2011 Dodge Challenger R/T classic

[sasha@lazytrips]

Hi guys,

 

I just wanted to put up a quick review of the Challenger R/T (classic) that I had the pleasure of driving through a few thousand miles across city, country, mountain, desert, dirt track and random piece of Mexican border while followed by US Border Patrol (separate story) on my recent trip to the States.

 

First things first... I picked up the car from Hertz in Los Angeles Airport to be handed back there after a brief drive around California and the neighbouring States. I had a choice of the Camaro SS, the Ford Mustang GT Premium or this beast (all virtually brand new). Given that on paper, this lost in every single aspect other than its sheer ridiculous size, looks & feel, heart won over brain and I picked the Challenger. On first impressions, this car looks considerably better than it does in any picture. The look from virtually any angle is seriously impressive and the "60s design done 50 years on" look really worked for me. Having seen a couple of older chargers and challengers on our travels, it certainly resembles a lot of the key features of those cars and stands out from the crowd. The colour was bright burnt orange with black R/T stripes down the sides.

 

One important thing to note is that this is a big car. By big, I am talking dimensions which are larger than a Ford Transit van for a 2-door coupe. Due to its design, it doesn't look particularly big (e.g. new Camaro variants which are smaller look much bigger). Given that this car certainly looks like it ought to be driven by Mexican druglords (in a good way if you can picture that), the boot is appropriate for at least 4-5 bodies. We had one pretty large and one cabin-size suitcases with us as well as some random bags. We could have easily fitted another equivalently large suitcase and a few other cabin-sized bags in that boot. The space was colossal.

 

Inside, this car continues with the rugged look. While these cars can have many options including a Satnav-Radio-Computer-Whatever gadget in the dash, ours was a bit more simple with all the basics covered. In this respect it was a bit more like the zed than a BMW or a porker. The plastics were alright, but not particularly amazing quality and the general feel was a little rough. And that's why it was good. It didn't pretend to be something it is not and really went with the rest of the car. The steering wheel was a very good shape with plenty of controls (I never figured out what half of them did, but hey - reading hire car manuals on holiday is a bit like following step-by-step instructions to complete a 100 piece jigsaw: no fun whatsoever unless you ditch the instructions and go it alone).

 

The space inside is also great. Due to its width and length, the cabin is a lot roomier than it may seem from the outside. Having said that, the rear seats are still somewhat nominal with legspace at a premium when front seats are pushed back a little. We used them as storage space for things like Cowboy hats, maps and lunch.

 

Now we're onto the best bit - the driving. I drove this car after having a go in a Mustang on the Gulf Coast and I must say that after that "experience" I did not have the highest of hopes for the "Ginger Dog" (yes, we did get attached). Having done the trip, I am still in awe of the technology in that car. The engine is a Hemi 6l V8 pushing the best part of 400 horses coupled with an Auto gearbox. The power and torque are really quite amazing. I appreciate that this car is more powerful than a DE 350z, but the change was staggering as at full pelt, this thing really goes. The gearbox was the revelation of my experience. Despite being automatic, it was incredibly sensitive to what the gas pedal was doing with virtually no lag. As soon as you put your foot down, the gears tumble to the appropriate level and the car just goes. When cruising around town, the car automatically goes into "Eco" mode which preserves fuel and whatnot, but as soon as you need the power, it's there waiting to be exploited.

 

The best bit about the gearbox is the manual option. The gearstick is not one of those typical automatic huge things with a button on it, but a very nifty short shifter. Once you've pushed the automatic lever all the way down to "D", you then have the option of pushing it right or left to go up or down a gear. This may be seen as somewhat backward in comparison with paddles, but it keeps the car looking the part and is surprisingly awesome to use (much much better than the paddles in the TT S that I tried before). It literally feels the same as those arcade driving simulators with immediate flawless changes as you push sequentially through the gears. The power at high revs is astonishing.

 

Last, but not least, the handling on this car was something I was not prepared for. Given its size, its relatively elevated look (definitely does not need lowering despite this) and the fact that it was made in US&A, I was prepared for the usual "goes in a straight line, feels like a sofa on broken wheels on ice when going round the most mild corner". In reality, the handling was pretty awesome. The grip in the corners was very very good. I would say the car felt more planted (possibly due to its 2 tonne weight) than the zed and the control at all times was very good.

 

Given all of the above, if (or more like when) I move to live somewhere hot, I am getting the SRT version with the automatic box without a doubt. This car is seriously awesome.

[MITZ@CougarStore]

Nice review, Sasha, hope you both had a good time out there, let's see some photos...

[sasha@lazytrips]

A photo or two may well be appended at a later date (when I get my hands on the camera)

[mrobinson2]

Great review man, i'm in the same boat. Going to Florida in 6 weeks and want to rent a 'muscle' car for a couple days, and this has been the no.1 choice for me out of the three you mentioned. Looks like you have just cemented my decision.

 

nice one

 

Michael.