Dodge Challenger SRT-8 2009 Review

Price Guide: $US54,495 ($A75,030) -- ex-Dubai
Price as tested: $U54,495 ($75,030)
Crash rating: N/A
Fuel:  95 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 12.0L/100km
CO2 emissions (g/km): N/A
Also consider: Chevrolet Camaro SS (due in 2012), Nissan 370Z

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

The Chrysler Group as we knew it is dead and in its place is set to emerge a leaner, more cutting-edge organisation (more here), with Fiat and the US Government pulling the strings.

It's a crucial juncture for the 84-year-old carmaking concern, so in a sense it proved a timely occasion for us to be reviewing the Dodge Challenger SRT8, a throwback to the company's glorious musclecar  days -- immediately before the oil crisis of the mid-1970s forced it to start selling rebadged Mitsubishis in the US (and Australia, for that matter).

Alas, the big Dodge coupe isn't destined for our shores, but it represents keen value in the US, where pricing starts just over $US40,000 and even in the Middle East (which is where this scribe road tested the vehicle).

The Challenger only just launched in the latter market and is set to be joined next month by the Chevrolet Camaro (which is pencilled in for a 2012 Oz launch), adding strength to the formerly all-but-dormant musclecar segment.

It was Ford that revived the brawny retro-coupe segment five years ago, when it unveiled its fifth-generation Mustang, a car that clearly harked back to its 1960s ancestors. It was a masterstroke, as the new-age 'pony car' struck a chord with buyers, resulting in strong sales across the USA -- and it's done pretty well in the Middle East, too.

At the time, both Chrysler and General Motors were pretty much stranded on the sidelines, as neither concern had any ammo in their respective musclecar arsenals.

"Whatever Ford can do, we can do too," was what GM and Chrysler hastily decided, adopting exactly the same approach for their subsequent ripostes -- the new-generation Camaro and Challenger.

Of this pair, it's the Dodge that more brazenly embraces the past, specifically the 1970 Challenger T/A and R/T models, which boast some notable screen credits -- including the 1971 classic Vanishing Point -- and are now highly sought after as collectibles.

The 'noughties' Challenger debuted in concept form at the 2006 Detroit motor show, and the transition to production was rapid, as the showroom-ready article (little changed from the concept) debuted on February 6, 2008 -- simultaneously at the Chicago Auto Show and Philadelphia International Auto Show.

And now it's here (in the Middle East), glaring at me in a Dubai parking lot, oozing brawn and menace with its jutting chin, partially hooded headlights and seemingly never-ending bonnet, topped with a pair of suggestive carbonfibre-mimicking stripes and nostril-like air intakes.

It's a moment I've been anticipating since I laid eyes on the first official images of the concept, but I was secretly prepared to be disappointed -- a bit like meeting a supermodel you've lusted after for years, only to discover she struggles to string a sentence together.

Similarly, I half expected the Challenger's machismo to evaporate the second I pointed it at a corner. Was I right? All in good time...

There are economies of scale at work as far as the Challenger is concerned, as it's underpinned by a short-wheelbase version of the LX platform that also forms the basis for the existing Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger.

This architecture is a melange of German-American engineering as the control-arm front suspension was actually pilfered from the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, while the five-link independent rear suspension comes from the W210 E-Class (1995-2002).

Likewise, the W5A580 five-speed auto, rear differential and ESP system are also Benz-sourced. In case you're wondering, this arrangement was made possible by the Daimler-Chrysler marriage, which ended in a somewhat messy divorce two years ago.

The powerplant, though, is pure Detroit muscle -- and 6.1 litres worth of it, just for good measure. The big Hemi V8 pumps out 317kW and 569Nm (compared with 317kW and 553Nm for the Camaro SS), and we're no strangers to its allure, having previously sampled the motor in the harsh-riding but hugely entertaining Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (more here) and gangsta-style Chrysler 300C SRT8 (more here).

No doubt about it, the Hemi is the best thing -- okay, the second best thing, eclipsed only by its stunning looks -- the Challenger SRT8 has going for it. Torquey and barrel-chested down low, the V8 doesn't mind revving either, as reflected by the fact that peak power doesn't come on tap until 6200rpm.

The car's sonic signature is also something to be savoured, with a repertoire that includes an old-school musclecar growl when under the hammer and a delightful crackle on the overrun.

No kudos for the transmission though, which is a fairly clunky old thing. Any attempts to manually downshift or upshift (by nudging the lever to the left and right respectively) are slowly and jerkily administered to.

Annoyingly -- in fact, downright stupidly -- the only way to then revert to auto mode seems to be to slot the lever in "N" and then back to "D". Duh! Who signed off on this?

The clunky, shoddy theme extends to various other aspects of the interior and some of the knobs and switchgear have a real feeling of cheapness about them. In a similar vein, the door-mirror housing vibrates worryingly at cruising speeds, and you'll find you can easily flex the front and rear bumper/spoiler assemblies with your little finger. It's not exactly what you'd expect in a $75k-plus car.

But back to my original concern, which was that the Challenger would turn into a wallowing mess as soon as I asked it to do something other than travel in a straight line.

My fears were partially founded as the car's sheer bulk -- spanning 5023mm from bumper to bumper and 1923mm across the bows, it's roughly the same size as a BMW 7 Series -- conspires against it being a nimble, duck-and-weave sportster. It's a grand tourer, pure and simple.

However, this doesn't mean it's the lumbering behemoth that its 1970s ancestor was. Get past the initial body roll and resistance to changing direction and you'll find it's actually a reasonably well-balanced coupe.

Set it up properly for a corner and the Challenger surprises with its grip levels and poise. This is no doubt largely down to the Merc-sourced suspension bits -- even though they're a generation or two old. The steering feels a bit vague at the straight-ahead, but it offers better feel once you wind on a bit of lock.

What you can take away from this is that the Challenger isn't the ideal track-attack or motorkhana weapon -- the 1878kg two-door is just too damn heavy for that -- yet it's actually quite an enjoyable device to punt across flowing country roads.

It's also not a bad vehicle in which to bully your way past traffic on the freeway. In fact, it's a measure of the big Dodge's street cred that even Dubai's take-no-prisoners road users literally clear the way as soon as they spy its sinister four-eyed face bearing down on them.

On the minus side, the oversize C-pillar creates a massive blind spot, so reverse parking and merging with main roads requires an element of guesswork -- and luck!

This brings us to the Challenger's real USP -- its forceful visual identity. I lost track of the number of thumbs-ups and admiring glances the Challenger elicited during my few days in its company.

Even a work colleague lensman was on the receiving end of a "Whooah, nice car, dude!" accolade from a passer-by, and all he was doing at the time was leaning on the car's fender and smoking a cigarette.

No question about it: the exterior styling is brilliantly executed. It might closely mirror its counterpart from yesteryear, but it still manages to look contemporary. In contrast, the Chevy Camaro is more cutting-edge and modern.

As an aside, it's worth mentioning that both cars happened to grace their respective manufacturers' stands at last December's Abu Dhabi motor show and, after extended scrutiny of both coupes, I awarded a narrow victory to the Dodge in the looks department.

The outcome may well be reversed in terms of on-road dynamics, but the answer to that will only be revealed once we've driven the Camaro.

Getting back to the Challenger, its tasty design elements include jewel-look fog lights (housed inboard of the main headlights), coke-bottle flanks and a big, shiny fuel filler cap -- although actually inscribing the word "FUEL" on the latter seems like overkill. What other substance could one contemplate pouring down the orifice it conceals?

Totally in keeping with the brawny theme are chunky 20-inch alloys, and peering from behind the five-spoke rims are red-painted Brembo stoppers. The brakes do a decent enough job of hauling up the big coupe but, that said, we didn't have the opportunity to give them a proper thrashing around a racetrack or twisting alpine roads.

We also didn't get around to trialling the Reconfigurable Display (RCD), which provides you with instant feedback on 0-60mph (0-96km/h) time, 60-0mph braking, g-forces and 1/4-mile time.

While on the subject of displays, we didn't much care for the speedometer -- which is calibrated in both miles and kilometres -- as the km/h figures are in such tiny font that it's hard to take in an accurate reading at a glance.

This latter complaint pretty much sums up the Challenger SRT8 -- it falls down in a few key areas and has its fair share of rough edges, but its brutish charm and thuggish good looks go a long way towards compensating for its flaws.

I, for one, was none too pleased to hand back the key when Chrysler's PR man came knocking.

Dodge Challenger SRT8 Fast Facts
- Engine: 6.1-litre V8
- Power: 317kW at 6200rpm
- Torque: 569Nm at 4800rpm
- Transmission: Five-speed auto
- Length: 5022mm
- Width: 1923mm
- Height: 1450mm
- Wheelbase: 2946mm
- Kerb weight: 1878kg
- 0-60mph (0-96km/h): 4.9sec (claimed)
- Standing 400m: 13.7sec (claimed)
- Top speed: 274km/h

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