2009 Dodge Challenger

Default handling mode is understeer, amplified by lower-geared steering and big wheel. Brake feel the worst of the three. Terrific cruise car, though; just lopes along the freeways. Comfortable seats, ride. The 5.7 Hemi likes to rev. It's a nice engine and has well-defined V-8 sound in the cabin. Pedal placement is poor -- brake pedal high and widely spaced relative to gas pedal; makes heel-and-toe downshifts more clumsy.

In a nutshell, the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T is just too big and soft to hang with Mustang and Camaro when the road gets kinky; it's a Clydesdale compared with the two Thoroughbreds. The scales bear this out: The 2009 Challenger R/T presses down on the earth with 4154 lb, 295 more than the Camaro SS and a massive 582 more than the Mustang GT. Uncle Isaac Newton decrees there's simply no way this pony can gavotte like its rivals.

Comfortable ride, invigorating acceleration, stupendous styling inside and out.

Needs better rear-seat access and the SRT8's ESP-off switch for serious drifting.

Built on full-size LX sedan underpinnings, the 2009 Dodge Challenger looks, feels, and drives big. If you insist on flailing away at the accurate but lifeless steering, the R/T will hustle around turns, but you'll feel loads of body motion and weight transfer. The Dodge Challenger really excels at the smoky burnout and the dragstrip hustle. The 0-to-60-mph-sprint takes 5.1 seconds and the quarter flashes by in 13.6 at 104.9 mph, tying the lighter, larger Pontiac G8 GT to 60 and besting it in the quarter mile.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger is all about reliving the "Vanishing Point" days with modern safety and reliability, a huge trunk, and a roomy back seat (that's difficult to get into). We think the R/T offers the best retro bang for the modern, shrinking buck. We also fully expect history to repeat itself, with the Dodge Challenger as the biggest and best-looking of the neo-ponies being outperformed by the Camaro and outsold by the Mustang.

You're familiar with the SRT and its 6.1-liter Hemi, rated 425 horsepower and 425 pound-feet. The 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T's 5.7-liter V-8 is rated 370 horsepower and 398 pound-feet with the five-speed automatic, 375 horsepower and 404 pound-feet when equipped with the stick and fueled with recommended premium. City economy drops 1 mpg with the stick, but the manual-unique exhaust system optimizes backpressure, composing an especially burbly soundtrack, particularly for the 1-2 upshift.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T is a car for threading through heavy Interstate traffic, where you can leave the six-speed in long-legged third, fourth, or fifth gears to power on and off. The car's presence alone makes fellow motorists gawk, and then make way. With its design updated into a sort of 11/10ths-scale cartoon of the original, the 2009 Challenger R/T is an adult's toy for the middle-aged boy who refuses to grow up.

We won't harp on how Chrysler may not have the money to create a CAFE-friendly second-generation Challenger. Instead, we'll get right to the goods: the 2009 Dodge Challenger comes in three grades: the 425 horsepower SRT8, 375 horsepower R/T, and 250 horsepower SE, all standard with a healthy dose of retro-modern style.

By now, you probably know that the SRT8 model gets the 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 producing 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque and is good for a 0-60 mph run in less than five seconds when hooked up to a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic with an AutoStick manumatic feature. Hill Start Assist, which helps manual transmission cars launch more securely on inclines, is standard on the 2009 Challenger SRT8 model and optional on the R/T. The feature holds the brakes for about three seconds and releases when it senses engine torque.

The Dodge muscle car enthusiast on a budget may head to the Challenger SE, which mates a 3.5-liter V-6 with a four-speed automatic to produce 250 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. Dodge's attempts to lower the base 2009 Challenger MSRP to within a few thousand dollars of the V-6 Ford Mustang's MSRP of $20,235 (including a $745 destination charge) result in a base Challenger SE whose basic specifications have mixed results in hiding its status in the Challenger food chain.

I *heart* this thing! Yeah, it's huge and heavy, but it sounds great, looks great, and goes like stink. The steering is inexcusably numb and slow. The clutch will break your left knee, and it transmits driveline vibes to the pedal - audibly - through the throw-out-bearing. I've never heard a clutch pedal sing before. The shifter is way too high-effort but is bolt-action precise and fits the personality of the car. Engine management and ESP are tuned so well around the car's numbness that you don't even know when you're sliding. I love the pillowy ride but surprisingly not-awful body control. I hate the nav interface and the turn signal indicators in the corners of the cluster. The brakes feel okay, but started smelling a little before I expected them to. The ratios are so close together that you find yourself shifting constantly; the soundtrack is unreal. If only all transmissions were geared like this. What a fun, fun, hot car.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger isn't about numbers, because it's pretty obvious that it wouldn't keep up with a BMW 128i on any sort of back road. This car is all about the exhaust note, the six-speed pistol-grip shifter, the way it lights up the tires through third gear in the rain. I love it. It's not a sports car, and neither is it very practical.

And the Challenger is one sporty machine. The 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T is no less a head-turner than the SRT8; the optional front fender stripes are a particularly cool touch and its performance is very close yet its base price is a whopping $10,000 less. Even the V-6 car has plenty of style, with its integrated (and functional) hood scoops and seventeen-inch wheels, but SE buyers must pay extra for fog lights and a rear spoiler. The Mustang has proven that a retro-look pony car can sell not just to those nostalgic for muscle cars but to a new generation as well. Although, the Challenger had a much shorter heyday than the Mustang, the new one is every bit as well-executed as the new Mustang and is in some ways more livable. For younger buyers on a budget, the news that you don't have to spend anywhere near the SRT8's $40,000 to get a cool-looking, fun-to-drive Dodge Challenger is good news indeed.

According to pricing released June 9th, buyers can get into a new 2009 Dodge Challenger for as little as $21,995 (including destination charge). Granted, that's for the entry-level Challenger SE, equipped with a 250-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and a four-speed automatic. Although it carries some decent equipment (like side-curtain airbags and remote keyless entry) as standard fare, it is nearly $1300 more than a base 2008 Ford Mustang V-6.

But if you hanker for a Hemi, your V-8 lust will cost you a bit more. The mid-grade Challenger R/T, priced at $29,995, includes the 370-hp 5.7-liter V-8 underhood. A five-speed automatic comes standard, but for an extra $995, the "Track Pak" package includes a Tremec six-speed manual, limited-slip differential, hill-start assist, and performance tuned steering.

If that's not enough power for you, you can opt for the SRT8, equipped with a 425-hp 6.1-liter V-8. Although it's a carry-over model from 2008, the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is also available with the Track-Pak, giving drivers the opportunity to row their own gears.

After crafting his legacy with race-tuned versions of Ford's ubiquitous Mustang, Steve Saleen's turning his attention to another retro muscle car: the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. Tuned by SMS, Saleen's newest venture, the SMS 570 and SMS 570X both make do with the R/T's standard 5.7-liter "Hemi" V-8. Although that motor pumps out 375 hp straight from Chrysler, the SMS cars reportedly will produce 500 and 700 hp, courtesy of an added supercharger. We're not sure of what other tricks SMS has in store for the Dodge Challenger, aside from the company's claims that both cars will wear "high performance" driveline, suspension, and aerodynamic parts.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T models feature the new generation 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with 370 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque while SE models utilize a 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 250 hp and 250 lb-ft. Dodge expects the R/T model to be the volume seller. Buyers who opt for the six-speed manual transmission will get a slight upgrade in power: the 5.7-liter Hemi is tuned for 375 hp and 404 lb-ft when mated to a manual transmission. This is the first application of a manual transmission in an LX car, but we're hoping it won't be the last. The slight bump in power means owners will be asked to burn premium fuel, but the addition of variable valve timing and dual ignition net the 5.7-liter V-8 an estimated five percent increase in fuel economy. Dodge adds hill start assist for manual Challengers, so drivers in hilly areas will have an easier time taking off from a stop. A new limited-slip differential helps keep drive wheels hooked up during hard acceleration. Thankfully, Dodge Challenger SRT8 buyers will be offered a six-speed manual option for 2009.