Dodge Challenger: the practical muscle car?
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- Published on Friday, September 22, 2017
A Plum Crazy Purple 2017 Dodge Challenger Scatpack Shaker next to its Jazz Blue Challenger R/T counterpart.
By Ben Castle
The Neepawa Banner
The 1971 movie “Vanishing Point” made the 390 horsepower 1970 Dodge Challenger a cult hero amongst muscle car fans.
The movie stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a disillusioned anti-hero given the task of delivering a white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, California (a distance of some 1,900 kilometres) in less than 24 hours. Intended to “cash in” on the success of the Mustang and Camaro “pony” cars, the Dodge Challenger was launched in 1969, as a 1970 model year car. It had larger dimensions, a longer wheelbase and a more luxurious interior than the competition and stayed in production as both a two door coupe and convertible until 1974.
The Challenger name was recycled by Dodge in the late 1970s in a four-cylinder Mitsubishi-based subcompact car, but the real excitement reignited with the launch of a new-age Challenger in 2008, based on a retro-styled concept car and built in Brampton, Ontario! Like its forbearer, it has also become an icon of the silver screen as the vehicle of choice for Dominic Toretto, Vin Diesel’s character in the “Fast and Furious” movie franchise. True to its roots, the new Challenger is nearly a foot longer than the Mustang/Camaro and has a longer wheelbase, which means more space for occupants and a more luxurious interior. So does that make this the practical muscle car that you can use every day?
Despite being around for nearly 10 years, the 5.7 litre V8 Hemi engine Challenger was augmented by the introduction of two new engines in 2011, the Pentastar V6 in base models and an upgrade from a 6.1 litre to a 6.4 litre V8 in top-line models. For 2015, cosmetic updates included a new interior, the re-instatement of the two distinct tail lights at the rear, a new eight-speed automatic transmission standard on all models (a six-speed Tremec manual transmission is a $1,000 option on all V8 models) and the introduction of a 707 horsepower supercharged SRT Hellcat model. If that’s not enough power for you, then for 2018, there will be an even more powerful wide-body SRT Demon Challenger. Sadly, the Challenger is only available as a two door coupe, with no option of a convertible body style.
The tester supplied by Murray Chrysler Dodge Westman in Brandon was the R/T model with the 5.7 litre V8 Hemi engine with 375 horsepower and the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. Our tester came in dark Jazz Blue metallic and combined with the white side stripes, this colour scheme shows up the lines of the car really well. Simply by virtue of its size, this car is going to get you noticed, as it’s only three inches shorter and narrower than a Dodge Grand Caravan! The styling is very true to the original 1970 Challenger with four very effective circular “halo” HID headlamps at the front, the “Coke-bottle” sweep at the side, the rectangular, LED tail lamps and “flip-up” door handles. The front looks super aggressive and if this car comes up behind you quickly in the overtaking lane on the highway, you’re probably going to move rather swiftly out of the way! For comparison, Rob Frederick of Rivers brought along his “Plum Crazy” purple limited edition 2016 Scat Pack Shaker with the more powerful 485 horsepower 392 Hemi engine and it looks truly awesome, and in this spec with the Tremec six-speed manual transmission is one of only seventeen cars like this in the whole country!
Inside, the interior looks pretty ordinary compared to the Mustang/Camaro and not dissimilar to that of the Charger full-size sedan, but the steering wheel is nice to hold, the materials are of good quality and I can’t fault it ergonomically. The gauges are very clear, the central binnacle is angled towards the driver and the large 8.4 inch touchscreen featuring Dodge’s Uconnect infotainment system is one of the easiest and most intuitive systems to use
My only issues are that the left foot rest is too narrow and like a lot of Dodge-group vehicles, I find the number of buttons on the steering wheel excessive and not the most intuitive to use. Interior space for front passengers is good and you have a higher sedan-like driving position and better all-round visibility than in a Mustang or Camaro. Unusually for this type of vehicle, rear passengers are equally well served. Two adults could actually fit fairly comfortably in the back of this car with a fold down armrest featuring cupholders and the rear seat backs also split and fold. Technically, this car has three seat belts in the back, but the middle passenger is not going to be comfortable and will have very limited headroom. At 459 litres, this car also has a significantly bigger trunk than Mustang/Camaro and in fact, it’s bigger than a lot of mid-size cars, whilst being a practical shape and having a wide opening.
So, what’s it like to drive? You get a Sport button that makes it louder, holds onto gears longer and automatically blips the throttle on downshifts. The two V8 variants sound slightly different, with the 5.7 litre V8 having a slightly deeper baritone but both engines sound fantastic. On paper, with only 375 horsepower, it’s down on power compared to both the Mustang GT and Camaro SS. It doesn’t feel as ballistically quick as the Camaro but feels every bit a match for the Mustang, as the engine is so flexible, has a bit more torque and pulls effortlessly from low revs. I like a manual transmission in a muscle car but this 8-speed automatic transmission is excellent and probably the best automatic that I have used for driver involvement, smoothness and response. Made by ZF in Germany, this automatic transmission is arguably the best in the world of its type and is also used in other luxury car vehicles from BMW, Audi, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Bentley. It’s as quick as a dual-clutch transmission but a lot smoother. What is hard to convey though is how driving this car makes you feel. I grew up watching the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show and dreaming of one day power sliding around a 1969 Dodge Charger and this car has that authentic muscle car feel. It’s big and heavy and has a very long hood, which means that you often stop closer to objects than you think you have but the steering has a nice weight to it, the brakes have plenty of power and bite and did I mention the noise? In terms of ride, it’s a little firmer than the Mustang and a bit more supple than the Camaro but smothers bumps well, without leaning excessively in the bends. On V8 automatic models, you also have cylinder deactivation under light throttle openings or when cruising in top gear, which means that up to 9.4 litres per 100 kilometres should be achievable on the highway. I was having too much fun and in sport mode, the cylinder deactivation standard on automatic V8 models does not occur, so I only averaged 13 litres per 100 kilometres combined, but I saw it drop as low as 10 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway, so the official figure seems realistic.
If you’re in love with the looks but don’t care so much about performance, then the V6 models look like pretty decent value for the amount of features and the AWD model would give you the peace of mind in winter driving that you won’t get with any other muscle car. However, for me, the standard 5.7 litre V8 R/T model with the eight-speed automatic offers the most car for your money. Experience one of the best powertrain combinations out there and you also get the authentic V8 muscle car experience and a fairly practical, well-equipped car that shouldn’t cost too much to run that you could feasibly run all-year round. I would be tempted to personalize it a bit though and the R/T classic appearance package, super track pack and shaker package would all be tempting to tick the option box on. If it was my special, summer car though, it would be hard not to resist the lure of the more powerful 392 engine and the six-speed Tremec manual, but I think this would be too much car to handle as your all-season daily driver.
So, the Dodge Challenger R/T offers a combination of nostalgic styling, old-fashioned big displacement, luxury and practicality at a bargain price. It’s a package that is just as compelling now as it was back in 1970!
