Dodge Challenger First Drive

[overst33r]

http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsO1nTUM6KY

 

[zerocool84]

4200lbs

 

[Mutilator]

High 16s? I don't think I'd even consider one anymore. It'd had to be high 13s or quicker for me to actually buy one. I'll just keep saving up for my 911 Turbo.

 

[shabby]

Its funny when you think about it, but 10 years ago 300hp cars were running 13.5 1/4mile times. Now you need over 400hp to run the same times.
Maybe car manufacturers should invest into building lighter cars then building more efficient engines.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: Mutilator
High 16s? I don't think I'd even consider one anymore. It'd had to be high 13s or quicker for me to actually buy one. I'll just keep saving up for my 911 Turbo.

That's 0-100-0 not 1/4

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: shabby
Its funny when you think about it, but 10 years ago 300hp cars were running 13.5 1/4mile times. Now you need over 400hp to run the same times.
Maybe car manufacturers should invest into building lighter cars then building more efficient engines.

It's all about safety and the new safety laws coming out. Cars will just keep getting heavier and heavier. Remember this car's platform is shared with 300/charger/magnum. All large/heavy cars.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

shhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

i do think the challenger looks better, but i think it'd be more of a boat than the mustang, which is saying a lot.

 

[shabby]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: shabby
Its funny when you think about it, but 10 years ago 300hp cars were running 13.5 1/4mile times. Now you need over 400hp to run the same times.
Maybe car manufacturers should invest into building lighter cars then building more efficient engines.

It's all about safety and the new safety laws coming out. Cars will just keep getting heavier and heavier. Remember this car's platform is shared with 300/charger/magnum. All large/heavy cars.

Just because cars are heavy doesnt mean they're safe. Properly designed small light cars are just as safe, if not safer then 4000lbs+ cars.
I remember top gear crashed one of those small smart cars into a wall and the interior/dummy was in one piece.

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

Ya but does the mustang got a hemi? I thought so...

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'm a dodge guy and really want to like this car but 4200lbs? WTF? They didn't cut any weight at all off from the 4 door platform its built on.

 

[mwmorph]

I remember being ridiculed in 2006 when I spotted the plate on the prototypes saying it would be something like 4160lbs. Something like prototypes are aways heavier or whatnot, even though the Challenger prototype used liberal amounts of Carbon-Fiber to say the least.

The Mustang isnt that heavy, it weighs about as much as a 335i, about 100lbs less actually, especially since it's marginally larger than a 335i and has a naturally aspirated V8.
http://autos.yahoo.com/bmw_3_s...oupe_335i-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/ford_mu...uxe_coupe-specs/?p=ext
335i: 3571 MT, 3582 AT
Mustang: 3450 MT, 3500 AT

 

[thedarkwolf]

I always expected it to be a big fat pig but I thought they could at least get it under 4000lbs. Well after snooping around on Edmunds I see why. They say its 10" longer then a mustang which puts it at 197-198 inches long. The charger srt-8 weighing in at 4160lbs, 20 whole pounds more then the challenger, is 200.1 so its basically just a charger with a couple inches less wheel base and 2 doors. I thought the new mustang was a bit large but this thing is a monster.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

One of the main drawbacks to the Mustang GT is that the interior is cheap, plasticky crap. I wonder if the Dodge will be better...?

Edit: The interior photos in the article do NOT look promising. :barf;

 

[LordMorpheus]

my lincoln town car weighs less ...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

One of the main drawbacks to the Mustang GT is that the interior is cheap, plasticky crap. I wonder if the Dodge will be better...?

Edit: The interior photos in the article do NOT look promising. :barf;

For $10k I could forgive a lot of plastic. :laugh: And the Mustang Chassis is actually quite good. The Dodge is pretty much an unknown at this point...oh, and there's the whole weight thing too.

 

[FallenHero]

Personally, I love the look of the car and think it is a sexy beast. That being said, I'm gonna wait until the platform update that is supposed to occur in a year or two before considering buying this. Hopefully it will shave a couple hundred pounds off of it. My Charger is heavy enough, I don't want the 2 door version of it to be heavier.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: mariok2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel....il.home.photopanel..1.*

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/f..._Challenger_SRT8.shtml

In the end, the Challenger SRT8 is an impressive package and car guys should welcome its arrival. Its weight and size are going to turn off some true handling nuts, but SRT successfully tuned the car to keep the target market ? those who fondly remember the old Challenger ? happy, while still allowing the Challenger to turn, brake, and take a pounding around a track. It's nice to know that Dodge will add the two missing enthusiast must-haves ? a limited-slip diff and a manual gearbox ? after the first run of 2008 model-year cars. We still wish the interior better matched the extroverted exterior, but at least the two-door can hold four adults and their luggage in relative comfort. Chrysler has less than a year to bask in the Challenger's glow before the General rolls out its Camaro. The clock is already ticking for that comparison test.

So, basically it performs about as well as a Mustang GT which costs about $10k less.

One of the main drawbacks to the Mustang GT is that the interior is cheap, plasticky crap. I wonder if the Dodge will be better...?

Edit: The interior photos in the article do NOT look promising. :barf;

For $10k I could forgive a lot of plastic. :laugh: And the Mustang Chassis is actually quite good. The Dodge is pretty much an unknown at this point...oh, and there's the whole weight thing too.

Well remember this is just a SLIGHTLY shorter Charger with 2 doors. The car looks real good but damn I can't believe it weighs so much. Imagine when they give it the V6, how much of a dog it will be compared to the V6 stang.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Well remember this is just a SLIGHTLY shorter Charger with 2 doors. The car looks real good but damn I can't believe it weighs so much. Imagine when they give it the V6, how much of a dog it will be compared to the V6 stang.

the mustang isn't particularly light...~3800lbs

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Well remember this is just a SLIGHTLY shorter Charger with 2 doors. The car looks real good but damn I can't believe it weighs so much. Imagine when they give it the V6, how much of a dog it will be compared to the V6 stang.

the mustang isn't particularly light...~3800lbs

3400-3500lb depending on where you look for the GT
The shelby gt-500 is the pig

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: shabby

Ya but does the mustang got a hemi? I thought so...

nearly all 4-stroke reciprocating piston engines have had hemispherical combustion chambers for over 40 years. chrysler was first, and kicked so much ass, everyone in the world except HD had done the same by the late 60's.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Well remember this is just a SLIGHTLY shorter Charger with 2 doors. The car looks real good but damn I can't believe it weighs so much. Imagine when they give it the V6, how much of a dog it will be compared to the V6 stang.

the mustang isn't particularly light...~3800lbs

3400-3500lb depending on where you look for the GT
The shelby gt-500 is the pig

oh ok.. the only weight i could find was for the GT500, but I figured it had to be close. Guess not

 

[paulxcook]

Wow that thing is a fat monster. I wouldn't be able to afford one of those anyway, but if I could, I think I'd spend my money elsewhere. Too bad, it still looks amazing.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: shabby
Just because cars are heavy doesnt mean they're safe. Properly designed small light cars are just as safe, if not safer then 4000lbs+ cars.
I remember top gear crashed one of those small smart cars into a wall and the interior/dummy was in one piece.

maybe you should watch that again


try shaking an egg pretty violently. it's outside may be in one piece, but the inside is a mess. and you're the yolk inside the smart's shell.

 

[fstime]

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332...r.srt8.shifter.500.jpg

That looks so cheesy.