Apart from supercars there aren’t too many vehicles out there that raise your pulse rate before you even drive them. The roads are full of cars that all look basically the same – modern, sleek machines with good performance, fuel efficiency but no real personality.
Thankfully, there are exceptions, and one car I have always liked, mainly because of its cool retro persona is the Dodge Challenger SRT. This is the sort of car that looks like it has been driven straight off the set of a gangster film; it’s mean, moody and magnificent. This is an American muscle car with a ‘come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’ attitude. It literally challenges your mettle.
I would describe it a must-drive if only to experience the hairs on the back of your neck bristle when you open this beast up.
I actually wanted to drive the Challenger Hellcat – the name alone gives you a clue of the humongous power this car packs (707bhp in case you were wondering) but it has not yet arrived in the UAE, so I had to make do with the SRT 392 which only has a mere 470bhp, 637nm of torque and a 0-100kmh time of under five seconds!
Our test drive car, in black with silver stripes running down the bonnet power bulge with air intakes on each side certainly looked the business – intimidating in a classic American sort of way.
Inside, it is pretty basic, probably because it is inspired by racing cars, and there is a lot of drastic plastic. Dodge have put alcantara leather on the door linings, there is a SRT-specific leather flat-bottom steering wheel and nice leather seats with SRT on the headrests, but the rest of the cabin on this 2014 model lacked any attention to detail.
But, let’s face it, you’re not going to buy this car for the interior. The instrument panel has a four-gauge cluster with unique SRT graphics and the Electronic Vehicle Information Centre provides a variety of information including feedback on 0-100kmh time, braking, G-forces and one-eighth mile and quarter-mile times.
The Challenger uses the Uconnect infotainment which is operated via a 6.5 inch touchscreen and if you grow tired of listening to the growl of the engine there is an
excellent Harman Kardon sound system.
The Challenger is all about the mind blowing power and guttural noise that comes from that 6.4 litre Hemi V8 engine. The fun starts as soon as you hit the ignition button and the engine burbles into life.
The power is delivered to the back wheels via a five-speed automatic with paddle shifts if you want to up the ante a bit. It is incredibly quick in a straight line but I suspected it might be a bit nervy when some agility in corners was called for. Nope, it may look retro but this car is pretty high tech and that includes the way it performs.
There are three drive modes; Auto, Sport and Track. I preferred Sport which tightens everything up and the handling far exceeded my expectations. It has a performance tuned hydraulic steering system which is precise and provides more direct feedback from the road as you blast through corners.
This car also has a launch control system if you are feeling particularly bullish which reduces wheel-spin for maximum acceleration. A bit like Track mode, I felt this was perhaps a little extreme for pulling away at traffic lights.
The Challenger is tremendous fun to drive and in the end I couldn’t care less whether the interior had a bit of a cheap feel to it or not, although I know that has been addressed for the new model.
Now, I can hardly wait to get behind the wheel of the Hellcat which just happens to be the world’s most powerful muscle car. Yeehah!
Verdict: American muscle cars are getting better every year and what I like about the Challenger is that it incorporates cutting-edge technnology with that instantly recognisable retro appearance and feel. The interior is not great but it is reasonably spacious and the rear seats are useable, unlike some other coupes.
Rating: 8.5/10
