Dodge Challenger SRT8 - The best of the retrocars?

"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib) 11/25/2013 at 12:55 • Filed to: Challenger, SRT8, reviews, WillAlibrandi

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The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is a throwback car like its current competitors, but unlike the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang you can actually use the rear seat for people and not just groceries. Essentially unchanged from the 2012 car, the 2013 Challenger offers comfort and a smooth ride owing to its shared platform with the Chrysler 300. Offered in three different trim levels (SXT, R/T, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) the SRT8 represents the ultimate performance option; the top gun of Challengers.

The base V6 is a 3.6 liter rated at 305hp/268lb-ft, which motivates the large car well enough, but is only available with a 5 speed automatic transmission. The next step up in the R/T is the 5.7 liter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! V8 rated at 376hp and 410lb-ft (slightly less for the automatic-equipped car). The top option is the SRT8's 6.4 liter V8 with its 470hp and 470lb-ft torque rating. The 6.4 motivates the SRT8 from 0-60 in the mid-four second range, which for a 4,100lb+ car is impressive. Braking results are equally impressive at 106 feet from 60-0

The vehicle reviewed is the 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8. EPA ratings, if an owner is really concerned, are 14 city, 23 highway and 17 combined. Base price for the SRT8 is $44,195 with the test car having a total MSRP of $49,820 including a $1,000 gas guzzler tax. Major options on the car include the excellent Harman Kardon Audio group ($1995), the Uconnect entertainment system ($790) and 20" black chrome wheels ($695).

The standard equipment is extensive, and includes front and side airbags, electronic stability control, 4 wheel antilock brakes, keyless entry & ignition, a rear park assist system, 6.5" touch screen display and HID headlights. The interior while comfortable and functional is a tad bland and doesn’t compliment the car’s exterior look. The beveled dashboard and pistol-grip shifter recall the original Challengers from the early 1970's but the retro design cues end there. The entertainment system proved to be simple to operate, and the 18-speaker premium Harman Kardon audio provided excellent sound quality at virtually any listening level.

The seats are quite comfortable, with good lateral support, although this is probably not a big issue with a straight-line car like the heavy SRT8. The back seats are roomy with good head and legroom, owing to the car’s shared platform with Chrysler’s 300 sedan. The enormous trunk is 16 cubic feet with the subwoofers, battery and tire inflator tidily stowed beneath the floor.

On the road, the Challenger felt like the heavy car it is, but the SRT8's suspension is up to the task as the car remained composed during fairly aggressive cornering with minimal body lean. One small disappointment was the exhaust which was barely audible until the accelerator was hammered and the big Hemi wound past 4000 rpm; at that point the engine note was intoxicating. The forward thrust was relentless, and accelerating up onramps was truly a grin-inducing event. On most occasions the car had to be slowed down to merge with traffic as it would easily reach 90mph at the top of the ramp. One just never tires of this kind of exuberance.

The Challenger is a niche car, and the SRT8 even more so with its neck-snapping performance. This car exists to go brutally fast in a straight line, but isn’t intimidated by corners. Of the three retro pony/muscle cars in production currently, it is easiest to live with and makes the fewest compromises - if you disregard fuel economy.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 13:58

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That Plum Crazy! I love it!

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 11/25/2013 at 14:00

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Yep, definitely makes the car stand out. Not always a good thing :)

fhrblig > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:01

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The best? Probably not. Damn if it isn't my favorite, though.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > fhrblig 11/25/2013 at 14:03

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Same here. (because hemi?) It's def the most usable though.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:03

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Why not a good thing? Other than the obvious "a cop will notice you" stuff.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:03

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For some reason, the Challenger was the one I liked the least, after the Mustang and then the Camaro. I was a dumb 16 years old kid when the concepts first came out, and the Camaro's edges and sharp lines screamed to my dumb 16 years old brain like no other current car did, but over time the Challenger, with its understated aggression wrapped by more serious, less festive lines, really grew on me. I guess you could say the car "aged" very well, or maybe it was my tastes maturing, but either way, it's now definitely my favorite.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 11/25/2013 at 14:08

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My biggest bitch with the Challenger is it's weight. 4100lb is just a boulevard pig (although a fast pig) but I'm reading the next car (and the 'Cuda that's reportedly coming in 2015) will be on a smaller & lighter chassis, which would be perfect.

William Byrd > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:09

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The best, definitely not. Does it have a lot the Mustang and Camaro don't have? Oh yeah! Much more space and comfort, a great look (which I think the Mustang also has, but the Camaro doesn't) particularly the retro aspect, and a nice set of engines and options.

Really cool car, I tried to buy one a few years ago. It was the week Chrysler exec's were on Capitol Hill fighting for the company's life. The dealer I went to even had the coverage on in the background, yet they undercut the trade-in value on my G35S sedan by thousands and shrugged when I balked at the offer. I told them I guess bankruptcy suited them and left. Actually I didn't, but I could have. Ford paid off my trade and I got a new Mustang.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:11

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Amen bro. If I owned one, I'd probably spend more time carefreeing my way around town with the bubbling engine up front than around a track, but the weight issue does bother me some as well. I haven't looked into any news about the next Challenger yet, but now I feel like doing some searching. If they can make the car lighter and continue to not overstate the design, it will be perfect.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > William Byrd 11/25/2013 at 14:12

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None of the three pony cars (muscle cars?) are a bad choice. I like the Mustang (had an '06 convert a few years ago) but the Camaro's shape just doesn't flow for me. The Challenger does retro the best IMHO and it's the easiest to live with; I had two child seats in back with room to spare :)

William Byrd > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:15

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I'm admittadely a bit of a Mustang guy (buying one from a fello Opponaut this week!) but regardless I wouldn't like the Camaro's style. I owned an 1996 Camaro and loved it, but the new one just looks like a telephone pole landed on it's rear end. Combine that with the gun turret like windows, no me gusta.

The Challenger is the most retro, looks like the took and old one and just put modern lights on it. Love it. And yes, I've done the baby seat in a pony car many times, I bet the big Mercedes platform makes for an awesome back-seat.

Milky > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:29

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Its my favorite, its the most brash and you see them less, so it makes more of an impact when you do.

AtomicTree > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:33

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I'm not sure I can speak to it being the best of the retros.....but in terms of it being the "most retro" of them all, I say most definitely. I've always felt it does the best job at mimicking the lines and essence of the car it is retro-ing (is that a thing...retro-ing? Whatever, don't judge me).

mr2gud2u > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:39

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Its nice to see mopars getting love on oppo. I understand why mopars are so overlooked by oppo folks. The SRT line is some of the cheapest used horsepower you can buy. I bought my mildly built magnum SRT for under 18k. where else can you get 500hp for that price. Sure they arent track stars, but I dont think they are suppose to be. I have owned some older saabs and some other old euros. Honestly that LX has given me more joy than any of my other cars. Blasting down an on ramp doing 120 is truely heart spotting ItI

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > William Byrd 11/25/2013 at 14:45

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I had a Camaro SS convert last year to review, and had both seats in back. Made for a bit of a tight fit for me up front, but I found that loading kids in & out with the top down was easiest.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Milky 11/25/2013 at 14:46

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Probably the only times that lower sales numbers are a plus?

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > AtomicTree 11/25/2013 at 14:48

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Best is always subjective, right? I liked having more room and the fact that you don't see Challengers nearly as often as Mustangs or Camaros is a plus too, I think. Can't argue with a 470hp hemi and purple paint tho..

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > mr2gud2u 11/25/2013 at 14:50

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It's pretty agile considering its weight. I've read on Allpar the next Challenger and new 'Cuda will be on a different, lighter platform which is good. Maybe they'll do an AAR Cuda again set up for handling?

Milky > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 14:53

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You might of replied to this but …. I am a bit biased.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/who-else-is-a-…

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Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Milky 11/25/2013 at 14:59

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Didn't see that today, but it's a good read. I think folks that drive interesting & out of the ordinary cars always have the best stories and are usually fun to talk to.

GRawesome > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 15:52

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Definitely the best of the current retro muscle cars. I would have gone with the SRT8 Core if it was out when I got my R/T Classic. Biggest engine, SRT suspension and no frills. I wish I had test drove the Camaro too before I got the Challenger, but the looks for the Challenger made it the clear winner in my book, plus being able to use the back seat like you say. I don't use it often, but when I do it's nice to have it. I'm 6'3" and have to drive with the seat almost all the way back, so that leaves about 1-2" of legroom for the back seat passenger, but there is still plenty behind the front passenger.

The World of Vee > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/25/2013 at 16:03

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hits all the right buttons on the outside and the engine, but my word Chrysler is about 10 years behind GM and Ford when it comes to interiors...

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > The World of Vee 11/25/2013 at 16:20

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Yeah, they could learn a thing or two from the Mustang.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > The World of Vee 11/25/2013 at 16:20

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Yeah, they could learn a thing or two from the Mustang.

6shelBfan6 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/26/2013 at 23:25

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I think it is a good looking car, but the thing is the height of a small SUV. It's massive! Not really a fan.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > 6shelBfan6 11/26/2013 at 23:42

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You mean weight, not height right? 4,200lb.

6shelBfan6 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/26/2013 at 23:44

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Weight too. I was referring to the height of the roof. It's nearly shoulder height.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > 6shelBfan6 11/27/2013 at 00:13

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57" high compared to Camaro 54" and Mustang 55". I dunno, that doesn't seem like a big deal. It definitely does feel like a big car though, more so than the other two. I've read on Allpar the next Challenger and coming Cuda will be built on a new, lighter platform which might mean shorter too. We'll see.

6shelBfan6 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/27/2013 at 00:20

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Hmmm. Guess it's not really that different in height compared to the other two. I don't know why they look so tall to me. I'm all up for the big three competing to see who can be the lightest!

MC_Leon6494 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/27/2013 at 00:32

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Too big! way too big, cut down the weight under 2 tons, shrink all the proportions a bit, then then we'll talk

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > MC_Leon6494 11/27/2013 at 09:05

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Yeah, the weight def needs to come down. The new Challenger in 2015 will be built on a different platform which should be smaller and hopefully lighter. If they can get it closer to Mustang dimensions that would be a huge improvement.

MC_Leon6494 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 11/28/2013 at 12:19

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yeah! that would be fantastic, I get the appeal of a big American muscle but not that big.

Zendax > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 03/15/2016 at 22:50

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2-3" isn’t insignificant. For comparison the FR-S is 51" high, and it looks tiny compared to any of these cars. A lot of that is owed to the overall proportions though. Everything on the Challenger makes it look like the big car it is.