It seems as if the retro-style Dodge Challenger has been around long enough that it should have inspired its own double-retro revival. Amazingly, Dodge has kept its big coupe relevant thanks to incremental, year-by-year updates recalling the original Challenger’s heyday.
A vintage Dodge Challenger and the modern model it inspired.
Dodge rebooted the Challenger for the 2008 model year after previewing it a couple of years earlier at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The automaker was a little late to the retro-modern party, though parent company Chrysler was no stranger to rehashing vintage-style designs. Even if neither model was perfect, theChrysler PT Cruiser and Plymouth Prowler are arguably two of the best-executed updated classics.
The Dodge Challenger makes its debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show.
The Challenger arrived at an unusual time for Chrysler. The company debuted the car at the relatively quiet 2008 Chicago Auto Show, where it absolutely stole every possible headline. Contemporary media immediately compared the Challenger to the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro (a revived nameplate that had been dormant for a few years). Still, the Challenger was a whole different animal. Underneath, it shared its platform with the Dodge Charger and Magnum as well as the Chrysler 300. Those big sedans (and wagon) had some components in common with the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a reminder that Daimler-Benz briefly owned Chrysler.
The 425-horsepower 6.1-liter Hemi V8 initially came with the Challenger SRT8.
Initially, the Challenger was offered only in SRT8 trim, with a 425-horsepower 6.1-liter Hemi V8 paired with a 5-speed automatic transmission as its sole debut powertrain. At about $40,000, the Challenger SRT8 was a little cheaper but less powerful than the Ford Shelby GT500, which featured a rather gruff 500-hp supercharged V8. In reality, the two cars were hard to compare. The Challenger was bigger and floatier and a lot more comfortable, and its interior was a definite step above.
Additionally, the Challenger’s styling — though hardly subtle — honored its past exceptionally well. The deeply inset grille flanked by four headlights was joined by a high beltline sweeping upward to a huge rearmost roof pillar. A wide swath of taillights topped by a black spoiler finished its style.
Working up to Serious Power
The 2009 Dodge Challenger is shown here in TorRed and Nickel racing stripes.
The Challenger’s first year was a short one, and Dodge rapidly expanded its lineup for 2009. A new base Challenger SE cost about $22,500 and made do with a tepid 3.5-liter V6 and 4-speed automatic combination. More inspiring and striking a terrific balance between value and performance was the $30,500 or so R/T that added a 5.7-liter Hemi V8, anti-lock brakes, stability control, 18-inch wheels, and a tightened suspension. A 6-speed manual with a proper muscle car-style pistol-grip shifter cost $995 but included a limited-slip differential and revised power steering tuning. The SRT8, meanwhile, gained a 6-speed manual option for just $695.
The 2010 Dodge Challenger with Super Track Pack rolling off the assembly line.
For 2010, Dodge recognized that the 4,000-pound Challenger didn’t have a stellar reputation for its handling. A new Super Track Pack included a bigger stabilizer bar and unique shocks, plus 20-inch wheels wearing grippier tires. Though it didn’t turn the Challenger into a genuine sports car, this boulevardier could finally snake its way around a race track without looking like a whale ready to beach itself.
Chrysler’s then-new 3.6-liter V6 added 55 more hp and made its power far more widely available across the rev range.
The next year, the Challenger swapped out its base V6 for Chrysler’s then-new (and still excellent) 3.6-liter V6, which added 55 more hp and made its power far more widely available across the rev range. The range-topping SRT8 lost its 6.1-liter V8 in favor of a new 6.4, which Dodge still markets as a 392-cubic-inch engine (even though it actually displaces 391 cubes). The SRT8 now put out 470 hp, and the horsepower race was definitely on.
The range-topping SRT8 lost its 6.1-liter V8 in favor of a new 6.4, which put out 470-hp.
Dodge didn’t exactly engage cruise control for 2012, 2013, and 2014, with additional options added to the lineup such as adaptive dampers, a 900-watt audio system, Nappa leather upholstery, and various suspension tweaks.
Reworked, With Stump-Tugging Power
This 2015 Dodge Challenger, shown here in Granite Crystal, swapped a 5-speed for ZF’s fantastic 8-speed.
The Challenger saw its first major update for the 2015 model year with some exterior tweaks and a fresh interior that actually looked a lot more like the 1971 original and housed Chrysler’s 8.4-inch touchscreen with its U-connect infotainment software.
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat lived up to its name with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 rated at 707 hp.
Those were worthwhile changes on their own, but of course, the big news can from expanding the SRT lineup. Gone was the SRT8 name, replaced by SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat. The 392 saw a bump to 485 hp, while the Hellcat lived up to its name with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 rated at 707 hp. This absolutely insane engine gave this huge car a 0-60 mph sprint in the mid-3-second range, and perhaps more impressively, its buttoned-down suspension ensured that it had no problem handling all that power.
The interior of a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with an automatic transmission.
Most Challengers are sold with the automatic transmission, and for 2015 Dodge swapped a 5-speed for ZF’s fantastic 8-speed.
The Challenger stood pat for 2016 before the 2017 model expanded its breadth with a new all-wheel-drive version available only with the V6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. This was admittedly an odd setup given 8-cylinder versions could probably benefit from all-wheel-drive traction, though the idea of any dirt road-ready Challenger is appealing enough.
The T/A package offered houndstooth cloth seats and various other styling tweaks.
Additionally, a new T/A package with houndstooth cloth seats and various other styling tweaks took another page from a seemingly limitless collection of 1970s Challenger cues.
In many ways, the polar opposite of the Challenger GT, the SRT Demon that bowed for 2018 was a street-legal drag race car. Its new, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 is rated as high as 840 horsepower using track-ready 100-octane fuel, and aspiring racers can even have it with a stripped-out interior offering seating for just one passenger. So fast is the SRT Demon that the drag racing sanctioning body has banned it from competition because it lacks a roll cage. To accommodate its ultra-wide rear tires, Dodge fitted a hue body kit with big fender flares. There’s nothing else on the road quite like the Challenger SRT Demon, and virtually nothing can keep up with its 2.3-second 0-60 mph sprint.
The SRT Demon that bowed for 2018 was a street-legal drag race car.
The Demon was a single-year item, but its engine more or less lived on for 2019 in the SRT Hellcat Redeye, which puts 797 hp to the wheels and includes a suspension more oriented toward track use than a drag strip. The Demon’s fender flares also became an option (paired with special wheels, uprated brakes, and an adaptive suspension) on other higher-performance trim levels.
2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody put 797 hp to the wheels and included a suspension more oriented toward track use than a drag strip.
Dodge again topped the 800-hp threshold for 2020 with the SRT Super Stock, which tweaked the Redeye’s engine for 807 hp and included various additional features geared toward drag strip domination.
The 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock is the latest high-performance offering for the manufacturer’s erstwhile coupe.
For the first time in a while, the Challenger essentially stands still for 2022. Its lineup starts at about $30,000 and climbs rapidly in power and price through 14 different models with numerous options and packages before topping out at the $84,000 SRT Super Stock.See Dodge Challenger models for sale
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