One point to remember: Yes, the Challenger is capable of mid 20's and higher on the highway, but that mileage is usually much lower in mixed and city driving, which is what a lot of people drive daily. Many 4 cyl. cars are capable of significantly higher mileage when driven in mixed/city conditions. For instance, my Scion will return about 35 mph at a steady 65 mph on the highway, but will also return 30-32 when driven mostly city/mixed.
If you drive mostly city/urban, a smaller engine will generally net much greater mileage than the Hemi. I can barely get 15 driving in the city/mixed driving, and I am a very conservative driver.
Just food for thought. As a daily urban commuter, the Challenger (Hemi) is a poor performer.
In worse case driving short trips stop and go, 8 minute commute, I get 15 mpg city in my challenger, and my 2.4L 1000 pound lighter car, AND 15 is what I got in my SE. The only difference was the 2.4L gets up to speed slow, with weak torque, the SE was ok but slow ish, and no power at full throttle, and the 5.7L has low end torque at 2000 rpm, easly beeting the 2.4L at WOT.
Yes the 2.4L gets 20 city with more driving and my wife in the car, but the Challenger can get pretty close to that.
On the highway the 2.4L gets 24-26, 5.7L about 26.
If I use wot from nearly every start, yes mpg goes to about 10 with the 5.7L
Thing I notice is if you take a car that offers a 4 or v6 the mpg is about 1-2 different, if a car offers v6 or v8, its again 1-2 mpg different. For me that 2-4 mpg difference to go from 170-400 hp is well worth it, and my 5.7L exceds my 2.4L on the highway.
Look at the SRT-8 100 hp over the R/T and you only loose 1 mpg? Add a super charger for +100 - +125 and most see same or in some cases better mpg (assuming no wot starts) so now your talking 570 hp for 1 mpg less than the 370 hp r/t? Why would you want a 172 hp 2.4L when this 6.4L 570 hp engine only looses 1-2 mpg?
Lets say your hiring workers to build a house. Its $30.00/hr for one person, or $37.00 /hr for 4 quality workers, why woudnt you want the 4 workers?
The only case a 4 cylender makes sense is cars like the scion, prias, yaris, or 2000 pound cars, and when they use a 1.0-1.5L, they you truely get better mpg, but when you look at a decent size car with a decent size 4, you have nearly identical mpg as a v6 in the car, and you loose so much torque, its not worth it.
My 3200 pound 2.4L 172hp 0-60 10 second caliber gets 15 mpg city(going to work), and 24-26 highway at 70 mph
My 250hp 3.5L SE got 15 mpg city, and 27-27.5 mpg highway with 8 second 0-60
My 4300 pound 400+hp 5.7L gets 15 mpg city, and 26-27 mpg highway with a 5.0-5.5 second 0-60 (traction issues)
All 3 are driving the same path, same way. Highway is easing up to 70 and driving with cc flat at 70. The city is short trips to work.
I see no advantage in this situation to having anything less than a v8. If you want better mpg, they should produce an aluminum 3.5L DOHC v8 with headers, and MDS. Thats your echono car, a replacement for the V6 AND 4 cylender.
The SE should use somethign like the 318 back from the 70's but with modern electronics, aluminum, etc, but with the v8 you still have the low end torque, and with mds you have the increased mpg, and with a 5 speed, or the new 8 speed thats comming theres your fuel echonomy.
They should have took the pentistar technology and put it on a 3.5L v8 and put that in ALL 4 cylender and v6 cars. I bet that would make the caliber get better than 15/25 like I get, AND they would all have power to. The nearly 300hp SRT-4 gets better mpg than the 172 hp version, so I say a 3.5L 300hp all alluminum pentistar with multi-air and mds and the 8 speed, would not only have low end torque, but also get better mpg than the 2.4L 172 hp engine, despite the fact its about 200 pounds heavier.
Top gear did a test comparring the 45-50 mpg rated prias flat out on the track vs 400hp v8 bmw. The big heavy, luxery gas guzzling v8 BMW's job was keep up, or provide same level thrust as the prias. Gues which is more effeciant? highest mpg car on the market providing slow performance, or a big heavy v8 providing the same level power but doing it with little effort?
Prias got 17 mpg on the track, thats right, 45 mpg rated car got 17, bmw got 19 providing the same level performance.
This shows how when you over work a small engine its not as effeciant, and is why the v6 version of a v8 car only gets 1-2 mpg better sticker, and in realty for some only 1 mpg, but the v6 does it by getting up to speed slower.
I would love to have an SE pace me to work, while I dont excede 2500 rpm, most of the time 2000 rpm, and see what the SE gets mpg. First of all the SE is going to need a lot of throttle to keep up with the 5.7L even at 2000 rpm, so its going to be less effeciant.
No disrespect to the SE, for many 8 second 0-60 is plenty fast, and they dont care about power at wot, but to me I like having torque at 1500-2000 rpm, and not needing 3500 rpm to feal like Im actually moving, or the occasional wot to keep up is important.
I drive the 5.7L on trips if for nothing else because it gets 1-2 mpg better highway mpg at 70 mph than my 2.4L does. The 5.7L is my echono car.
