Behold a $40,000 muscle car that gets single-digit fuel economy when your boot’s in it -- and, come on, your boot is always in it -- aimed at upper-middle-class to wealthy males between ages 45 and death. -- Dan Neil (Luis Sinco/ Los Angeles Times)
As a reborn pony car, the fuel-inefficient Challenger is a retro stallion.
The Dodge Challenger is essentially a rebodied Chrysler 300 (the same as the Dodge Charger, minus 4 inches of wheelbase), built on the same assembly line. According to the Detroit News, Chrysler spent a mere $151 million on the program, going from concept car to Job One in fewer than 21 months. -- Dan Neil (Luis Sinco/ Los Angeles Times)
There’s no denying 425-hp, 420-torque V8 under the hood of the Dodge Challenger. This is big, cackling, evil-sounding thrust, with an angry lunge off the line and a peaky, on-the-cam feel in the upper registers. -- Dan Neil (Luis Sinco/ Los Angeles Times)
The new car is huge, with 6 inches more wheelbase (116 inches) than the old Challenger. The old car, with its sculpted turn-under and sides, seems almost delicate compared to the big, bluff neo-Challenger. -- Dan Neil (Luis Sinco/ Los Angeles Times)
