2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Waterville ME

November 3, 2009   By Steve Siler, DriverSide Contributor



2008 Dodge Challenger
DriverSide Overview
The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 is a reverent reinterpretation of one of Mopar’s quintessential musclecars, the 1970 Challenger. A near clone of the well received 2006 Dodge Challenger concept, the super-high-performance, 425 hp SRT-8 is the first Challenger model to be launched. With a base price of $37,320, the SRT-8 will be the top of the Challenger line and will be joined later in the year by the less expensive R/T and SE variants, powered by 340 hp V-8 and 250 hp V-6 engines, respectively. As a first-year model of what could be a dying breed, the Challenger SRT-8 is rare, collectible and pretty damn cool, if you ask us.








What's to Like   
Nothing says badass like a quartet of scowling, scalped headlamps, even if the centermost two are amber daytime running lamps (DRLs). The mood, flavor, sounds and acceleration each evoke nostalgia for all things shaggy. Road-holding, however - a notoriously weak aspect of early muscle cars - is mind-blowing, particularly when one’s SRT-8 is equipped with sticky summer Goodyear tires, a bargain 50-dollar option.

What's Not to Like  
The dark, all-black interior is rendered in some mighty cheap materials. The rear-seat legroom is, well, as restrictive as one would expect in spite of there being three seatbelts back there. Steering is numb as your lower lip after getting a filling. And, oh yeah, there’s that atrocious, harkens back to the 70’s fuel economy.

The Drive
DriverSide Impressions   
Musclecars are expected to get out of the traps in a hurry, and true to form, the Challenger SRT-8 certainly does, with a claimed 0-60 time of a tick over five seconds. That said, we think that anything with 435 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque should be even faster. Blame the 4140-lb curb weight, evidence of the Dodge Charger sedan platform on which the Challenger is built. We also wish the steering had more feedback - or heck, any feedback at all. But the deeply bolstered seats are snug, and there is plenty of elbowroom for front passengers. Riders in back, however, will be somewhat claustrophobic due to the Challenger’s small, fixed rear windows and tight knee-room.

Engine and Drivetrain  
The Challenger SRT-8 has a 6.1-liter, V-8 engine mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capability - tap the gear lever left for downshifts, right for up-shifts. To return it to automatic, just hold it to the right for one second. The engine produces American-made amounts of horsepower and torque, and sounds sharp, refined and fantastically muscular under full throttle.

Interesting Vehicle Features and Options
The 2008 Challenger SRT-8 will be a commemorative model, with certain key features that will not be repeated in 2009 (see sidebar). The SRT-8 also comes with a cool “Performance Feat...

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