2010 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 LIMITED EDITION
\nBY DAVID COLMAN<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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.\u00c2\u00a0 Since the test car was a million dollar only child, crashing or thrashing it was not an option.\u00c2\u00a0 But the slick way it looked said it all, and whetted my appetite for the real version to come.<\/p>\n
Challenger is an important product for the newly reconstituted Fiat-Chrysler group.\u00c2\u00a0 Much as Mustang is Ford\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image car and Camaro is GM\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, the Dodge Challenger plays Chrysler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s siren song, especially with Viper production ending.\u00c2\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
Not long ago, I spent a week with a V6 Challenger that looked great, but made just 250hp.\u00c2\u00a0 The SRT8 delivers everything that the V6 Challenger lacked.\u00c2\u00a0 Its 6.1 liter HEMI motor sounds terrific as it produces 425hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.\u00c2\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
Startlingly handsome 5-spoke, 20 inch Alcoa forged alloy wheels are part of the SRT8 package.\u00c2\u00a0 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.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, the SRT8 Challenger, far from being impossible in the wet, is quite manageable provided you slide an egg under the throttle.<\/p>\n
If there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s room for improvement in the Challenger program, it lies in the cabin furnishings.\u00c2\u00a0 There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too much black plastic on the dash and door panels, and not enough height adjustment for the steering wheel column.\u00c2\u00a0 You sit low in the saddle, but the wheel stays high.\u00c2\u00a0 A smaller diameter wheel would also be welcome, as would SRT-specific floor mats and dash insignias.\u00c2\u00a0 Though the SRT8 Challenger is very special, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look or feel that way inside.<\/p>\n
In a world of Hybrid this and Diesel that, is there still room for something as fuel consumptive as the SRT8?\u00c2\u00a0 After all, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Miles to Empty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d trip computer reads just \u00e2\u20ac\u0153283\u00e2\u20ac\u009d right after you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve filled the 19 gallon tank with Premium.\u00c2\u00a0 With its rating of 14 MPG City and 22 MPG Highway, the SRT won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be winning any Greenie contests.\u00c2\u00a0 But if you love to drive fast cars fast, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be happy to pay for those extra visits to the pump island.<\/p>\n
2010 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 LIMITED EDITION
\nENGINE:\u00c2\u00a0 6.1 liter HEMI V-8
\nHORSEPOWER 425hp
\nTORQUE:\u00c2\u00a0 450 lb-ft
\nFUEL CONSUMPTION:\u00c2\u00a0 14 MPG CITY\/22 MPG HIGHWAY
\nPRICE AS TESTED:\u00c2\u00a0 $46,605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2010 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 LIMITED EDITION BY DAVID COLMAN It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,23,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-automobile","category-new-automobile-products-tests","category-sports-car"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44174"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44188,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44174\/revisions\/44188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}