2010 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 LIMITED EDITION
BY DAVID COLMAN
It’s not often that you get to drive a factory prototype 4 years before the production version comes out, but in the case of the Dodge Challenger, I had the privilege of being one of the first journalists to drive the mock-up show car years before the final product hit the street. That first drive in the prototype was under whelming, as the show car had a dashboard with fake painted gauge faces, a shifter with just forward and reverse gears, and plastic bodywork that creaked and groaned at 20mph. Since the test car was a million dollar only child, crashing or thrashing it was not an option. But the slick way it looked said it all, and whetted my appetite for the real version to come.
Challenger is an important product for the newly reconstituted Fiat-Chrysler group. Much as Mustang is Ford’s image car and Camaro is GM’s, the Dodge Challenger plays Chrysler’s siren song, especially with Viper production ending. Musclecar lovers who fondly remember the original Challenger that starred in the 1971 cult movie Vanishing Point will not be disappointed in this hottest version of the reborn Challenger, the SRT8 Limited Edition.
Not long ago, I spent a week with a V6 Challenger that looked great, but made just 250hp. The SRT8 delivers everything that the V6 Challenger lacked. Its 6.1 liter HEMI motor sounds terrific as it produces 425hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. The optional $695 6-speed manual gearbox is a joy to operate, with a pistol grip knob, and clearly differentiated gates that never caused a missed shift. The gearbox option includes a 3.92:1 rear axle ratio that allows the SRT8 to launch like a rocket from a standing start.
Startlingly handsome 5-spoke, 20 inch Alcoa forged alloy wheels are part of the SRT8 package. All-season Goodyear F1 rubber, measuring 245/45ZR20 in front and 255/40ZR20 in back, sticks surprisingly well in the dry, as well as in heavy rain. In fact, the SRT8 Challenger, far from being impossible in the wet, is quite manageable provided you slide an egg under the throttle.
If there’s room for improvement in the Challenger program, it lies in the cabin furnishings. There’s too much black plastic on the dash and door panels, and not enough height adjustment for the steering wheel column. You sit low in the saddle, but the wheel stays high. A smaller diameter wheel would also be welcome, as would SRT-specific floor mats and dash insignias. Though the SRT8 Challenger is very special, it doesn’t look or feel that way inside.
In a world of Hybrid this and Diesel that, is there still room for something as fuel consumptive as the SRT8? After all, the “Miles to Empty†trip computer reads just “283†right after you’ve filled the 19 gallon tank with Premium. With its rating of 14 MPG City and 22 MPG Highway, the SRT won’t be winning any Greenie contests. But if you love to drive fast cars fast, you’ll be happy to pay for those extra visits to the pump island.
2010 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 LIMITED EDITION
ENGINE:Â 6.1 liter HEMI V-8
HORSEPOWER 425hp
TORQUE:Â 450 lb-ft
FUEL CONSUMPTION:Â 14 MPG CITY/22 MPG HIGHWAY
PRICE AS TESTED:Â $46,605