Dodge Challenger

Chrysler finally unveils the Canadian-built production version of the latest player in the Great American Pony Car revival.
Icons from the Golden Age of Pony Cars and Muscle Cars, all three of them: Ford launched a born-again Mustang, to great acclaim and success, in 2005. Chevrolet is putting the final touches to an all-new Camaro that was a hit at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. But Chrysler will beat the General to the punch by launching an all-new Challenger next April, across the continent.
Its own Dodge Challenger concept had also been a hit at the '06 Detroit show. The battle is definitely on, and the house of Mopar won't be last to join the Pony Car party as it was with the original Challenger, launched in 1969 as a 1970 model.

After the extremely positive public and critical reaction to the Challenger concept, Chrysler chose the 2008 Chicago Auto Show to reveal the production-ready version. Workers will soon start assembling the performance coupe at Chrysler's Brampton, Ontario plant. Every Challenger SRT8 coming off that assembly line will bear a numbered plaque attesting the limited-edition nature of the latest in a rich collection of horsepower-rich vehicles developed by Chrysler's "performance engineering organization", the SRT group.
The Challenger is scheduled to go on sale in April, 2008, with a suggested retail price of $37,995, including the destination charge. This figure was quoted in US dollars at the Chicago intro. It will be offered in three different colours: Hemi Orange, Bright Silver Metallic or Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat.
Plenty of proven musclePerformance enthusiasts The Challenger is powered by the same overhead-valve, 6.1-litre, 'Hemi' V8 engine as used on the SRT8 specials that were derived from the Charger, 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee families.


This engine produces generous (estimated) maximum outputs of 425 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 420 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm on a recommended liquid diet of super unleaded with a minimum octane rating of 91. Chrysler is projecting standing start acceleration times in the mid-5 second range for the 0-100 km/h dash, and less than 13 seconds over the traditional quarter mile.
All this muscle is channelled through an electronically-controlled five-speed automatic gearbox lock-up torque converter and Chrysler's 'side-to-side-tap' AutoStick manual shift mode. Sorry, purists: no manual gearbox for this one.
The Challenger's performance and handling further benefit from its standard brake-lock differential and a specially-calibrated version of Chrysler's ESP (Electronic Stability Program) stability control system, one of several positive technical legacies of former corporate parent Mercedes-Benz. It naturally includes all-speed traction control.
... And some solid legsThe two-door coupe is built on a modified version of the proven, solid rear-wheel-drive LX platform that underpins the Dodge Charger sedan, itself derived from the acclaimed and successful Chrysler 300 sedan's chassis. Its 116-inch (295 cm) wheelbase is four inches (10 cm) shorter than the four-door Charger's.

Contrary to its famous forebears from the Sixties, the new Challenger SRT8 is no straight-line rocket exclusively. The car has all-independent suspension units, with a multi-link, short/long arm arrangement in front and five links for each rear wheel. Front and rear stabilizer bars are included, for positive control of body roll while cornering.
And there should be plenty of grip available for cornering, since the Challenger rides on a set of 20-inch diameter forged-alloy wheels draped with either Goodyear Eagle RS-A 'all-season' tires or optional 'three-season' Goodyear F1 Supercar performance rubber.
SRT models are known for their strong braking, and the Challenger SRT8 should be no exception. It has large disc brakes at all four corners, with red-painted, four-piston callipers provided by famed Italian brake specialist Brembo. The brakes' ventilated rotors are 360 in diameter at the front and 350 mm at the rear. This state-of-the-art braking system includes antilock (ABS), of course, but also a Brake Assist mode that automatically invokes and applies full stopping force in an emergency situation.
Chrysler is claiming 60-0 mph emergency braking distances of 110 feet (33.5 metres) which would indeed be excepti1onal if verified, which we plan to do at the earliest possible opportunity.
Safety and comfort very much includedThe new Challenger SRT8 is a far cry from its brawny, bare-knuckles ancestors from the Sixties and early Seventies. Dodge claims no less than twenty-eight safety-related systems and features for its new performance coupe, ranging from multistage frontal and side-curtain airbags to xenon headlights.

The car's exterior design might have been directly inspired by an iconic Pony Car from the 70's, but the new Challenger is unquestionably 21st century for its comfort, equipment and the technology it can pack. The design itself is in the classic mould, in keeping with the theme. The front leather bucket seats are deeply sculpted, racing-style, which should help in hard cornering. There is some special stitching on the leather seats - as well as some orange accent stripes - but also on the classic, three-spoke, leather-draped steering wheel.
Straight ahead, the driver sees four large, traditional round analog gauges with tachometer and 300-km/h speedometer in the center, as it should. The Challenger's dashboard is also equipped with a unique reconfigurable electronic display that can "provide drivers instant feedback" on things such as acceleration times, full-on braking distances, and the lateral acceleration (g-force) sustained in corners. I say: watch the road or the track, buddy.
For relaxed cruising and 'normal' driving, the Challenger has plenty to keep the crew both informed and entertained, including standard items such as a 13-speaker Kicker High Performance audio system with 322-watt amplifier and 200-watt subwoofer, plus Sirius satellite radio reception. Also available,
A hard-disk based MyGIG 'infotainment' system, a navigation system, 'Keyless Go' entry and UConnect hands-free communication are all available too.
With all this; the striking shape, the promised performance and handling, the safety systems and the myriad electronic toys... er; accessories, I sincerely doubt that a modern-day Kowalski would consider crashing his Challenger SRT8 into a pair of bulldozers at full speed as did his namesake in the 1970 cult action/road movie classic Vanishing Point.