-shopping it with the Ferrari 612 or something. [sm=smiley36.gif]

 

I love these kinds of lists. You can make whatever car you want come out on top by making certain exclusions. You can get different results every time depending on who makes the stipulations.

My Grandfather told me many years ago... "Figures lie, and liars figure."

 

Good to hear that there are others that think road handling is more important than the dragstrip. Not that acceleration is not important but I like
a solid blend of both. but since I joined 3 years ago I always was wishing for less than a 4K lb car. That is okay as looks and safety was important too.

 

Be careful... If you read the article they really hated the car.

We’d hoped for a manual model, available for ’09, which would have made a difference. But even so, if the Audi S5 isn’t overjoyed to be on a racetrack, the Challenger is downright miserable.