![]() It powered through 90-degree corners with minimal body lean, throttle easy to play so the rears delivered without breakaway. In tighter corners, the wider track and extra rubber gave youth to Challenger’s dated platform and let the Mercedes-derived rear axle from the late 1990s shine. It danced very well, wider track and Pirellis keeping it glued better than past, skinner Challengers. I could tap a downshift as I braked into a curve, then power through with no issue. It didn’t feel nose-heavy, despite its 55/45-front/rear bias with a HEMI up there. In Sport, the rear stayed settled in turns when bobbled. With the wider patch of Pirelli P-ZEROs, those winding back roads saw the R/T in its element, aided by the Widebody’s added rubber and suspension. But the stiff body structure uttered nary a creak over any bumps. When set in Track mode, it really tightened the ride, knife-edged with super quick rebound, just a bit too hard for daily driving. It was a bit too firm for daily use on so-so roads, but didn’t beat us up. When curved and slightly hilly roads beckoned on a dry drive, Sport was the choice, backing off traction control just enough as the ride got firmer, a hint of compliance on tightly-handled rebound off bumps. The go-to for highway and commuting use was Auto, which was firmly sprung but nicely buffered as it absorbed bumps and asphalt patches quickly, a quick-yet-supple edge to rebound. The result, even during a mostly damp weekend of long-distance holiday driving, was supple and well mannered. ![]() Our R/T Scat Pack Widebody is 3.5-inches wider with those Hellcat-like flares, which means bigger Pirellis as well as our three-mode Adaptive Damping. We nudged 18-mpg on premium on the highway, but dipped to 11 mpg after playing in Sport.Ĭhallengers start with independent short/long-arm front suspension, and a five-link independent rear with gas-charged Bilstein ADS shock absorbers. In Track and Sport modes, the engine blipped clean downshifts, never going into the wrong gear when asked to work, staying in gear when needed. The car’s traction control handled wheelspin well when left on, or even when partway off in Sport. The SCAT PACK WIDEBODY: DODGE CHALLENGER R/T bellowed mightily, each decisive shift accompanied by an exhaust “VRRRUMPP” – subtle this isn’t. We had more wheelspin in first-to-second, a slight sideways wiggle as we hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, and 100 mph in 9.4. Then there’s launch control – tap the console button, hold brake and gas, then the gauge display says “Go.” It launched hard with wheelspin off the line, then traction control caught. Track mode gave full power immediately, plus tighter steering feel and very sharp-edged suspension response. We consistently saw 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, short strips of rubber at launch. Sport was a daily choice with big power from throttle tip-in, and quicker downshifts to get more. ![]() There’s also an easy-to-use launch control button.Īuto gave us ample power for any use, passing accessible as it tried not to downshift for economy. The first two stiffen suspension and steering feel, speed up shifts, back off traction control and enable paddle shifters, Custom lets you adjust all that, or Auto reacts to road and driver, with economy shifts and no paddles allowed. It also had Drive Mode, which configures transmission, paddle shifters, suspension, traction control and steering feel in Sport, Track, Custom or Auto settings. Our 5,000-mile-old coupe had a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic with manual mode and paddle shifters, but a manual is available. The R/T Widebody wakes up the neighborhood with remote start on the key fob, its HEMI barking lustily to life. Our 4,308-pound 6.4-liter V-8 R/T Scat Pack with 485 horsepower 6,100 rpm, and 475 pound-feet of torque 4,100 rpm SCAT PACK WIDEBODY: DODGE CHALLENGER R/T, is smack in the middle. My own test of a ‘16 Hellcat with 707 horsepower netted 0 to 60-mph in 3.6 seconds. Dodge has an answer: A Challenger Hellcat Redeye that can sprint to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds, run the quarter-mile (when equipped right) in 10.8 seconds, and top out at just over 200 mph. We may want a 797 horsepower ’20 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, but what if our budget doesn’t stretch that far for a monster musclecar – $72,000! No problem. And, it’s almost as fast, blogs CGC’s Dan Scanlan. Dodge’s 485-horsepower Challenger Widebody looks like a Redeye, is about 160 pounds lighter, and is $20,000-ish less.
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