Overview & Reviews

The Dodge Challenger was one of the more significant cars to come out of the 1960s and '70s muscle car era. Four decades later, Dodge's buff Challenger is once again laying stripes on America's pavement. Featuring styling cues similar to the original model and, for the most part, brawny engines driving the rear wheels, the new Challenger is a true street fighter. But unlike its bare-knuckled brawler of an older brother, this Challenger is loaded with modern-day refinement and safety features.

It's no surprise that the current Challenger offers strong acceleration with either available V8, but even the base V6 is no slouch. Also unsurprising is its bulky feel in tight corners, though its luxurious character on the highway more than compensates. The muscle car segment has seen a revival in recent times with the retro-ization of the Mustang and the resurrection of the Camaro, but the Challenger certainly holds its own, and strikes us as the most pleasant to drive on a daily basis.

Current Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger features the exterior styling cues of its iconic '70s predecessor, such as a long hood and a semi-fastback roof line. Underneath, however, the Challenger is based on a shortened version of the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger platform. Thanks to its generous dimensions and a split-folding rear seat, the Challenger has ample passenger space and impressive luggage capacity.

The Challenger comes in four levels: SXT, R/T, SRT8 392 and SRT8 Core. The base SXT features a 3.6-liter 305-horsepower V6 matched to a five-speed automatic transmission. Upping the ante, the R/T packs a 5.7-liter V8 churning out 372 hp with the five-speed automatic or 376 hp with a six-speed manual transmission. It's also packaged with a recalibrated steering system and a limited-slip differential. The SRT8 392 and SRT8 392 Core models come armed with a 470-hp 6.4-liter V8 connected to either a standard five-speed automatic or an optional six-speed manual. Other features of the SRT8s include a stiffer suspension, revised steering, Brembo brakes and 20-inch wheels.

All Dodge Challenger models come standard with antilock brakes, a full complement of airbags and stability control. Major options include a sunroof and hard-drive-based navigation system with music and video file storage capability, although the latter is controlled by an antiquated touchscreen head unit that can be irritating to use. The R/T can be equipped with a couple of optional performance packages, such as the Super Track Pak, that improve its handling and braking. The SRT8 392 comes with most of the Challenger's available equipment, while the SRT8 Core has the same performance items but is equipped more like a base SXT.

In road tests, we've found that there's plenty to like about Dodge's modern muscle car. Acceleration is acceptable with the V6 and truly impressive with the R/T and SRT8. The Challenger remains laudably quiet at speed, with little road or wind noise, and offers an impressively comfortable highway ride regardless of trim level. On twisty roads, the Challenger feels big and heavy, which isn't surprising considering the car's 2-ton curb weight. But the SRT8 and R/T (when fitted with the optional suspension upgrades) still do a pretty respectable job of keeping that mass under control. At the same time, its size makes the interior and trunk far larger and more useful than those of its competitors.

Used Dodge Challenger Models
The current Dodge Challenger was introduced in 2008 as the SRT8 only. The SE (now named SXT) and R/T trim levels arrived a year later, as did manual transmission availability for the SRT8. For 2009-'10, the SE came equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 making just 250 hp. The transmission was either a four-speed automatic (2009) or a five-speed automatic (2010). As you can imagine, the SE left much to be desired from both a performance and fuel economy standpoint, so we'd avoid it. From 2008-'10, the SRT8 came with a 6.1-liter V8 good for 425 hp.

For 2011, things improved considerably across the Challenger lineup as the base engine became the current, 305-horsepower V6, and the SRT8 adopted the current 6.4-liter monster. The latter also resulted in "392" being added to the car's name (the engine's historically significant, cubic-inch displacement). Upgrades also took place for the suspension, steering and brake systems, resulting in a more rewarding car to drive. That year also brought more standard equipment along with redesigned seats and steering wheel. Since then, changes have been minimal, consisting chiefly of trim level and equipment shuffling.

User Reviews:

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  2016 SRT 392 is a great car - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By Nick B. - January 28 - 11:09 pm

  Recently took delivery of my 2016 SRT 392, six speed manual. This is a very strong engine/gear box combination, much more than anyone will need for daily driving. The monstrous torque gets you addicted really quick because the car just moves so effortlessly in any situation. This engine is just perfect for this car. The exhaust note is loud from factory, at startup you know youre in for a treat. When cruising the car is quiet, there is some road noise but thats normal for cars like this - dont expect Lexus LS quiet. The manual gear box is very good, the ratios are close to each other and soon youll be in 5th gear cruising around town, and 6th gear at freeway speeds makes it really quiet without any drone. The hydraulic clutch is also pretty good, and after you get used to the car you wont even feel the gear changes. The infotainment system is upgraded for 2016, now you can customize the lower row of icons just by dragging the ones you want down there. I think this uConnect 8.4AN is the best on the market by a long mile. No German or Japanese system comes close in features and ease of use. The climate controls in the SRT Challenger work very well - I can leave it in auto and it will take care of it. This is a car to keep for longer than most others because not only it looks great, but it sounds great as well and the engine noises are pure pleasure. FCA knocked this one out of the park, this is an icon of a car, renewed and modernized and it feels absolutely great. If you get one you wont regret it for a minute.

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  18 again - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By classic dennis - October 8 - 5:18 am

  its fun to drive

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  Great choice! - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Danny - May 30 - 4:41 pm

  Ive wanted a Challenger since they were first brought back. Finally bought my dream car last year after earning a promotion. I went to many many dealerships and took my time and was not disappointed with being picky. I got the last new 2017 bare bones R/T Super Track Pak in the south Im pretty sure. Definitely get a V8 if you actually want to enjoy the drive, the V6 will never compare. Gas mileage in actual practice is lower than it was projected with factory setup. Car will feel slippery in the cold but thats because they decided to put 245s on them, definitely upgrade ASAP.

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  Super fast, super fun!!! - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By M. Brown - June 17 - 6:15 am

  Fastest car Ive ever driven. A ton of fun and great looking with old-school design. Glad I bought it.

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  Hellcat fever - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By Greg Kristy - April 29 - 9:47 pm

  Had a 2015 Challenger SRT 392 and traded it for a 2016 Hellcat version. liked the 392 but love the Hellcat. Still breaking it in but it runs smoothly and very comfortable. I like the automatic transmission. The sound is louder by about a third over the 392, but that said, both sound great. The navigation is easy to operate and gives turn by turn directions better than any other car including Lexus and Mercedes. Love the car.

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  Great V6 but gas mileage is hard to obtain - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Derek Abbring - October 20 - 10:25 am

  I leased a 2017 Dodge Challenger SXT. I wanted a challenger for many reasons but ultimately I was turned on by the 30mpg claim. However, the only time I am able to get 30mpg is on the highway going down a hill. I tried driving like a grandma for a day, super slow take offs and using several miles to accelerate to top speed but the best the computer showed was 25mpg. And, thats terrible to drive like that, its way to slow and people were constantly going around me which indicated it was slower than a normal person would drive. I have the high gloss black 20" rims and the car has the 3.07 gears so maybe thats whats doing it but thats doubtful because at 70mph Im under 2k RPMs and the instant tells me 22mpg. So I dont know how they made that claim for 550 miles to the tankful but I have 500 miles on the car and have had to fill up twice already. It leaves me wondering if I should of just got the R/T if I am going to get this bad of gas mileage but the dealership I went to didnt have an R/T on the lot. Next gripe was the GPS. Sure it works as it should but its not Google (yes you can hook google up from your phone). The stock GPS sent me on a 4.5 hour drive to get somewhere thats only 1 hour away. I have no idea why it keeps telling me to get off the highway and then immediately get back on, it makes no sense. So now I plug my phone in and only use Google GPS. As far as driving it goes, it rides smooth and you cant feel it shifting which is pleasant. Road nose is at a minimum. Acceleration is what you would expect from a 3.6L, no big surprises there. The trunk is huge, back seats are roomy. As far as looking out of the car for blind-spots and other things, your visibility is great and I dont feel like there are any real danger zones around it. It is a big car but the only time it feels big is when I have to park it in a tight space, other than that it handles great and is a lot of fun to drive. Overall, I wished I would of got the R/T for the extra power but I am happy with the lease and will more than likely turn it in for the R/T at the end of this 3 year lease.

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  It is a Wow! Style, comfort and grear mpg! - 2013 Dodge Challenger
  By John Pagano - June 21 - 2:59 am

  Fantastic car for the price of a boring generic sedan. Looks good, sounds great - V-8 rumble. Gets 20 to 28 mpg - really! and yes I know what the sticker says. Also, goes pretty well in the snow with Blizaks and 200lbs of sand.

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  2016 TorRed Shaker R/T Plus (8A) - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By Scott - April 24 - 10:29 pm

  Well, Ive only had the TorRed Challenger RT Plus Shaker for a couple of months-2300 miles and I must say its simply an amazing car. We rented a 2011 RT years ago when we were in Phoenix during the MLB All Star game. The airport rental company ran out of cars that wed reserved (paid for) months prior. So after a heated discussion, not in a great mood after 12 hours on an airplane, they offered us the Challenger as a consolation prize of sorts. And I must say I was thoroughly impressed! So after our return from Japan the Challenger has been on my "radar". We finally went and test drove the SXT, RT Plus Shaker and the RT Scat Pack. The SXT was very nice, but a bit spartan (at least the one we drove), good power, surprising for a V6. The RT Scat Pack was very nice, loads of power and an amazing exhaust note. But the RT Plus Shaker was right there in the middle for power and every options one could ever want. You can scare yourself with the launch mode, or go into the super track mode and have loads of fun scare the neighbors. When I say; "in the middle for power" dont get me wrong, it has enough power that you can lose your license doing burn outs at stop lights or passing traffic at some crazy unlawful speed. All of the time with a big smile on your face. Yes, from the minute you start it until your put it back in the garage youll be smiling. Its true the gas mileage is awful, 14~18 around town, maybe 25 on the highway. If you can drive in city traffic at a normal speed, your city miles will improve, but honestly who bought this car for that.The 8AN Uconnect radio is awesome or awful, depends on what your doing. As someone mentioned in an earlier post, it takes a few seconds to re-index your SD card or USB device. It sounds amazing once you get the eq and balance all setup. I will advise against the nav option. For the money you can buy an awesome GPS with lifetime updates, not this thing. The interior is so much improved over the 2011 we drove; dash instrumentation, 8 inch UConnect (the awesome part) has all the driving modes; at least on the R/T Plus Shaker youll likely need; shift point, paddles, traction control, steering, etc. Seats you can actually keep your butts in all day and rear seats that are usable. If you need or want the family version get the Charger. Also, Im not sure what is standard on what models, but I recommend the leather seats, Driver Convenience Group, Technology Group and the 8A UConnect radio with the HK sound system, you wont regret it. I never use a sunroof, have one on my 300C (Hemi of course) so we opted out of the sunroof so we dont miss it. The good: That lovely motor and new 8 speed auto transmission, interior, and youll love that Shaker option. You will get a lot of comments and looks from other drivers. The HK sound is great once setup and all that technology... The bad: Blind spots, but thats why you want (get) cross path/blind spot warning system. The UConnect 8AN nav system is way overpriced, buy your own GPS or use your phone. Youll almost be able to afford those new tires for the price of the 8AN system. The 3 season tires suck in cold or wet weather, but they wont last long anyways!

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  my child hood dream - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Troupie - March 31 - 4:11 pm

  WOW!!!! just push that button to start, you hear the growl. goose bumps start up your arm, then stick it in gear and hit that 392 hemi and poof you are gone, this thing is a beast, sport mode is unreal and fun to drive , I had a 5.7 Challenger was a sissy to this beast.

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  My R/T Plus is a 2016 A8, not a 6M--and it rocks! - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By John - June 24 - 7:57 pm

  I cant pick the exact model that I have, but I have a 2016 R/T Plus with the 8-speed automatic transmission. Now. . .on to the review. Dodge knocked one out of the park with this car! Is it perfect? No. Is it a comfortable, easy to enjoy, good daily driver--and a kick in the pants when you stomp the pedal? Hell, yes! I rented a 6-cylinder version of this car when mine was in the shop. I had the six for a week and was surprised by how often I was pleased with the car so, when I got my car back, I traded it in and picked up a Challenger with a little more pep, a 2016 R/T Plus (which has the 5.7L (350 cid) motor). What surprised me most (after the yee-haw! acceleration) was how thoughtfully laid out and tastefully appointed the interior was. The center console is decidedly non-egalitarian--its slanted towards the driver (as it should be, this is a drivers car, not a minivan), the cup holders have soft lighting around the rims to help you see them at night, the information center is a snap to learn how to use, and the Driver Information Display cluster (between the tach and the speedometer) is similarly easy to use. And when youre resting your hand on the gear shift lever, the center console controls are literally at your fingertips--brilliant! The torque (which most of us drive) and the horsepower (which some of us drive) are both a seriously legitimate kick in the pants. And I have the SMALLEST and least powerful V-8. Zero to 60 in less than six seconds, zero to 100 in about 12, and zero to goofy grin in nothing flat. The steering is surprisingly responsive and the car feels more nimble than it looks, which is good--because the car is big. Really big. And the hood feels a mile long. I could go on and on about this car but, for someone like me, who learned how to drive on land yachts and grew up driving V-8s, this car is a delicious throwback. Its not without its faults (the gas mileage is just plain bad and the rear pillars make changing lanes an adventure) and its not for everyone, certainly, but if youve ever had even a secret liking for muscle cars, you owe it to yourself to check out the Challenger. Especially if youre a middle-aged driver who also wants some creature comforts like heated seats, honest to goodness back seats, a usable trunk, and a comfy ride. Im actually a little embarrassed by how much I wound up loving this car--but, boy, do I! Well done, Dodge-FCA! Well done!