Dodge Challenger News: 2009 R/T and SE Models Debut

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THE CHALLENGER IS HERE!

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Jalopnik
Viva la revolution! After years of looking at spy photos, renderings and concept versions — the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is here, for real. Powered by the 6.1-liter HEMI V8, this HEMI orange muscle car puts out 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. for a total of 69.8 horsepower per liter. How fast is it? Good question. The performance "targets" were a 0-60 mph time in the low fives, a quarter-mile in less than 14 seconds, at least 0.88 g's on the skidpad and a 60-0 mph stopping time of about 110 feet. However, you -- like us -- are waiting to see the actual performance numbers to see how close they got to the targets. To make the SRT8 trackworthy, engineers employed a multilink short and long arm suspension up front. In the back, the Challenger sports a five-link independent suspension with multiple bushings, allowing it to be tuned for ride or comfort. It's your choice of tires on the forged aluminum 20-inch wheels that will be keeping the 4,140-lb monster on the track. Keeping the Challenger out of the ditch is the job of the red, four-piston Brembo calipers. Drivers of the first batch of SRT8's will be controlling that power with a five-speed AutoStick, which might make some a little unhappy. More details should emerge Wednesday morning.
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Yay! Shes finally here! So nice to see it in person!

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Interior still looks cheap though...

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The engine bay is nice and clean! I hope some other cars with V8s are taking notes...

Click here for the full gallery and a bunch of general awesomeness!
 
It's very friggin awesome but it's such a boner killer that it's an automatic!
 
If it was a manual and the interior looked better, this would be a great car. I can't stand that giant steering wheel that looks like it belongs on a dubbed-out Charger, and the interior still looks cheap-ish. The outside? Looks great!👍
 
Yeah the interior is very underwhelming. Also agree the outside is very mean looking. 👍
 
The amazing thing is that the exterior is so EPICLY EPIC, and yet, the interior is just full of FAIL. Not even the touched-up photos passed around for promotion make it look nice... That is a HUGE hurdle that Chrysler is going to have to overcome. I don't think they'll have any problems selling these cars, but even the Camaro in pre-production trim seems to be better put together.

I'm eager to see it in person, it officially goes on sale in less than a month!
 
If I had the choice i'd be getting a Camaro.

Those gauges are nothing special either they remind me EXACTLY of the SRT4's in our driveway. Except a higher speedometer gauge. They really could have... wait should have tried harder on the interior.
 
The exterior is fantastic and very faithful to the concept. The interior is appallingly dull and cheap looking. At least they haven't tried to spruce it up in there with too many tasteless retro clichés like the Camaro.
 
As much as I like it I must also agree it needs to shed a few pounds. The interior I could deal with though, even if it could be quite a bit better. Heck, I'd probably strip it anyway to shed some weight lol :lol:
 
4,140lbs? so, it's a Mercedes AMG rival then..? Although, with a manual, I'd probably tap that..
 
I agree on both points that it's to heavy and the interior looks boring and cheap.
 
Blackbird.
If I had the choice i'd be getting a Camaro.
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I'm with Blackbird on this.

While the Challenger looks stunning from some angles (2nd pic wheelspinning in post 301), it is let down in other. (3rd pic in post 301, hoooge ass.)

Just looking at it in general looks chucky and heavy. Manual box, wtf is that all about?
 
They couldn't try harder on the Interior: ran out of money.

anyone got a shot of the concept's interior?
 
Jim Prower
They couldn't try harder on the Interior: ran out of money.
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So are they down to just this car and the upcoming Sebring as the only vehicles to save the brand? It really is depressing that they only have enough money to be developing one new car that may or may not be a success.

Let's hope that somehow they can turn it around and be able to possibly update the interior in a few years.
 
Sting
Manual box, wtf is that all about?
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The manual will become optional for the 2009 model year, this is still a 2008 version... Only a handful of SRT-8 models will make it out of Canada for this year.

I'm still wondering if they're planning on shipping them to Europe or not... Before they said no, but with the Mustang and Camaro both going global, why not?
 
Hm.

I wouldn't be worrying about the interior, being a Brit... even though the stock Mustang interior probably feels the same, even I admit it's rather funky... and has exactly 27 times more funkiness than this. This is a taxicab.

What I am worried about is the lard-ass 500lb+ more than a 2008 Mustang it weighs. Holy cow. Where did they drop the 'pony car' ball? This kinda smacks of 'just get it in production'... and I'm hoping this is why the Camaro is taking longer as both debuted at similar times as concepts. (I think, anyone care to correct me?)

Mind you, having seen the interior shots of the Camaro, I'm not too worried. But if it weighs more than (or even close to) 4,000lbs, I'll be a bit disappointed. (And since the G8/VXR weighs 3,950lbs... I'm rubbing my hands with glee. :) Two less doors!)

Sorry Challenger team, but for the first time, I'm glad I didn't put a deposit down.

:(
 
Venari
What I am worried about is the lard-ass 500lb+ more than a 2008 Mustang it weighs. Holy cow. Where did they drop the 'pony car' ball? This kinda smacks of 'just get it in production'... and I'm hoping this is why the Camaro is taking longer as both debuted at similar times as concepts. (I think, anyone care to correct me?)
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If you look at it like it's a traditional muscle car, you can't get too upset about the weight. The typical muscle car was an already heavy car with a huge V8 jammed under the hood. As for "just getting it in production," I'm thinking that Chrysler just out of money so keeping it off of showrooms any longer would have meant little new development and just lost money that could be made through sales.
 
Venari
... and I'm hoping this is why the Camaro is taking longer as both debuted at similar times as concepts. (I think, anyone care to correct me?)
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The Camaro will be GM's global 2+2 coupe, it seems, so they're making sure it will be able to live up to not just North American, but also German, British, Australian and even Japanese standards. The cars spent an extensive amount of time at the Nurburgring, and they're finally back in the US doing their final development stages.

...I'd peg the curb weight somewhere between 3600-3800 lbs, but I could be overshooting. The G8 GT clocks in a 4000lbs almost even, and given the size difference, I can't imagine this being a whole lot lighter overall...

The official start of Camaro production is in November/December 2008 for early production models that will go to the press and to GM testers. Full production will ramp-up slowly, and by March 2009, the call will be available at your local (North American) Chevrolet dealer. Or, at least, thats what GM is telling us right now...
 
philly cheese
If you look at it like it's a traditional muscle car, you can't get too upset about the weight. The typical muscle car was an already heavy car with a huge V8 jammed under the hood. As for "just getting it in production," I'm thinking that Chrysler just out of money so keeping it off of showrooms any longer would have meant little new development and just lost money that could be made through sales.
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You're agreeing with me on the latter point, from a subtly different angle, which is fine. :) I like people who agree.

However, the Charger was a muscle car. The Challenger was a pony car - 'light' in comparison, even if the crazy few ordered the monster engines. The Mustang weighs in at ~3,600lbs - and that's what the targets should have been for this car. That extra 500lbs of raw material costs money. It costs money to mine, money to process and money to assemble. It costs money to the motorist in running charges - tyres and fuel bills. It's not just about being faster, it's about good design.

This car looks pretty, but the raw numbers say it should have been better. I hope it road tests well, but I get the feeling C&D review is going to sound much like us - "We love it to look at, and it cruises like a Caddy, but you can feel the extra weight which blunts the monster Hemi powerplant and otherwise well engineered multilink suspension. And the interior sucks like an industrial extraction unit. (Sorry we rushed you, guys.) 6/10."
 
Automakers have a way of making their cars feel much lighter than they really are. A lot of those new cars that are getting heavier and heavier still perform better and better due to better tuning. Performance-wise, it's not bad that it weighs a lot (however I'm sure we would all prefer it lighter), but you do bring a good point about the economics.

We also don't know how it will stack up against the Camaro and next Mustang. I'm sure the next Mustang will close the gap a little and I presume the Camaro will be pretty hefty too.

It still puts up good numbers of .9g on the skidpad and a stopping distance of 110 feet from 60 and a quarter mile of 13.9.
 
Just a tidbit of information for you Phillip:

Back in the day, your average muscle car maybe weighed in around 3500 lbs or so... That would be something like a decidedly full-size Chevrolet Impala, or a Ford Fairlane, or something like that. Your average pony car, like what this is supposed to be, would clock in somewhere around 3300 lbs or less, like my father's '68 Camaro.

Thank the technology and safety equipment that make these cars so unbelievably heavy...

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The car looks good in silver and black too!
 
I saw Post #301 to this thread, and all I can say is... wow! This car may likely get some younger folks excited. Especially those who may have never seen a Challenger before in their lives. It's an awesome car. Maybe for those who thought the latest Charger isn't really as badass as the classic Chargers with their 30+ color choices, at least this Challenger looks and probably performs like its 1970s brotheren. Some folks may even hop one of these up and take it to the 1/4 mile on the weekend. Sweet car!
 
Holy balls this car is sexy in black. :drool: Making it lighter is the owner's job. Who needs carpet and the back seat anyways? :trouble:
 
You can get 1280 sized shots from that link in the post from Autoblog... I've got the one jumping as my background right now on my computer.
 

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