Poll - What Would You Like To See Improved/Changed For The Production Model?

[Mike Penner]

Originally Posted by JonW

The engines will be coupled to either a five-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic transmission with Auto Stick

As above, this is a misfire. 6 sp mandatory. Hopefully they give this more thought.

[Legion681]

Originally Posted by MikeF

Five speed stick does not sound good, that's not encouraging at all. Six speed is the new standard and that's what the Challenger ought to have. That's pretty much a deal breaker for me when combined with the weight.

And why would that be ? The sixth gear you find in all these sporty/sport cars is basically a gear for highway cruising..A sixth gear is only there to save gas and if fuel consumption is your concern, you shouldn't consider the Challenger in the first place.
And "Six speed is the new standard"...the new standard of what ? There are other vehicles that have semiauto gearboxes, some with 7 gears, talk is that some that are about to be unveiled will even have 8 gears.
Now if you want to talk about standards, ok super tech semiauto gearboxes a' la DSG and SMG most likely are the standard these days...
Slushboxes instead have been around for eons (and let me repeat it again, they set no standards at all for anything) and 5 or 6 gears don't make a darn difference. Have you ever had a car with a 6 speed manual ? I had two, both BMW M3s...do you know when you put in the 6th gear ? When you are cruising on a highway with no intentions to use your car like a sport car (try to stomp on the gas in 6th gear with an M3...it'll take a while before it gets up to speed...rightfully so, it's a gear for highway cruising, keeping rpms low and consumption low)...
And this is a deal breaker for you ? Ok bro, I respect your opinion, I just think it doesn't make sense at all...


The weight "issue"...I wish everybody busting chops about the weight would make a little research and find the weight of cars of this size and with similar engines and you might "surprisingly" find that all of them, are pretty close to a Challenger.
People make it sound like the Challenger with 4000 lbs is a pig and all other cars are weighing 3000 lbs. It isn't so, people...Actually the only two that are a tiny bit less are the GT500 and say a BMW M6 that weigh 3920 and 3911 lbs. The rest of cars, of all makes with at least 425 hp and of the same muscle car category (or big cruisers, whatever you want to call it), weigh at least 4000 lbs !
Forgette the Vettes as they are EXOTICS...not muscle cars...

PS: I am not out to get you...it's just that I am very tired of seeing posts of people that either don't think too much or don't research into a matter enough to bring facts to the table and your post happened to be at the right place at the right time and with the "right" content.

[MikeF]

Legion, just for your information, yes I have had cars with 6 speed trannies. I have driven several thousand miles over several years in them. I have had several M3s as well as a 2000 Cobra R. So I am well acquainted with both 5 and 6 speed trannies. I also am well aware of the difference between sports and muscle cars. I think that probably you should stay with BMWs because you have that know it all superior attitude that most BMW drivers have.
I did not like your reply and please do not address me again in any form.

[TriShield]

Six-speeds are the modern standard in manual transmissions, nearly every car worth a damn has a six-speed manual, not a five-speed. Your argument for using less gears is like arguing that an automatic should still have three or four speeds. If the LXs had come with a four-speed they would have been lambasted in reviews for it, and for good reason.

A brand new car should have entirely modern features, that includes transmissions with the appropriate amount of gears. Especially today in the era of high fuel prices. I'm not complaining about using sixth in my GTO and getting 28mpg on the freeway with it.

[TriShield]

Originally Posted by Legion681

People make it sound like the Challenger with 4000 lbs is a pig and all other cars are weighing 3000 lbs. It isn't so, people...Actually the only two that are a tiny bit less are the GT500 and say a BMW M6 that weigh 3920 and 3911 lbs. The rest of cars, of all makes with at least 425 hp and of the same muscle car category (or big cruisers, whatever you want to call it), weigh at least 4000 lbs !

They have good reason too, weight is an absolute killer of acceleration, handling and braking. The less the Challenger weighs, the better it's going to feel and drive.

Weight is the common complaint I see online with modern muscle cars. If it's over 3,500lbs people get upset. If the Challenger weights 4,100lbs like the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger, than it will kill sales for many people and they'll go to the Camaro which is almost guaranteed to weigh 3,600 or so.

The wheelbase on the concept car is nearly the same as the Pontiac GTO, and it weighs 3,700 officially. If the Challenger weighs more than that it will be a factor in swaying my decision to buy something else. I don't want to drive a car that feels like a fat pig oinking over the road.

[Reb]

The auto. trans. is an absolute necessitywith the big motor. A lot of buyers won't be able to get the engine they want because the wife cannot drive a manual. This is a big investment for most people and this IS a deal breaker for a lot of buyers. Every thing else is perfect, except for mabe a Cuda option.

[Challenger_Nut]

Originally Posted by TriShield

They have good reason too, weight is an absolute killer of acceleration, handling and braking. The less the Challenger weighs, the better it's going to feel and drive.

Weight is the common complaint I see online with modern muscle cars. If it's over 3,500lbs people get upset. If the Challenger weights 4,100lbs like the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger, than it will kill sales for many people and they'll go to the Camaro which is almost guaranteed to weigh 3,600 or so.

The wheelbase on the concept car is nearly the same as the Pontiac GTO, and it weighs 3,700 officially. If the Challenger weighs more than that it will be a factor in swaying my decision to buy something else. I don't want to drive a car that feels like a fat pig oinking over the road.

3.

AMEN. Finally someone who understands how weight affects performance. Search my posts and you will see I have tried to make this point several times.

Yes horsepower will help E.T.'s. But anything a 425hp, 4100 lb car can do, a 425hp 3500lb car will do much better. I don't want the car for 1/4 mile sprints. I enjoy the curves too!

And what is wrong with wanting to have a sixth gear for better fuel consumption and less wear and tear on the drivetrain?

[mike the tiger]

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS IF YOU WANT TO SELL NEW CARS and CREATE A GOOD SECOND HAND MARKET (IN ORDER TO SELL MORE NEW CARS TO REPEAT BUYERS):

1st year R/T: 5.7 5 speed and 5 auto

2nd year: same R/T and SRT8 6.1 5 speed and 5 auto

3rd year: 6 speed auto and 6 speed manual and more retro colors

4th year: 6.4 and shaker

5th year: 7 L cuda option and black hood

6th year: same

7th year: You can the CHALLENGER and find a new car that will drive people crazy!

It will certainly not be exactly like that...but this is the general picture: IF ONE WAITS FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY OR IS READY TO TRADE FOR AN UPGRADE, ONE WILL GET THE EXACT CHALLENGER HE WANTS! ALL YOU NEED IS LOTS OF $ AND PATIENCE! THIS IS WHY AND HOW CAPITALISM WORKS!

[MikeF]

If DCX wants an up-to-date Challenger then a 6 speed is the only manual transmission option in a premium performance car. A 5 speed is fine for a base 6-cyl and a base 8-cyl but for any SRT equivalent it's not up to standard. So it should be a 6 speed from the start on any R/T or SRT car. Like I said before that will be a deal-breaker for me, I like the idea of a retro muscle car but I expect the latest motor, tranny and brakes on it. If I wanted a 5 speed, I could buy a Fox body Mustang much cheaper today without waiting a year or two.

[firstmethod]

I'm with MikeF on this one. I have nothing but the utmost respect for DCX for listening to their fans and stepping up to the plate by greenlighting, but my tendency is to stall any purchase until they go the extra mile by putting the right hardware in the car. For myself this means 6-speed manual and at minimum a 392. If they never do this during the entire production run of the car then I will select the highest end challenger produced during the entire run and purchase it used at ultra low milage (and a significant discount) the moment production ceases.