If you went to this month's Detroit Auto Show, you might have gotten the impression that Fiat executives really aren't as sure about Chrysler's product plan as they claimed to be last November. How else to explain the absence of the 2011 Grand Cherokee (scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of this year) and the presence of the hideous Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta hatchback?
I hope, though, that some of the Fiat leadership have taken a drive in the Dodge Challenger. From the burbling V8 soundtrack in the R/T to the beautifully executed ride/handling balance, this coupe is easily the best of the cars built off the LX platform architecture.
The Challenger also makes Chrysler look good to the public. When people see our black R/T, they come up to you wanting to talk about the car, not the bankruptcy and government/Fiat takeover. Eighteen months have passed since the Challenger SRT8 went on sale. Yet, even in Los Angeles, where the attention span is short and preference goes to imports, I still hear people say, "Oooh, that's the new Dodge Challenger..." as I stroll through parking lots looking for a spot large enough to fit the beast.
If Chrysler's going to survive this upheaval, the Chrysler-Fiat leadership simply has to do right by the Dodge Challenger. Keep it alive. Keep it interesting. Absolutely don't neglect it.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 19,106 miles
threem says:
11:52 AM, 01/25/10
Amen, Though a car like this might get the axe because it is viewed as too much of a gas guzzler, and perhaps the wrong direction for the "new Chrysler". That would be a HUGE shame however, since cars like this (that capture the public on an emotional level-mainly based on style) might also be able to capture other markets and be used to experiment with different engine/drive combinations. As long as they keep a V8 RWD version in the lineup for traditionalists and as a halo car, whose to say that the magic of that body could not be used to house a turbo, or a v6 hybrid, or a diesel? To be honest, I would love the RT, but would consider an SE (If I were in the market-not everyone has over 30K to burn) because the car looks so darn good. I would hate to see the V8 go away, but a few more options that are future looking might be the right idea to insure that the pony cars have a place in the inevitable fuel efficient future. The idea that fuel efficient and ugly/practical must go together is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to a bright future for the enthusiast automobile
wrinklebump says:
12:03 PM, 01/25/10
Does the 5.7L thing in there even have cylinder deactivation? That might bump average mpg up a couple ticks.
moparfool says:
12:15 PM, 01/25/10
5.7 L automatic has cylinder deactivation; the stick does not. On my 5.L auto I can hear and feel the activation and deactivation when the cruise control is on going down the freeway. It's on 4 cylinders on a flat section but part way up a hill the exhaust note changes as all 8 cylinders kick in, and I can feel just a very small vibration or lurch. Nothing annoying - just enough exhaust and mechanical change to let me know the change has occurred.
fuhteng says:
12:34 PM, 01/25/10
Sadly, the first thing I thought of when I saw this was "how long until the big V8 is replaced by something smaller so the car can stick around?" Yuck.
I think the Challenger will stay, but I hope it doesn't have the too-long shelf-life of the 300.
Hey moparfool, you can actually tell? I wonder if our cylinder deactivation systems work the same way. I have not the faintest idea about my small-block Chevy. Maybe because it is too quiet.
moparfool says:
01:35 PM, 01/25/10
Fuhteng - the cylinder activation / deactivation is subtle. With the radio on etc., activation / deactivation is easy to miss. When I first got the car I wondered if it was happening because there is no instrument panel light or other indication, but when I first noticed the "symptoms" - I says to myself "That's what it is!".
desmolicious says:
02:37 PM, 01/25/10
Moparfool, what range of mpg do you experience? I think edmunds posted a road trip high of 25mpg with the MT Challenger.
louiswei says:
03:31 PM, 01/25/10
Wow Erin, You do like the Challenger a lot huh?
Erin and the Challenger, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G ~~~
cr_driver says:
04:14 PM, 01/25/10
Yep, thats a good car.
Gotta keep it, just gotta.
moparfool says:
04:23 PM, 01/25/10
desmoliciou: I keep a log book of fill ups and miles - not 100% accurate but close. This past summer I was making quite a few freeway road trips @ 74 mph - keeping under the MN highway patrol radar, so to speak. A hemi orange car will not hide in the crowd.
Mileage was about 21.7 - estimate 80% road and 20% in town along with fun blasting up the I-35 6% hill southbound out of Duluth. Lots of fun going past wheezing minivans and even slower semi trucks.
My Challenger does not have any trip / mileage computer for instantaneous mileage reading- don't even know if it is offered as an over-priced option.
desmolicious says:
05:06 PM, 01/25/10
Thanks for the mpg info.
plumcrazy2 says:
06:34 PM, 01/25/10
All of the Mopar success stories in the last few decades had a certain things in common. They appealed to people in emotional way. The Challenger, 300 C, Prowler, Viper, Magnum the new Ram even the PT Cruiser. People either loved them or hated them.
In my opinion, and I'm a huge Mopar guy, Chrysler either gets 100% or 100% wrong. I hope Fiat can help with out to wrong stuff, but if they screw up the Challenger I will never forgive them.
bodyblue says:
06:55 AM, 01/26/10
Plum, you are so right....it is either feast or famine with MOPAR.