Sunday 17 May 2009

Want to Buy 2009 Dodge SRT8

I’m old enough to have loved the Challenger since it first came into existence back in 1969, so when Chrysler introduced two concepts for the 2006 Detroit auto show, one the Rolls-Royce-style Chrysler Imperial luxury car and the other the retrospective Dodge Challenger, there was no question as to which one I felt they should build. Like me, the media and fans rallied around the Challenger while the Imperial received moderate kudos at best, and the rest is history.

Looking back, it’s not difficult to see that Chrysler brass made the right decision, as the new Challenger is a flagship brand image car that has done much to pull eyeballs towards Chrysler LLC’s mainstream division, the brand that has the most potential for volume sales and profitability. Another full-size luxury car in the Chrysler lineup would have done little to interest potential premium buyers over and above the already Bentley-esque 300C, especially considering that the Imperial wasn’t a particularly popular car in its heyday. And the interesting thing about the Challenger is that it doesn’t just excite the old cronies in the crowd that fell for the original, but pretty well everybody regardless of age loses their cool and gives two thumbs up in enthusiastic abandon. It’s one of those cars, unlike anything with a BMW, Mercedes or Porsche badge on the nose, that almost everyone shows open appreciation for, from the guys in the work crew at the side of the road to the suits streaming through the financial district mid-day.

Yes, I felt like a star as I wound my way through downtown Vancouver, lines of bus riders peering through the window to get a better look, smiles and pointing fingers as I goosed the throttle between stoplights, a small crowd of diverse “classes” milling about while filling the parking meter. It’s also the kind of car that I personally can’t take my eyes off of when walking away, looking over my shoulder just one more time at its bold Torred paint scheme that’s anything but subtle, ideally suited to a car that takes center stage wherever it parks, or goes. And boy does it go!

How could I not sling the Challenger SRT8 through the curves on a couple of favorite back roads? The engine’s growl is just too tempting, its 425-horsepower and 420 lb-ft of tire-spinning torque too enticing to be left wondering what it would have been like to shift the Tremec six-speed manual into first gear and jab the throttle, squeezing out all the premium juice from its 19-gallon tank one row through the aluminum gear lever after another. Acceleration is immediate and thrilling, shifts notchy but precise and clutch take-up just weighty enough to feel substantial, the big 4,140-pound muscle car blasting past the 60 mph mark in less than five seconds and on to a top speed of more than over 170 mph! Wow! And it feels so stable doing it too.

That’s because, unlike Ford’s Mustang GT and Shelby GT500, the Challenger gets a sophisticated fully-independent suspension setup, just like the Dodge Charger it’s based on. Now don’t start sending me email because you think I’m knocking the Mustang’s live rear axle, because I realize there are benefits to this type of setup that go beyond cost savings. It’s ideal for drag racing, and Ford really should get respect for making it as capable as it is in the corners, especially in Shelby trim, but when the road surface gets bumpy mid-turn there’s nothing like a multilink front and rear suspension to put things right, keeping you within the yellow lines and making you look like a star. Add 20-inch wheels and 40-profile Goodyear Eagle F-1 Supercar rubber (or RS-As) to the mix, and then traction and stability control with just enough electronic “nannying” dialed out to allow a little tail wagging fun without getting in way over your head if you don’t have the talent of Trans Am racers Swede Savage or Sam Posey, and it’s hard to believe that you’re driving a car as well made and refined as this new Challenger.

It really is a spectacular piece of work, the best Chrysler product to date in my rather picky opinion. Prepare yourself for high quality soft-touch plastics on most surfaces, nicely textured leathers with suede trim on the seats, really substantial feeling switchgear and a general fit and finish that truly surprised me. Ford has done a good job with its new 2010 Mustang, improving much of what was wrong with the outgoing model, but the current Challenger is a more premium-like package, and a knockout to boot.

As far as features go, the SRT8 version comes well equipped. Options only include an audio upgrade, navigation, a sunroof, a six-speed manual transmission over the standard five-speed automatic with AutoStick manual mode, performance tires and Hemi Orange Pearl or Torred paint, pushing the price past $45K before discount. That audio/navigation system upgrade comes with a built-in hard drive, dubbed MyGig, part of which stores navigation software, and connects through to a 13-speaker 322-watt Kicker stereo that truly lives up to its name. And don’t worry crackberry addicts… it also comes with uConnect Bluetooth connectivity.

Oddities? Not inside, where everything is pretty straightforward, ergonomically sound and stylish, in a somewhat understated way. But outside there’s the gas cap, chrome and purposefully protruding from the rear fender-top like the original, and emblazoned with retro-script “FUEL” in chrome on matte black. As if you’d put anything else but fuel in there, but it’s all about heritage, right? The six-shooter LED headlamps and neon-like taillights look retro until they light up, at which point the reality of the Challenger’s modernity interrupts the fantasy run down memory lane.

Of course, for most of us, owning a Challenger in its ‘70s era heyday was just that, a fantasy unfulfilled. But those kids who lined their bedroom walls and school lockers with posters of muscle cars, Farah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs can own a piece of history with all the modern amenities, for a fraction of the price you’d have to pay for an original in like-new condition. And by the looks I got driving around town, you’d think that I’d just paid close to a hundred K for a 1970 R/T; the price somebody paid for one at a recent Barrett-Jackson auction.

Now if the current economic situation doesn’t have you leaning towards a sports coupe in the near $40,000 range, new for 2009 is an entire range of Challengers starting with the 3.5-liter V6-powered SE at $21,820, and then followed up by the 5.7-liter Hemi V8-powered R/T, which will probably be most popular at $29,820, and you already know about the near-$40K 6.1-liter SRT8, as tested.

Dodge initially was questioning whether or not to offer a wide range of Challenger models, with initial thoughts leaning towards a more exclusive run of SRT8 cars each year, but I think that once again they made the right decision in offering a full lineup of muscle cars at prices that really should cause some showroom traffic. Add this to one of the better warranties in the business, and probably more important than anything else considering all the negative press the Big 3 have been experiencing in recent months, a solid boost in consumer confidence given by Italian carmaker Fiat that just agreed to take a 35-percent stake in Chrysler with an expression of interest in owning more, benefiting Fiat with critical North American retail outlets and a manufacturing base to build its cars at competitive prices, bolstering the North American economy, and simultaneously giving Chrysler group the small car platforms it so desperately needs to compete against the Asians in North America and greater access to foreign markets. It’s a match made in heaven, more so than for the immediately obvious needof a strong partner for Chrysler, but also because both companies are passionate about performance.

I, for one, am thrilled that Fiat is coming to North America with its darling 500, and hopefully its perky Grand Punto and sexy Bravo as well, especially hot in racy Abarth trim, not to mention the addition of the up-level Alfa Romeo brand, and am relieved that one of my favorite automakers, Chrysler group, is on more stable ground after a very shaky 2008. Chrysler has won me over because they’ve long had the guts to go all the way with their ideas, SRT being one of the best executed performance brands in the industry. When Ford was waffling over its SVT line and GM badge engineering SS on cars with little more than larger wheels, tacked on spoilers and ground effects packages, Chrysler was and still is delivering a full lineup of pure performance cars, from its Caliber SRT4 right up to this Challenger SRT8. They should be commended and celebrated by every gasoline-blooded enthusiast in North America, and be given a pat on the back by environmentalists for their hybrids and more recent full-electric concept lineup, some of which will hit the market incoming years; we hope the sexy Circuit sports car, with its crosshair grille, is on that list.

I know that this is starting to sound like a Chrysler love in, so let me remind you that I’ve been very critical of some of the Auburn Hills automaker’s recent models in previous reviews. I know what Chrysler needs to fix and why some of its current cars aren’t selling well, but the Challenger needs nothing more to be a winner in my books. It does everything right. Truly, the only fault I could find is a proximity sensing key fob that starts the engine with only the touch of a dash-mounted starter button, but needs a finger on the remote to open the doors. Other than that it’s a big, practical coupe with room for real people in back and a sedan-sized trunk for gear in the rear that delivers unreal performance in SRT8 trim, all for a price that nothing with anything near its capabilities can touch. And now that we can feel more confident in Chrysler’s long-term future, it’s a car seriously worth considering.


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