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Review: 2009 Dodge Challenger
What’s New: Although Dodge introduced the Challenger SRT8 for the 2008 model year, 2009 fills out the line with a V-6 SE version, an R/T with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, and improvements to the SRT8, including a six-speed manual transmission that's also available for the R/T.
Competes With: Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro (available 2009)
Read the Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Challenger SE, 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8
What We Think: The improvements made to the SRT8 would have been satisfactory enough, but the introduction of the rest of the Challenger lineup is all good news. The SE's V-6 could use more power, and maybe an extra gear, but overall this is a fine lineup that will give the Mustang a run for its money.
Overview: 2009 Dodge Challenger
We won't bore you with a history lesson about where the Dodge Challenger comes from, about its iconic shape, or even the Dodge Challenger concept car that appeared at the Chicago auto show in 2007. We've already driven the 2008 Challenger SRT8, and you can color us impressed. Yet we've been waiting for the 2009 lineup to appear: the V-6 powered SE, the 5.7-liter V-8 R/T and the new SRT8, with a manual transmission and limited slip rear differential.
After driving all three cars through the New Jersey countryside, at Englishtown raceway and back to Manhattan along the New Jersey turnpike, we're going to go out on a pretty sturdy limb: Nothing else currently in the Dodge lineup is as comprehensively executed as the Challenger. Its range of powerplants includes two V-8s and a V-6, the interior and exterior are clearly assembled with care, and even the base model has the features you'd expect for its $22,000 price. From base to bombast, the Challenger has a little something for any buyer looking for a sporty looking coupe.
There are only two things that will keep the Challenger from being a runaway success. The first is the lack of name recognition. Ask anybody – enthusiast or not – about a Mustang, and they can tell you something about it. However, ask the same person about a Dodge Challenger and you likely won't get the same result, and that could hurt the Dodge muscle car down the road. The second is more practical: Two of the three Challenger models are powered by big V-8 engines, and even the V-6 isn't particularly fuel efficient. Though prices have come down a little, the dino juice is still expensive, making two-door 4,000 pound muscle coupes a little harder to sell. That said, anybody who decides on a Challenger is going to find satisfaction behind the wheel of the best car in Dodge's lineup.
Next Page: 2009 Dodge Challenger Models, Pricing & Equipment
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Challenger SE
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8
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