2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Recalls Challengers of the Past

Hehe, 0-60 in "less than six seconds."

Anyway, looks alright to me. I'd definitely opt for something a little less flashy for the wheels, but they aren't that overstated, for chrome, at least.

Not too shabby.

Interesting idea. Bet it would look killer with some painted wheels to match the paint.

Not so good on the photo-chopping. The reflection in the water bleeds over to the dirt. All around horrible photos.

Now, I would definitely consider myself a hybrid car fan and all...BUT I love this car!

Is this really a smart move for Dodge?
at this time when gas is still expensive and only going to get more expensive does Dodge really have to produce another pig V8!
after all the muscle car enthusiast buy this (which should be like 50000 units total) who else is going to buy it?
Perhaps a small car with great gas mileage would be a better bet for the future? - after all how many muscle car enthusiasts are going to be shopping for new cars vs. new consumers looking for new cars (with great gas mileage)

My 2 cents!

This is not a mass-market econo-box car. People buying these beasts are not using them instead of a hybrid to save gas. Jeez. If the market is there, they will sell.

My point is, the people buying this car probably already have a boring jap-car or hybrid to get good economy while having fun on the weekend with a car that has personality (like I do with my Civic and my Mustang GT). This is about fun and power and building a car of your own creation with after market toys. Something the post high-school crowd loves but the younger set simply can't understand or want to admit.

I've seen some Challenger's around town and they look a bit better in person. Still nothing to drool over but they did a pretty good job with it.

very retro looking car, not a good buy at all. Doesn't have the bang for the buck of a subaru wrx which runs 0-60 in 4.7s and for 25k. Doesn't have the 4 wheel drive capability to drive in bad weather, spotty reliability rating for dodge. For over 34k as starting for this car and likely a few more thousands as option, lexus is and infiniti g class are lots more attractive. Not bashing american car, this challenger is definitely for people with certain age to look for the "fading glory" at its best.

sorry vince but you had a bad math failure.

base model wrx is 27k and 0-60 5.9
top model wrx sti is 35k+ options which can put you well into the 40k+ range.

I'm still wating for that Challenger ACR packing a 500+hp 426 with shaker-hood.

@Vincent

Thanks Sandman....

But the reason you buy this over a turbo 4...aftermarket parts. I'm not saying the STi doesn't have scads of them, but these are big boy parts.

Take that 5.7L Hemi with new heads, cams, upper intake, injectors, fuel pump, bolt on a weiand supercharger and you could easily push 600. Going for gold? Rebuild the bottom end and have a weekend warrior that could push 800+.

I've ridden in some older f-body mustangs (minimal engine work, but lots of suspension) and the feeling of torque is what this car is all about.

With the right setup I'm sure you could lift the front end off the ground. Now that's something no WRX can do.

@Rodney:

Where do you buy your gas? Gas is cheap at the moment. Filling my RX-7's 20 gallon tank is less than $40 too bad that will only get me a little over 220 miles in mixed driving :(

The car looks great for a retro but when the Camaro comes out it will be completely overshadowed. It actual handles pretty good and will be much quicker.

Besides to those WRX fans the Cobalt SS spanks it all over the track and cost 10k less. If fact the only place it can beat it is at the drag strip. So lets leave that ugly duckling out of the discussion. The other problem that plagues all AWD cars is the fact that they have weak power trains that snap parts when pushed beyond their factory specs. Upgrading those part is really pricey too, which is why they aren't the best tuner cars. Even the mighty GT-R suffers from this.

In the current economy, and with higher gas prices looming when the economy hits the upswing again, this car is looking at a very difficult marketplace.

It'll be a hit, as many said above, with baby booming faded glory seekers, and dragstrip oriented gear heads. But how big of a market is that, over all? Hard to say, but I don't think the sales numbers of the Taurus's and Camry's have anything to worry about.

On the other hand, even though I love small roadsters/sportcars, I love the new Challengers looks, and this RT in particular. Not something I'd spend MY money on, but it still draws my attention, and I can't blame anyone who finds it irresistible.

Not everyone subscribes to the biased Consumer Reports evaluation of appliance automobiles. This car is excellent for what it was designed for - period. No ricer, fins and fart pipe included, can even come close to it.

Not a AWD like the wrx? Who cares. My old 2000 Jeep wrangler can completely out perform a wrx in traction and off road ability.

0-60 in 4.7? So what. Slap 3k onto my Mustang GT and I'll eat it for lunch. And I can destroy the wrx from a simple rolling start right now without awd.

And one other thing, the retro look of a muscular car is very much desirable for more than the retro crowd - I'll park a wrx next to this beast and bet you will see people take a look at the wrx and say, wtf? lol.. Another 4wd station wagon trying to pretend it can compete with the big guns?

Two different cars, two different crowds. men and boys..

Oh man here we go LOL. What other special conditions do you need when you race an STi or new WRX with your Cobalt SS, Modified Mustang, and Challengers.... Let me see.
1. Dry conditions
2. Rolling start
3. Car and Driver Magazine journalist driver
4. A few more mods just to be sure
5. Tail wind
6. Clean pavement, no oil, sand, bumps, potholes or tar
7. Temperature between 65 and 80F
8. 1/2 mile run
9. Perfectly straight roadway (no left turns!)

You can drive the STi and WRX all year around in all conditions, and rule the road unlike any 2 wheel drive "American" made car. That is about 90% of my driving where I live. (Big smile). I always notice how the SRT's and Cobalt SS drivers grimace when I pull up in the rain, snow or dirt, or at the 1/8 and 1/4 mile track. They are all fairweather players.

Oh by the way, the WRX does do 0-60 in 4.7sec in the 09 year. Research before you post.

Comparing a Challenger to a WRX, you gotta be kidding me? No one who is interested in a Challenger is even going to visit a Suburu dealership let alone buy a WRX. I live in Canada where our roads are snow/ice covered for 5 months of the year - even the kids with WRX's don't drive them in winter!

Go park a WRX and a Challenger next to each other at the local drive in and see which one gets the most attention. See which one can lay down the most rubber. Just in case you were born under a rock, that is what the Challenger, Mustang and Camaro are all about - who cares how fast you can accelerate in dirt? I mean really... some mothers do have 'em :)

String my fairweather friend. Why would someone buy a Subaru and not drive it in the winter? LOL.

While you enjoy looking at cars I enjoy driving them, year round, in Canada! I know its hard for you to understand but you can enjoy driving a car without needing to be the centre of attention! Now go tell you buddies! Knowing how to drive helps though.

Laying rubber? We did that in high school, then it got boring, now I think it's stupid and expensive. So from under the rock I come but at least my neck isn't burnt from being in the sun too long burning rubbbbberrrrr.

Subpra:

I drive in very winter conditions; below freezing snow and ice are common in the fall and winter with rain and wind in the spring. Since I was born in extreme northern Montana, I know all about bad driving conditions. From the sound of it, i have driven on bad roads longer than you have been alive. In all that time (hundreds of thousands of miles on 24 different cars and trucks I owned), I have driven in the worst conditions, without any issues, mostly on 2wd American car, never needed a awd.

When I owned several 4WD trucks I had a rule; Don't drive it in 4WD unless you absolutely needed to, or you can afford to get stuck. Once stuck in a 4WD truck, you better have a friend nearby.

AWD gives the driver a sense of traction during bad road conditions, but it isn't the end-all cure to just good driving skill and driving for the conditions of the road. I don't need it, I've learned how to control my vehicles without it. The extra expense and weight is, in my opinion, stupid.

BTW, the traction control on my Mustang GT works pretty dam well on the snow and ice. I find it fun to play with when I want to goof around on the ice.

It is also nice to press that little button to turn it off so I can smoke the tires and spank silly rabbit cars.

funny i live in RI new england weather . . . every snow storm the most common cars i see getting stuck are mustangs (every model imaginable) and porche boxters for some reason . . .

(probably the idiots around here buy a porchse boxter as their only car because they think "look at me i own a porche" but they don't realize that it is the poor mans porche.)

Down here in MD, when it snows, I usually see a lot of 4wd pickups and SUV's stuck. I don't blame the vehicles. I blame the drivers who think owning such equipment makes them invulnerable. They rip around like it's dry summer, with predictable results.

Between them and the people who are so terrified of driving in the white stuff that they putter around at 2mph, getting stuck on every slope and corner, things get kinda exciting around here.

Had a snow storm last night here, lots of ice, slippery as heck. Guess who was the slowest car on the road and backed up traffic for over a mile? A new 4WD truck. lol.

People just need to learn to drive. Even my Mustang with street tires made it just fine today. (except when I was spinning a circle for fun - love RWD cars for that).

Wish I had more money to invest, I would buy the most powerfull and fully loaded Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and store it for 30 years. I bet it would be a better return on my investment than anything in this Market today...

awesome car i like it fast

Since when is a 25 mpg Hwy rating a gas guzzler?
Maybe some of you greenies should read the vehicle specs before you bash it. The original Hemi Challenger was carburated, had 100 times the emissions and got 8 MPG. As far as reliability is concerned the 3rd Generation Hemi V-8 has been around for ten years, I think all of the bugs are worked out. It's transmission is the Tremec unit used in the new Camaro which has 50 more hp. Lastly the chassis is based off of the last Generation Mercedes E-class platform. I owned a WRX and not once did it start a conversation when it was parked. But since owning my R/T ($31,000) I get thumbs up, kids falling off of bikes and five phone numbers (including one at a stoplight) from attractive women. I think dear old dad had it right when it came to styling taste...

Facts are a B#$ch