2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Who's Your Daddy?

Though I think the modern Challenger looks pretty decent for a modern car, the side by side comparison just makes the modern incarnation look bloated.

The vintage ones looks like a proper pony car. The recent one looks like a 4dr Charger with a pair of doors lopped off.

wow what a rebel. parked in the red zone.

breaking the law for a photo op. good job!

Absolutely the old one looks better. It's not even close.

Old looks better.

New might be worth more in the future since it looks like Dodge won't be around much longer. An owner could say "one of only a few thousand of the last Challenger's built!".

Maybe I'm too young to get it (29), but I think that old one is just plain ugly. And I will never understand the vinyl roof fad. The new one is okay, an interesting retro design, but not really my style either. I'd rather have a Mustang or Camaro (old or new). Maybe it was the awfulness of Chrylser/Dodge in the 1980's that made guys long for these old boats that looked good in comparison. But in this case, newer really is better, I'm not looking back.

The new one looks better.

It's the color. Should have got your Challenger in rusty orange.

I think the original looks better too but originals always look better the reproductions.

Now if you were to drive the two back to back, you would discover how great the new one is and just how bad the originals were.

Top picture - Old one looks better. New one looks absolutely huge.

Bottom picture - New one looks better.

I can see both sides. 'ahightower' vs old school.
I'm in-between as far as I would be a resto-mod guy. It wouldn't be the Challenger, so I guess it's a moot point.

I respect the original, but I'm not particularly fond of it.
Shave 1,000 lbs off the new one (exaggerating, no need to hate), and we'll talk.

The new Challenger is a much better car- no question. That said, the new one looks like a Hot Wheels version of the original.

The old one looks better too me in profile. It's clear the proportions have chaged, but that's not neccesarily a bad thing. If only the new one were shorter or sat lower.

This is the first picture I've noticed with old and new parked front to back. It really shows how much bigger the new one is. The most stiking thing to me is the difference in the 2 cars from the character line down - the old one curves in on the sides and down from the front/rear bumpers to the wheels, while the new one is much more "blocky" (for lack of a better word).

I'm old enough to remember the originals, and I appreicate how the new Challenger stayed as close as it does to the original design. It's the best of the 3 new ponies in that respect.

That said, I actually like the new one better. It's more modern (obviously), more purposeful.

The new Camaro is the best overall car of the 3 new ponies, but if I was buying a retromobile (which the Camaro, Challenger, and Mustang are), and if I wasn't so afraid of Dodge being gone soon, the Challenger is the one I'd buy.

oops..."appreciate". How's the Edit feature coming?

I'm all of 22, but the original is the hands-down winner. NO CONTEST! Especially with the modern R/T on base V6 wheels. Come on! It just looks like a rental!

ahightower:

You may be "only" 29. But you have a good eye.

The classic Dodge Challenger was never received well by the marketplace, unless you count police department purchases of its four-door cousin, the Satellite.

A new "retro" black Challenger R/T sits in our office building's lot. I can tell you that last gen. Acura TLs, a couple of new Genesis, even a couple of 350Zs (yes not the new 370Z) garner way more visual attention than the "retro" Challenger.

With Chrysler's current problems it may take a Mitsubishi produced version, which culminated in the late 1980s Dodge Conquest, to keep the Challenger name alive, if anyone cares.

Given the forced departure of Wagoner from GM's helm, it seems rather ominous that nothing has been said about Bob Nardelli's future. The White House did reject Chrysler's revamping plan to secure more Federal backing. That must mean that the FIAT acquisition needs to be more than for the purpose of marketing FIAT cars in the US if Chrysler is to receive another nickel in aid.

At least the Dodge Conquest was one of the better styled 2+2 sports coupes of its day. Resembled the RX-7 and Porsche 944.

Yeah, this is a tough one. I'd have to say that overall the original is the best looking. It seems more lean and mean while the new one kind of looks like the old one went on a month-long McDonalds binger.

However, having said that, I wouldn't want to actually own one of the old ones for a number of reasons (lack of money and automotive mechanical aptitude being the two big ones). If Chrysler somehow manages to survive through next year I would definitely consider getting a new Chally. Or a Mustang. Or a Camaro.

Old one = better styling.

"wow what a rebel. parked in the red zone.
breaking the law for a photo op. good job!"

lol@anders07

Old one looks terrible.

New one looks better hands down. I just can't get over how the old one curves down from the bumpers to the wheels; it looks like it was designed to float. I know it's probably part of the government safety mandate, but the bumpers are just way too high. I'm young, but I like old cars too. The old Charger itself isn't terrible, but I just Vastly prefer a '69 Camaro.

I'm 14, and I think both cars are ugly. I would much rather have a new/old Camaro/Mustang. I agree with wasaabi92 that the wheels just make the car look bad.

I always loved the original. In the mid 70's when I was 11 or 12 one of the older girls across the street dated a guy who drove a beautiful bright blue Challenger with the black tape stripes on the side (probably a 340 vs an AAR) and a black vinyl roof.

He still had the car as of the late 80's. I hope he still does. You have to respect a guy who appreciates how good he had it when he was 17 and driving the hot muscle car.

The original version seems a bit less chunky, but overall I like them both equally.

I think the new ones look fantastic in real life. A really clean old one looks good too but the old 60s and early 70s Camaros and Mustangs look much better, imo.

The photo is great in that it shows how faithful Dodge was to the design of the original. I think that's really great.