First Comparison SRT, R/T & SE

[Cuda340]

The Detroit News compared the three Challenger models. Here is the write-up:

All Challengers deliver, but SRT8 is built to perform

NEW YORK CITY -- The trio is complete.

The 2009 Dodge Challengers have arrived and they're starting to roll into dealerships. There's the mega Challenger, the SRT8; the high-charging R/T and the base model SE, which starts at $21,995. The wide range creates the possibility that everyone in American can have a Challenger. Wouldn't that be a sight? A sea of orange racers cruising down the road, windows down and the drivers' left arms folded neatly out the window in repose.

Recently, I had a chance to test all three around New York City and even after the flight back to Detroit, I could not pry the grin off of my face.

These cruisers share stunning good looks: Part modern retro with carefully drawn lines that point back to its inspiration, the 1970 Challenger T/A, and part present day beefcake. It's a head turning mixture for certain.

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While driving the R/T to Raceway Park in northern New Jersey, most of the people I passed (and you'll pass more people than people pass you) did a double take, hitting their own accelerator to catch up and pop off a few pictures with their cell phone. Normally in New Jersey, when people speed up next to you, it is not to take your picture but rather suggest you're No. 1 -- at least that's what I think that hand gesture means. Even though the 2008 SRT8 arrived in May with more fanfare than an Obama rally, people still take a few moments to look over any Challenger.

To a layman, all of the Challengers look the same: Long hood, short deck, big tires and small windows. But there are subtle differences. The V-6 SE model only has one tail pipe, the R/T has a smaller, body-colored spoiler and the SRT8 has a larger black spoiler. And new for the 2009 lineup, the SRT8 and R/T include manual transmissions with the legendary pistol grip shifter.

All three models share lots of parts, of course, and they measure front to rear and side to side exactly the same. Inside, the SRT8 has upgraded seats that hold you tighter in place than its road riders that cost less, but most of the changes inside are minor.

Really, I'd like to have seen a little more luxury in the SRT8, maybe leather on the dash or a few more touches that show me it's good value for the $40,000 check someone cuts for it. But even in this top-of-the-line Challenger, you're supposed to be driving it, not stroking the dash. The point of this car is performance, not petting.

Here's what I like: All three's engine notes, with the SRT8's rumbling through your spine and lifting all the hair on your neck with a throaty song when you mash the gas.

The SE tends to strain more than sing when it takes off from a light. You would too if you were trying to launch 3,700 pounds -- a lot of weight for any car. The R/T has a little more tenor in its note that you can almost sing along with as you laugh and bop behind the leather wrapped steering wheel.

The interior is fine. The black single-piece dash flows across the cabin nicely and there's lots of room in the Challenger. The only thing unsightly is the top of the dash that stretches out to the base of the windshield. There's a lot of real-estate there and it's distracting. But the suede door inserts, and nice details such as the large control knobs on the center stacks keep the look clean.

More important, all three models are very quiet on the road. You won't have to crank the 368-watt optional stereo just to hear yourself think. You can talk to the person in the second row -- which is larger than that of any current muscle car. You also can talk on the phone without using your hands via the UConnect Bluetooth phone system. This works very well and helps you not look like one of those people with an electronic growth on their ear. Additionally, Dodge added an iPod interface that allows you to plug in your musical player, recharge it and operate it through the touch screen on the nav system.

Speaking of the optional navigation system, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Chrysler LLC -- the owner of the Dodge brand -- has moved away from the awful system that uses a little joy stick on the bottom right corner. The touch screen is easy to use, the maps are clean, and when I got lost, I was able to find Raceway Park after a detour on Route 287.

There are other differences with each model. Most striking is that performance improves exponentially with each step up, making the $20,000 difference between top of the line and base model worth every penny.

On a track, the ultimate choice is the SRT8 and its battle tested 6.1-liter Hemi V-8. The racing-tuned suspension, which includes independent front, Bilstein monotube gas-charged shocks on all four corners and a five-link independent rear, keeps the car stuck to the ground like a soldier during a mortar attack. I tried to get the back end to buck around on 180 degree turns -- but even with 425 horsepower, I couldn't budge it with the electronic stability control on. This is mostly because the stability program cuts out the car's throttle and won't let you power your way out of turns -- it's electronically saving me from myself. Even when I turned off the traction control, which shuts down the throttle override (but leaves on the stability control), the SRT8 stays well planted and requires very bad driving to push the back end around -- something I still managed to do.

The R/T, with its 5.7-Hemi V-8 that produces 376 horsepower, helped me look like Drifter Dan on the track. The softer ride lets the R/T spin in style. It's a hoot on the track and a pleasure on the road. The suspension, which is not as high strung as the SRT8, remains stable on the track, but the body will roll a little more and the car has a little more give and take. Also, the braking is not nearly as precise or strong.

The SE, with its 3.5-liter V-6 still offers a good ride and with only 250 horses (still an impressive amount) is fun to drive. It gives you all the same looks as the SRT8 but without the speeding tickets. The SE only comes with a four-speed automatic.

Here's the dilemma I find myself wrestling with when considering either the R/T or the SE. Both have a starting price under $30,000 and one is a V-8 while the other is a V-6. Today, if your biggest concern is mileage, the SE gets 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile the R/T gets 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. That's only a two-miles-per-gallon difference.

The reason, of course, is the 5.7-liter V-8 uses Chrysler's cylinder shut off system that allows the R/T to travel down the highway with four cylinders shut off. I'm leaning toward the R/T.

But if performance is what you crave in a Challenger, the SRT8 is the one.

The lineup mix is simple and complete.

Find a Challenger that fits your needs and race from there. They're all good rides.

[Cuda340]

Motor Trend also published its first review of the Challenger R/T. See:

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2009 Dodge Challenger SE - First Drive - Motor Trend

[ChuckG]

You're killing me Cuda. My god, what do I have to do. Order one of these things?

You made my nite Cuda. Be gentle next time.

[Venthos]

Makes me proud to be in the metro-Detroit area when the Detroit News sucks it up pretty hardcore at english.

Originally Posted by Detroit News

...that everyone in American can have a Challenger

Come on...

Maybe they can talk about the folks up north who live in "Canadian" getting their '08s.

That embarrassment aside, great article

[CaptainZap]

Try this, guys: Go to news.google.com, type challenger r/t in the search box and click search news. You'll find links to articles from motor trend, car & driver, automobile magazine, jalopnik, detroit news and more. All posted within the last 24 hours - as I write this. It's an editorial embargo dambreak!

Happy reading!

[RRHemi]

That R/T has an emblem on the rear spoiler!

[09R/T_Semper]

I noticed that too. Makes me wonder if it's a pre-pro car, or if we have to order the car in Inferno Red to get the R/T emblem. :P

[Cuda340]

Here is the full Jalopnik review. There are a few errors, however. It quotes the R/T's 0-60 mph at "just over 7 sec." They got it confused with the SE. Also, they state that the 6-speed manual SRT has MDS. See:

2009 Dodge Challenger

Last month''s review of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 may have seemed to some a blinding orgy of Detroit love. Having just moved from Detroit to New York City, I was homesick and was seemingly in need of a shot of Motor City muscle. Still, I offer no apology, because despite the rose-colored glasses, I managed to outline the three glaring issues with the low-volume ''08 model year Challenger SRT8 — the outdated interior, the weight and most importantly, the automatic transmission. After spending a day this past week driving the new 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, SRT8 and SE on the roads of New York City and on the Raceway Park track at Englishtown, NJ, Dodge has fixed at least one-third of the Challenger''s problems. That''s a good thing for Dodge, because I left the rose-colored glasses back in Detroit.

The 2009 model year takes the Challenger from a low-volume quasi-halo muscle car to a full lineup of three separate trim levels, each with their own engine flavor. The base model SE starts at $21,995, getting a 3.5-liter High Ouput V6 producing 250 HP and an equal number of lb-ft of torque. The top model''s still the SRT8, at a starting price of $39,995 and powered by the reliable and huge 6.1-liter Hemi V8 with 425 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque. The middle-of-the-pack R/T hits the showroom floor at a starting price of $29,995 and comes with the 5.7-liter Hemi engine under the hood, producing either 370 HP and 398 lb-ft of torque (when running on premium fuel) or 375 HP and 404 lb-ft of torque, depending on which transmission it''s mated to.

Wait, what? Multiple transmissions? Yes muscle car fans, it''s what two of these models'' engines are mated to that''ll give Jalopnik readers cause for celebration. Both the R/T and the SRT8 get an optional Tremec T6060 six-speed manual transmission ported from the Dodge Viper. The option''s only available on the Hemi-fied R/T and SRT8 versions, so if you want the V6-powered SE, you''ll only end up getting a four-speed automatic. Pity.

The R/T gets another couple of nice features as part of the $995 "Track Pack" manual package — a Hill-start Assist (which was a very nice feature on some of the hills around our drive through New Jersey), a limited-slip differential (the SRT8 gets the LSD standard) and a tuned exhaust system (SRT8 manual gets this as well) that sounds great in the lower gear shifts.

On the road, both the manual Challenger R/T and the Challenger SRT8 felt oodles more satisfying to drive. Both benefit greatly from new multi-displacement technology, with the R/T in both auto-stick and manual transmission models 16 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway. The 2009 SRT8 gets the same piss-poor 13 MPG city, 19 MPG highway as the 2008 model, but the MDS-equipped manual transmission gives you an extra mile in the city and an extra three on the highway.

Setting aside the benefits of the manual on the road, it''s the track where it really becomes useful. Although the 2008 SRT8's automatic transmission had a +/- gate auto-stick mode, I really felt it to be too gimmicky for anything other than making a businessman feel like he was the big man at a stoplight. It''s certainly not a transmission you''ll feel comfortable using anywhere other than a drag strip — at least not if you want to keep your dignity and control safely intact. Which is why we were excited to hit the Englishtown track. Thanks to coning designed to keep drivers like me from becoming a smear on a wall, I didn''t even get the car out of second or third gear on the track. Unfortunate for me, yes, but quite fortunately for the Challenger''s clutch plates.

Still, despite the aggressive coning, the smooth clutch gave me greater confidence, and the pistol-grip shifter available with the "Track Pack" felt more comfortable in my hand than the original 70's it's kinda-sorta modeled after. But, a manual shifter alone doesn't make a track car.

The Challenger's still a fatty, as we found when we scrubbed the front tires on the first too-tight turn at speed around the Englishtown course in the R/T and later on in the course with an SRT8. Thanks to the RWD platform, with the nanny system turned all the way off, you''re still able to steer with your right foot, just like the 2008 Challenger SRT8 and every other LX-platformed SRT8 and R/T.

So which of the three, if any, is the right choice for you? Sorry the SE's automatic transmission and low horsepower mated to a heavy RWD car ensure this will compete not for our attention, but with Midwestern hairdressers as the car of choice to replace their V6 Mustang.

If you're a muscle car madman needing a 0-to-60 time of five seconds, you'll probably want the SRT8, as Dodge estimates the R/T's time to be somewhere just over seven seconds. Sure, you could beat the pants off the SRT8 in a straight-line with a Shelby GT500, but it''ll cost you significantly more and I''m not sure it''ll take to the track any better.

Still, despite the SRT8''s bigger engine, we''re not sure the 30% higher sticker price justifies the 10% higher horsepower. In our mind, if you want a modern muscle car, the R/T may be right in the sweet spot. In terms of looks, you''ll get the same (maybe more with the double-black hood stripes and functional hood stripes of the "Classic" package) double-takes as its stronger brother, the same horrifyingly plastic interior, and you''ll do it for a much cheaper sticker price and an almost 20% higher fuel economy rating.

Either way, whether you choose an R/T or an SRT8, you''ll still get a Challenger with a manual transmission. Like we said, 2009''s better than 2008 by at least one-third.

2009 Dodge Challenger: 2009 Dodge Challenger

[Cuda340]

Edmunds Review of R/T:

ENGLISHTOWN, New Jersey — There has been lots of speculation about the speed of the new 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T with its 375-horsepower 5.7-liter V8, and we were able to conduct our own independent testing at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, the site of the official introduction of the 2009 Dodge Challenger lineup.

This is the very first chance to test the performance of Chrysler's new muscle car in R/T trim. Our data includes 0-60-mph acceleration, quarter-mile performance, braking distance and slalom speed, as well as insight from IL's test-driver.

Chrysler based its introduction of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8, R/T and SE at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, a traditional stop for the NHRA's professional drag-racing championship. Thanks to our portable Racelogic VBOX III testing gear, we were able to use the track for performance testing, although the lack of a suitable plot of pavement precluded skid pad evaluation.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T with its 375-hp 5.7-liter V8 and six-speed manual transmission accelerated to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds (5.5 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), then reached the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 100.8 mph. In comparison, the 315-hp 2008 Mustang Bullitt we tested late last year with a 4.6-liter V8 and Tremec five-speed manual transmission ran to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds. The Bullitt also ran a 13.8-second quarter-mile at 102.1 mph.

At 4,041 pounds, the R/T weighs about 100 pounds less than a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with a six-speed transmission. In fact the R/T is only fractionally slower to 60 mph than the SRT8's 5.5 seconds (5.2 seconds with 1 foot of rollout). The difference lies in the higher redline of the SRT8's 425-hp 6.1-liter Hemi, which enables the car to pull past 60 mph in 2nd gear. In comparison, the R/T requires a shift into 3rd gear.



Full performance data is listed below:

Acceleration:
0-30 mph 2.5 seconds
0-45 mph 4.0 seconds
0-60 mph 5.9 seconds
0-75 mph 8.4 seconds
1/4-mile 14.1 seconds at 100.8 mph
0-60 mph with 1 foot of rollout 5.5 seconds

Braking:
30-0 mph 29 feet
60-0 mph 126 feet

Slalom (600 feet) 62.4 mph

Test Driver Comments
With its Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, the R/T is a little trickier to launch than the SRT8 with its sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. The grip of the RS-As disappears quickly, so only the first two or three launches are worth measuring. Still, a 3,200-rpm launch worked well enough to bag consistent runs to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. The Tremec six-speed with its pistol-grip shifter feels robust but is still easy to operate. During braking tests, the first stop was the best at 126 feet, growing to 132 by the end. Pedal effort remained moderately firm throughout testing and only a little hot-brake odor was evident. Despite a button and light indicating to the contrary, the ESP is not all the way off. As we would expect, the R/T offers more grip, better turn-in and yaw response compared to the V6-powered SE, but nowhere near the capability of an SRT8.

Performance Tested: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

[Cuda340]

Edmunds' test of SE:

Performance Tested: 2009 Dodge Challenger SE
Date posted: 08-16-2008

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ENGLISHTOWN, New Jersey — The 2009 Dodge Challenger SE is the new, affordable addition to the 2009 Dodge Challenger lineup. Following the official introduction of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SE at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, we conducted our own independent testing of the entry-level coupe with its 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V6.

The business case for the Dodge Challenger depends on volume sales, not just specialty cars like the 425-hp SRT8 model, and Chrysler believes the Challenger SE can become a mainstream coupe, a two-door alternative to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.

This is the very first chance to test the performance of Chrysler's new muscle car with the V6 engine. The data includes 0-60-mph acceleration, quarter-mile performance, braking distance and slalom speed, as well as insight from IL's test driver.

Chrysler based its introduction of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8, R/T and SE at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, a traditional stop for the NHRA's professional drag-racing championship. Thanks to our portable Racelogic VBOX III testing gear, we were able to use the track for performance testing, although the lack of a suitable plot of pavement precluded skid pad evaluation.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger SE with its 250-hp 3.5-liter V6 and four-speed automatic transmission accelerated to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds (7.8 seconds with 1 foot of rollout), then reached the quarter-mile in 16.1 seconds at 88.3 mph.