What will the Dodge Challenger weigh?

[Big Country]

Originally Posted by Challenger_Nut

I hate to be the one that bust the bubble but the concept car is a PIG!

According to CAR AND DRIVER it weighs 4100 lbs.
Not only that it's, 197.8 Legnth
57.0 Height
115.9 Wheelbase

Compare that to the following:

1970 Challenger
3600 to 3800 lbs (depending on the source and motor)
191.3 Legnth
50.9 Height
110.0 Wheelbase

2005 300C SRT-8
4160 lbs
196.8 Legnth
57.9 Height
120.0 Wheelbase

2005 Mustang GT
3483 lbs
188.0 Legnth
55.4 Height
107.1 Wheelbase

I love the original Challenger but always wished it was a bit shorter. So when I heard of the possibility of a new Challenger to compete with the new Mustwang. I thought great it should be comparable in weight and size to it. Unfortunatly I was wrong it's as as big as the 300C. This should not be a two door Chager or 300C. It should have the dimensions of a Pony car.

I like the over all look of the car and give credit to the design team However I have some comments.

-It is too tall. Look at the front view with the guy in the driver seat. Look how tall the sides look and how high the grill opening is from the ground. It needs that ground hugging look not like it's walking on it's tip toes.

-The roof is too long and raises up ay the rear when it should be sloping down.(I know this is for rear headroom but this ain't a family sedan DCX).

-The back end needs to be a little lower. BTW the tail lihts and bumper look phenomanal! The bumper just needs to tuck under a little more.

-Due to the height of the car the front and rear from the side view look too blunt. Not enough rake to the approach and departure angles. The side view of the grill opening (upper part) looks amazing with it's deep recess and pointed mouth.

- The sides of the car need a little definition, as in a lower accent line similar to the orig. car.

-The dash and interior needs to look sporty not so generic.

I have other observations most of which would be corrected with smaller proportions. I uderstand this is a concept and could change. If the car was scaled down I uderstand some of this would be taken care of.

Hopefully DCX would do some focus groups with some diehard Challenger fans before finlizing the production version. However if the introduction date is 18 t0 24 months out the finalization has pretty much already been done.

I applaude DCX for doing this and don't want anyone to think that I don't want this car. I just feel that it needs to be done right. Us Chrysler fanatics have waited over thirty years for this.

I hope DCX is listening and make it a proper Pony car not some overweight full size two door.

Sincerly, Ed

Like other people said, the weight Car and Driver gave was a complete guess. They don't have a clue how much it will actually weigh. And just as others have pointed out, the Challenger has'nt even been built on the platform that it will eventually ride on yet, the LY platform. This is where they will save some weight. Hard to say how much, but it will help. Don't forget, there is a possibility of carbon fiber (or some other lightweight material) being used in areas too. I read somwhere that the whole body on the current prototype is carbon fiber, but I don't know if this is true. The hood definitely is though, you can tell it in the stripes.

The reason it's so long is to give everybody that retro look that people have been begging and pleading for. The DCX engineers who designed the car said originally it was shorter, with less overhangs in front and behind the wheels, but it didn't give it the proper stance for the retro look. So in order to give people what they wanted, the retro look, they had to lengthen the car. You can't have the best of everything. Same thing goes with the interior. The gauge pod was designed to resemble looking down on the engine block in the top of the cylinders. And when you look closely at a picture of the instrument cluster, it does in fact resemble that a little bit. It even has a telemetry gauge (the one furtherest to the left) that will tell 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times, and top speed for every gear. Seats are straight from the SRT8's, which means they will be fine, and everything else looks fine IMO although I'd prefer modern font on the gauges instead of the font from the original Challenger, but I could live with what they have.

The bottom line is it's not going to exactly resemble the old Challenger. I feel they have done a great job of blending the retro look with some modern styling touches, and judging by the overwhelming positive responses this car is getting, I doubt they will change it much at all by production time. The major concern of everybody is the weight, but we have to wait and see what it will tip the scales at once riding on the LY platform.

[Big Country]

Originally Posted by Hemidakota

Around the same weight as the Mustang.

V6 3.5, V8 5.7, V8 6.1, & V8 6.4

You all will learn to pay close attention to what this man says...lol. Trust me on this one.

[Sr4tuner]

i suspect upper mid 3000's
the ly will only reduce it like 300 pounds
varying on the engine though

[Sr4tuner]

oh yeah big country the seats are not the same as the srt-8 but close they use a tuck and roll style i believe it says that in c&d and r&t

[cobra22]

Dodge better not drop the ball on this. 3800. no more. (although i would really like to see 3500 and the 425 6.1/ can you say 12s)

[19 psi]

i dont think it should wiegh more than 3300

[Vanishing Point]

Originally Posted by Challenger_Nut

I hate to be the one that bust the bubble but the concept car is a PIG!

Yea, and the best part is the new one will still kick the butt of the original one in performance,handling,technology....and for that matter every other category with its extra weight . However,having an old one,the only benefit would be the collectability......but then again who cares....I want a car I can drive and enjoy anytime I want without worrying, while we're all here for a very short time. Different strokes for different folks I guess....and the weight thing does not bother me at all....I'm living for today,not yesterday.

[M3SMG02]

Originally Posted by Vanishing Point

Yea, and the best part is the new one will still kick the butt of the original one in performance,handling,technology....and for that matter every other category with its extra weight . However,having an old one,the only benefit would be the collectability......but then again who cares....I want a car I can drive and enjoy anytime I want without worrying, while we're all here for a very short time. Different strokes for different folks I guess....and the weight thing does not bother me at all....I'm living for today,not yesterday.

Touche', VP.

Even if it weighs 4160lbs in production trim it will STILL out-everthing any 1970 Challenger. I believe it will weigh less when they finally produce it, as the chief complaint of the current LX Series of cars is excessive weight. But, the reviewers STILL say they all carry their weight very well.

She'll still be a rather hefty GT, probably weighing in at @ 3700-3800lbs, but, who cares? She'll be on a 116" wheelbase, wide tracks, and (at least) 425hp to get under way - fast! Even my '02 M3 Cabriolet weighs in at 3700lbs and she is the gold standard for performance in her class. And, my '06 300c/SRT8, with all options, has no problem turning cars in my rear view mirror into so many blips...

It's all over but the waiting.

LJB

[Mike Penner]

My gut tells me it will wind up weighing between 3800-4000 lbs. I really hope it is 3800, WITH a 6.1L hemi.

[allhemi]

I just hope they can find a way to loose something if it's only 200-300lbs....