A walk around the block for the last time
While the rest of the world had long been busy downsizing, hybridizing and electrifying, Dodge still had its head in the sand. But with the production stop of the Charger and the Challenger, the era of the mighty roaring V8 has come to an end. As a tribute to the muscle car, we take the 717 hp Challenger Hellcat around the block for the last time.
The Dodge Challenger, it had been out of production for a long time, right?
You would think so. Yet the last one did not leave the production line until December 2023. After a career of almost 16 years, that is. The Challenger has endured for a very long time, including the necessary interim facelifts, upgrades and touch-up sessions. And to think that the model was not the most modern upon its debut. The 2001 Mercedes E-class, from the time when Dodge was part of the DaimlerChrysler group, served as the technical basis for the Challenger and Charger.
The Challenger and the Charger, what about that again?
The Charger was presented in 2006 as a four-door model, while this name has traditionally been linked to a powerful two-door coupe, better known as a muscle car. The first generation Charger dates from 1966, but the second (1968-1970) is much better known, not least because it played the leading role in the 1980s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. In 1970, Dodge added a similar model to the range with the Challenger, but more compact and more elegantly designed. Both models remained in production until the mid-to-late 1980s. After the presentation of the new (four-door) Charger in 2006, the new Challenger followed two years later, a modern interpretation of the original model.
The cars are therefore out of production. Why then a driving test?
The honest answer: because it is possible. At the end of 2022, Jan Lemkes already made a nice video with the Charger Hellcat, but we had not yet had the Challenger. We won’t often get the chance to go out with such a powerful naturally aspirated V8. Moreover, there are still a few hundred in stock in Bremerhaven, so you can still buy it new for the time being. If you want one with a Dutch license plate, you have to be in good hands. Such a Challenger Hellcat emits quite a bit of CO2 and that means a huge bpm hit on the fingers. Expect prices between 2.5 and 3.5 tons. While in Germany you can have it on your doorstep for about a third of that amount…
Which version of the Challenger should you have?
That depends on whether you want a brutal one, a very brutal one or an even more brutal one. Or something in between. Dodge doesn’t do subtlety, unless you find a 3.6 V6 with 305 hp subtle. But of course you want a Hemi V8, and then you can choose from a 5.7 with 370 hp, a 6.4 with 485 hp or a 6.2 with supercharger. The latter is available with 717 or 807 hp. Over the years, Dodge has introduced all kinds of special versions of the Challenger to maintain attention for the model. From Demon to Hellcat, from Scat Pack to Jail Break; one version even more extreme than the other. The last series is appropriately known as ‘Last Call’, but today we are going out with the ‘good old’ Hellcat with Widebody, so with extra wide wheel arches.
Shouldn’t you have taken the version with 807 hp?
It is a rainy day, the country roads around the Assen circuit (where we pick up the car because Dodge is the sponsor of the Superbike World Championship) are wet and narrow, so whether we set off with 717 or 807 hp, that difference will make a difference. we really don’t notice it. It’s tricky enough to keep the Challenger between the lines at all. If you want, you can spin the rear wheels at any time. The automatic transmission doesn’t even have to downshift.
Is that even feasible, a V8 with 717 hp on wet roads?
Not really. You really have to drive with a velvet right foot because too much gas is guaranteed to cause the rear wheels to spin violently. On the highway we even have wheelspin straight ahead at 120 km/h. There’s just way too much power and way too little grip. The only advantage for the 20-inch Pirelli P Zeros of size 305/35 is that they will lose little profile today. It makes driving the Hellcat a challenge because the ESP system only comes into action when the rear end has already taken off. And that in the most ‘beautiful’ driving mode. Via the touchscreen you can choose Sport, Track or Custom, where you can influence the tuning of things such as steering, dampers, shifting behavior, traction control and the stability system. We have been given the ‘red key’, which means we have access to the full power. Concerned parents can give their offspring the black key, then the power will be limited to a paltry 500 hp… Line Lock fits completely in with Dodge’s tomboy philosophy, a function with which the front brakes keep the car in place while the rear wheels have free play. to ‘warm things up’.
What else does the Challenger have to offer besides an insane amount of power?
To get back to that: the engine is really the big attraction of this car. That supercharger that keeps howling, that eight-cylinder that keeps growling, that power that just keeps coming. It’s downright addictive. Too bad the exhaust sound doesn’t quite match it. Our test car was delivered according to German ‘factory specifications’ and that means a relatively modest contribution from the exhaust system to the total fun package.
For the rest: taking its age into account, the Challenger steers quite sharply and the chassis is quite communicative. Yes, the use of materials and finishing are somewhat coarse here and there. Moreover, you clearly feel that you are traveling with a lot of car, both in terms of size and weight. The seating position is actually too high, which does not contribute to a sporty experience. ‘Sporty’ is not the right word for this car either. He goes fast, but like a hippo goes fast. It’s definitely not an antelope. This car is especially brutal.
Is it worth its crazy high price?
Objectively not at all, but subjectively… There is no other car that does what the Challenger does with so much unabashed clumsiness and extravaganza. It must be to your taste, that’s for sure.
The Charger and Challenger are out of production. What now?
They are combined into a completely new model: the Charger Daytona. Again with the necessary retro looks and with a three- or five-door body, because it is a real hatchback. At first we thought it would only be available as an EV, but Dodge is not saying goodbye to the petrol engine yet. The V8 does. Its place is taken by a three-liter six-cylinder in-line engine (!) with twin turbos. 550 hp is the highest power for the time being, but that is certainly not the final destination. The Charger Daytona will be launched on the market early next year through the official Stellantis dealer network, also in the Netherlands. Only as an EV, that is…
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl