Test Drive Digest: Dodge Challenger R/T Classic

Filed in archive Chevrolet , Dodge , Ford on December 9, 2009

No, this is not a scene from a TV thriller, although it wouldn't surprise me to see Steve McQueen slip into the driver's seat and powerslide out the foundry door just before the bad guys arrive on the scene, guns bursting. Actually if McQueen were alive today, I suspect he'd really enjoy this macho machine, a 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic. The testers at Winding Road certainly liked it even though, at 375 hp/400 lb-ft, the RT/Classic is "toned down a notch from the terror that is the SRT8". In fact they regard the RT as safer and smoother in the way it delivers its power. The magazine's crew particularly liked the six-speed manual transmission with pistol grip shifter and smooth clutch uptake. Handling, they say, is better suited to straight line runs rather than switchback curves, in part because of the 4000 pound weight. It's a big car but the payoff is in comfortable interior roominess and a "cavernous" trunk.

I found Winding Road's review particularly interesting because a friend has just taken delivery of a 2010 Shelby Mustang. Frankly, I prefer my cars light and tossable so until now have regarded the Challenger and Mustang, and also the new Camaro, with a certain amount of diffidence. Interesting, but not for me. However, when I spotted my friend pull into the parking lot of the next door health club, I was brought to a screeching halt... to the extent that one can screech when halting in a pair of walking shoes. That black, twin-striped Shelby was an impressive looking (and sounding) automobile. Beautiful wheels, aluminum hood, huge exhaust outlets and under the hood an exotic supercharger set it apart from any modern Mustang I'd seen to date. Chris carries with him a clipping from Motor Trend magazine that compares the Hennessey Camaro HPE650 vs SpeedFactory Challenger SRT8 vs Shelby GT500 Super Snake. If I were him I'd tear it up. You can see why by watching this entertaining Motor Trend video face-off.