It’s Poll Time: “Enough About Us…What Are You Putting in the Challenger?”
Oct 23, 2007 at 4:24PMIn keeping with your overwhelming interest in Challenger — and our keeping final specs and pricing information under wraps until they’ve been finalized — we’re throwing the ball back in your court.
Forget about us for a minute. Let’s assume you can mate your Challenger with any powertrain you like. What would it be? Take a second to vote in the poll on the right hand side of the blog. And, as always, post your thoughts, specifics and love letters with the comment link below.
If available, what would you prefer under the hood of your Challenger?
–The most powerful thing I can get
–Any V8 is enough for me
–Offer a V6 and I’ll buy it
–That thing got a hybrid?
–Who cares? It’s a looker.
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176 Comments
1 SRT8 automatic per dealer in 08 with dealer gouging is totally unacceptable. No wonder there is no information available, at this rate, the old motor heads are losing faith. If I can’t get one when they first come out, I will by one used when they are commom place.
why did they ruin the charger by making it a lousy four door, a sweet looking car but hideous with 4 doors. I need a 2 door car and the challenger is looking great and would replace my 2000 monte carlo ss, if the price is right. The again the concept camaro looks nice too. Make me become a Dodge owner.
A lot of the Charger SRT owners have been complaining about the stock Goodyear tires. Have you considered installing the Pilot Sport PS2s?
Ok, enough with the hemi, which isn’t really a true hemi any more. I’d like to see a “modern” 440 under the hood. Alot of guys threw a fit about the manula tranny, but an auto would work fine as long as it can take the horsepower.
Make sure it stays 2-door and rear wheel drive.
What I’d really liek to see is this thing eb so popular that you finally un-f**k that thing your callign a charger, and make more like this car, including 2-door.
See this link for something at least closer to what people really wanted a charger to be:
http://www.forceperformance.biz/
Click on charger 2 door for pics of them actually building one for SEMA.
O.K…WAIT A MINITE! Stop messin’ around with anything but pure muscle, and put the 426 Hemi in this car!! (Or 7.0L to the new techies.) This is the standard by which all others are measured. When this hemispherical head design was revived in 1964 by Chrysler in a Plymouth Belvedere-(not the ORIGINAL designs by Talbot-Fargo), it blew away everything on, and off the track. It placed first, second, and third in the 1964 Daytona 500 race. David Pearson won, in 1966, 14 first place victories in a 426 Hemi Charger. FOURTEEN FIRST PLACE FINISHES IN ONE YEAR. Dick Landy won his share of races in the NHRA Pro Stock class in the ’70’s with his 426 Hemi Challenger. If you put this engine in this car, it will prove to be an immediate success, and you know it you Chrysler/Dodge upper echelon types. (Or at least the real gearheads there know it!) Now I’m not saying to not use the 5.7, the 6.1, the 6.4, or even some V-6 (make me gag), but since I’m in line for one of these cars (according to a certain Dodge dealer near where I live, and the deposit I’ve already put down), I’m gonna hold out for one of the venerable, and venerated 426 Hemi’s!!! (Or at the very least, the 6.1L. Time will tell.) Make mine a ragtop, and I’ll pay the premium. If someone’s gotta squibble & squabble about the price, and moan that they gotta make it a slant 6, or even (God Forbid), a four-banger…YOU CAN’T AFFORD ONE. (So go buy a used Yugo, and quit whining.) If Chrysler/Dodge wants to champion these folks cause, then maybe a restructureing of your contract system could extend payments out to 8-10 years, thereby lowering monthly payments for someone on more of a fixed budget so they can have a true muscle car. It would be just fine if they did that…but PLEASE-don’t hedge on the power aspect of this car! I wish that for everyone who loves this car they will find a way to get one. I don’t know that it’s a slam-dunk that I’M gonna get the one I want, but it’s not gonna stop me from endeavouring to do just that, come hell or high water. So everyone here just take a positive “can-do” attitude, and make the dream a reality. We’ll line up for this car. Hell, we already are. (540 ponies or bust!!!)
No way to 6 cylinder. Needs 500 b.h. p. to be a real modern muscle car. People who want a cheap version need to wait 2 to 3 years.
It needs 500 h.p. to be a true modern muscle car—–put in the largest possible for first run. No, no to 6 cylinder.
OK…What’s wrong with a V6??? Why do we have to worry what one joe can afford…I don’t know about you all but I live on a budget and I have little ones, I wan’t one but it has to be where I can afford it!!! I may not be able to buy a V8…so a V6 would get me in my dream car!!!
BTW…I had a 70 Challenger with a slant 6 with a 3spd…I loved that car and btw it was my first car!!! If it had been totaled I would still have her. hit and run =(…
Ma Mopar!!! Listen to your loyal customers!!! Give us what we wan’t!!! It’s our money and ya know if you listen you’ll be the envey of Detroit!!! Let us order the Challenger the way we wan’t it and make some history!!!
PS…Make the convertible soon!!!
6.1 liter hemi with 425+ hp and an automatic transmission. I would also take the 5.7 if you can make it rev higher. The 6.1 sounds great, but a high-revving V8 will probably sound better and stand out more. plus it would weigh less.
Thanks for taking us in to account , i will sugest to be succesfull , maintain the same line for the market, V6 lovers , V8 Lovers , and Super V8 Lovers , that is what going to sell , the look of the car is awesome , i was thinking to buy a Mustang GT300 but if you guys make a competitive price Challenger I promess i will stay with dodge. I currentlly own a Magnum and i am more than happy.
Give every body an option and every body will get that dream car.
Please dont put the prize close to the Viper, make it more affordable. Thanks again for asking.
If you are bringing back the car of my dreams, you better have some very competitive muscle under the hood. The car is a Challenger….right? Keep the car as low priced as possible. Forget a 6 cyl unless it will bolt straight up to the manual tranny. Make the tranny strong enough for all motors. Add a “dana” equivalent option to the standard 5.7L motor, and a required option for the “king” hemi. If you decide to add a 6 or 4 cyl option, at least put the SRT4 motor or a blower on the 6 cyl. I want a mustang, camero eater that will walk with a corvette. 500+hp is required as an option to be a true challenger!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m willing to go in for a corvette price for a corvette eater! Why not a blown 5.7L or blown 6.1L as an option and stick with those two motors.
Well the 2008 Bullitt Mustang has been released. The market is now saturated with Mustangs. It may be too late again. History repeats itself.
I love the idea of using cubic inches again; that would be very cool! A 340 and a pistol-grip 6-speed please.
Mopar to ya’
To be honest, that is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen. My wife is more interested in fuel economy however. She would let me get one if it had a V6 option, but probably not if it only had V8’s.
There’s nothing wrong with a six cylinder. I loved the 225 slant. Dodge should bring that motor back. It would be perfect for the new Journey, or a Caliber, or an Avenger…
But for the Challenger, I personally think that Dodge should separate from the standard market choices, and make it a V8 only car.
Let those who want to buy a performance shell with a 6-cyl puy the Mustang or Camaro. Keep the Challenger limited to the performance enthusiasts who are looking for the “outer look” along with the “inner beast”.
I would love a 6.4L Challenger R/T to park alongside my 1999 Dodge Dakota CC 5.9 R/T.
I love the fact that you guys are making a 425 version of the Challenger. But for the SRT, i’m hoping that you can really blow the copetition out of the water. For instance, from what i’ve heard in the magazines, Chevy’s high performance version for the Camero is going to be around 500 hp. And Ford’s new Shelby GT500 actually increased it’s horepower to 520 hp. How about making something that will leave the competition begging for mercy. I’d be happy with a 550 or more. Atleast make it an option for those who want it. Back then the 1970 Challenger TA had a 472 hp engine. It was at the top of the food chain. You guys said it yourself that it was a clean handoff from the 70’s version to the 08′ version. So why not leave off where it left and lead the new running Musclecar erra in what muscars are known for, horsepower! People can have different opinions about what kind of car they like based on things like looks and character. But facts are set in stone, like horeower and torque. This is the ultimate statement of who’s leading the pack and leaves no questions to think about. Guys, MAKE IT BIG!They don’t call it a HEMI for nothin.
For every big bad corporate guy making millions there’s someone who has a passion for making a great car. Just watch the interview with the guys who designed the Challenger (although they probably aren’t paid too bad either). If you want to support the little guy go for it, buy your vegetables from the corner stand instead of the Super-Wal-Mart, but when it comes to buying a car there’s really not any way around supporting giant corporations.
Yeah they’re cutting staff, but they’re getting rid of extra people they probably didn’t need to hire in the first place. So sure there’s someone sitting in an office getting rediculous paychecks, but there’s also a lot of people within that company who have the same passion as you do. When it comes down to it you just have to buy the products you want and not get emotionally attached to all the things going on in the background.
i dont know about you guys but i cant wait to buy a american muscle car thats built in canada and by a company that has managment that cant do ther jobs that they have to fire 1 in 3 workers just so they cant keep there multimillion dollar pension NICE.
think about it when you go to work monday every two people you see one of them will lose there job if you worked for Chrysler. then think what happens when you lose your job i bet you wont get a big fat check like like most CEO’s do somthing to think about befor you run out and spend 30-50k or what ever this car going to cost. buut hay your going to look cool
well, what do you know. the magnum and the pt cruiser and the crossfire have gone into retirement. that assures a 6 cylinder for the challenger. dodge may i suggest bringing back the super 225 slant 6 similar to the one i had in my 68 valiant, as this motor is virtually indestructible and with the new lifetime warranty, your gonna need it. please remember the mustang 6 banger has some serious power, so you will need to be pushing at least 240 horsies. and dodge please remove the sacrificial rams head off the front of the car, thats just wrong. shaker hood option is important, and how about an aar racing package for your biggest engine. i know it was only on the 70 cuda, but just humor me. also consider a drag pack with removable exhaust for the track just like the good old days. i also think a retro horn note would be awesome. one side note, the new camaro picked the wrong year to emulate, as everyone knows the best year by far was 1968. gm just wouldn,t listen, again.
yo bloodhound, the original challenger was available with a slant-SIX!!!!
Its displacement is 225 cubic inches or 3.7 L
What’s wrong with a 6-cylinder? (although I don’t think they make an I6 anymore, except the cummins diesel from the Ram, which may not fit because of its 6.7L size, larger than the largest Hemi available–but it has 600+ lb-ft torque)
In fact, the six will probably make up about 3/4 of total sales as someone pointed out with the mustang–will most likely yield a similar distribution across all three [Camaro, Mustang, Challenger].
ok, correction, the cobalt SS.. is only available in an 07.. which takes off a couple thousand. not even an 08 model. and when i checked the site when it first came out, it was close to $30k. so.. now its a 22k car with as many options as i could pick to get it close to the caliber as i could. and.. it has smaller wheels without as high a performance tire… only a 5 speed… and 260 hp.
the caliber srt4 is Net Price: $23,295. i didnt add every single option because to go along with what i said earlier pertaining to the challenger.. we dont need stupid stuff like a sunroof or seat heaters. its got 19 inch wheels and a 6 speed with 285hp. so yah.. obvious choice.. the caliber. theres a nice review video on one at allpar.com
just read a post on a camaro sight.. even they see the body resembles the challenger.
61.0237441 cubic inches per liter. 5.7 = 347.8353, 6.1 = 372.2448, 6.4 = 390.552
This would be a nice retro touch Dodge!
I was re-reading some of the earlier posts, and agree with an idea mentioned by others…
Use Cubic Inches. The final touch to a perfect retro is to get away from the modern metric system, and throw out the numbers in good old US of A cubic inches.
Stand apart from the systems used by the competion. Reset the standard. Be different. Make the retro completely retro.
I want to say that I have a 392 or a 440 in a 2008 Challenger R/T.
So, what are the conversions, roughly 60cu/L, correct? 5.7=340, 6.1=366, and 6.4=384? Any help here?
The Challenger is the most accurately and beautifully done retro - EVER. This car has the ability to completely spank the Mustang, and the soon to be Camaro.
Why put anything smaller than a 5.7 V8 into such a perfect car?! I don’t understand the discussion point. How is it not completely obvious that this machine deserves one of 3 engines… 5.7, 6.1, or 6.4. Those should be the only options.
The 5.7’s with the cylinder displacement system get the gas mileage that competes with V6’s, and makes production simpler with the car always setup for a V8.
The 6.1 option should be available for those who want more than the ’standard’ 5.7. This would be an extremely popular option. The buyers of this car will not be looking for “tame” or “efficient”. They want grunt and snarl. They want a beast. This starts with the 6.1.
Then, for those with deeper pocketbooks (and a deeper addiction to power), the 6.4 will satisfy their hunger with ease. The 6.4 will put the Challenger on the top pedestal, in company with beasts such as the Corvette, the Mustang 500, and whatever they decide to do with the Camaro.
Just 3 engine options. 5.7, 6.1, 6.4… Do it already.
Dodge, I would like to see a poll with a chance to vote for Engine/Transmission options. V-6/Manual Transmission, V-6/ Automatic Transmission, V-6/ Autostick Transmission, V-8/Manual Transmission, V-8/Automatic Transmission, V-8/ Autostick Transmission. Of course listing the engine liter or cubic inch sizes for each engine option. This was just to give an example. I really would like to get the Challenger with a V-6 and a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. I already know that I can’t afford the Hemi and I would like to drive this car every day. The V-6 would be more ecomonical and a lot of fun to drive if available with a manual transmission. Lots of Ford mustangs are sold every year with the V-6 and a Manual transmission. I believe that it would be foolish not to offer such an option. I hope you guys are listening. Thanks
WOW!!!! THIS GUY BELOW ME SAID IT ALL
Yo DODGE It\’s gotta be a convertible. I\’ve been saying that for almost 3 weeks now on this page. Personally all you guys arguing over a v-6 or v-8 are silly. BUILD THE DARN THING WITH EVERYTHING FROM A V-6 UP THROUGH THE 4.7 AND FOR REAL THIS THING HAS TO HAVE ALL THE HEMI OPTIONS. INCLUDING THAT 392 THAT IS JUST SICKENING. Now im sure that 392 is gonna be expensive but that 6.1 shouldn\’t be too much out of reach and the 5.7 hemi is everywhere now compared to when i got mine in \’03 with my ram so the 5.7 should to me be a bench mark for this car. BUT i say give the dang thing a SIX another EIGHT not the hemi and all the hemi options they have. That\’s what they should do. simma down now. For me the hard part is should it be a hard-top 6.1 or a drop top 5.7 but im banking on a raise for my 6.1 drop-top ooohhh yeah babe im saving everyday. I can\’t wait till
your right about getting distracted, i\’ll give you that. i restore musclecars as a hobby and i have done everything from camaros to ferrari\’s. the appeal of the challenger is simple, it is a chance to go back in time and own the car you always wanted, the way you remember it. it\’s too bad the new cafe standards are going to kill these type of cars within the next few years. thats why i am hoping the car gets put out the way i want it the first time as their may be no second chance. i have written many letters over the years for this day to come. the introduction of the miata (a rip-off of an antique lotus design) was the first to get it right. followed by the vw bug, bmw z-8, ford t-bird, plymouth prowler, pt cruiser, gto, gt-40 and mustang.however, the real excitement is being able to buy a recreation of the baddest muscle car that ever lived with factory financing and a warranty and oh yes, state of the art brakes, safety equipment, suspension and reliability. there is no question that dodge can sell a ton of 6 cylinder challengers, or for that matter 6 cylinder barracudas. the magic formula is simply recreate a late 1960\’s muscle car as true to form as possible, offer all the rarest options of the day and actually win back customers that will not be able to settle for driving a proletarion camry or accord any longer.
don’t let me forget, dodge, you should have put out the convertible in the first year, in fact the car should have been designed as a convertible. did you really think you needed to hold this back to improve future sales? i hope you don\’t pull a pt cruiser routine on this.
The poll says 14% want a V6. Not 2%. That’s 1/6th of a bunch of blog reading enthusiasts! Pretty substantial I’d say.
Yeah so maybe I am an average joe who wants his dream car to be within reach. What’s wrong with that? Ford’s offering it, Chevy’s offering it. Challenger is my first choice out of those, but if I can’t get it I’ll have to go with my second choice.
i was looking at the countdown and it said that it will show the production car at the chicago auto show on feb 8th but it dosent say anything about when the car will be at the dealers also what about production has it already started? or are they going to flip the switch and start full blown production on the 8th aswell?
And if production has already started your going to tell me know one out there has a brother cousin roomate or any inlaw that works for dodge in some manner that would let some more info slip about this car? i mean there’s got to be someone out there that could pull some strings to get some info ??????
He said “after Thanksgiving”.
Patience Grasshopper.
What is the problem with the v6? You guys want this car to be successful don’t you? The poll may only show 2% in favor of the v6, but that is only because the majority of us are the performance minded customers. Joe Public that purchases the v6 Mustang or will purchase the v6 Challenger is not on a blog everyday trying to get the latest info on new vehicles. The fact is Dodge must produce a v6 and powerful v8s. We know it and they know it. What’s more, they plan on producing both, but they create these discussion topics to occupy our time while they delay communicating any real production info about the Challenger!
RLD - we need at least a couple of bones a week! Where’s the rest of the Castiglione interview? Can we get some updates from the Brampton factory - is the tooling complete, when do they start line flow? Does the termination of the Magnum line translate to more production capacity for the Challenger?
Dodge has to build this car with existing “technology” to make $. That means the 6.1 & 5.7 V-8’s, and the V-6 to compete with the GT and new Camaro. To put in a V-10 would mean re-engineering the whole platform.
I still would like to order a base car with the 6.1 & applicable suspension and the manual transmission. It would be sleeper!.
The Challenger was a rich boy’s toy??? Yeah, whatever. The challenger was generally not so stripped down as a roadrunner or GTO, it had carpet and a backseat big enough to sit in, but it was hardly a rich boy’s toy. It was competing with the Cougar and Firebird, It could be had pretty heavily optioned, but most early challengers were slant 6 slap-stick cars that weren’t exactly luxury cruisers. Even heavly optioned they weren’t exactly what anybody could call expensive. Back then the rich boy’s toys were european cars. Muscle cars and poney cars were the domain of the working stiff. This elitist nonsense in rediculous. If you really want a rare, high performance car that is outside of the reach of the average joe, get yourself a restored 70-71 Challenger or a Viper. The new challenger is a new pony car and the six banger is the bread and butter of the traditional pony car market. I want the car to be successful, I’m not hoping that it ends up as a one year only flop that ends up being a collectors item ten years from now.
the poll results show only 2% of people looking to purchase this car are looking for a 6 cylinder. why bother putting it out? so some guy who can’t afford a new car can dream a little closer? please remember, this was the last of the muscle cars to debut and was priced higher and optioned heavier than other muscle cars of its time. speed vision did a show on the challenger they said the challenger was never a low buck stripped down racer like the gto but a rich boy’s toy. the looks have been copied, i hope the spirit will be as well.
Whatever is available to the majority, v-6 for some, 5.7 for others and 6.1 for the thrillseekers. Viper v-10 might be too scary.
HEY I AGREE JUSTIN
Go with what you know.
What we need to hope for everybody is that when they put more of these 6.1 HEMI’S out is it will drop the cost overall of the super bee and in turn have the challenger end up in the mid 35K range. Possibly a little more but hopefully not. My hemi option on my ‘03 RAM was only like a grand i’ve still got the sticker somewhere but it wasn’t more than that. So let’s hope the upgrade to the bigger hemi isn’t a whole lot more then the one that is common now. YOU KNOW WHAT IM SAYING EVERYBODY? Don’t let dodge fool you guys if the 4.7 was x amount and the 5.7 is a grand more let’s think about it. Now that was when the HEMI first came out so im sure it has inflated a little but what i say is pure truth im positive. PEACE FELLAS.
Ok Dodge you’ve obviously got everyone’s attention, please get it right!
3500 lbs, pistol-grip 6-speed, and a Hemi
Lol ok I give up, arguing back and forth isn’t helping dodge any, they already have a marketing department etc. to filter out what’s what. You already know my vote Dodge, make a V6 and I’ll buy it!
Techno Child I am so lost. So by your logic if they make a V6 it will cost say, 24k, but if they don’t make the V6, they will price a V8 at 24k or close to? There’s more to it than just throwing a price on the model people want. It costs real money to make this car. The Challenger is being built on the same platform as the Charger, so if they were to put the same engine in it, it’s reasonable to assume the price would be fairly close. The r/t Charger sells for 31k base. We want a V6, because based on the Charger price, it would cost around 25k. Do you really think if they skipped making a V6 they’d sell a V-8 powered Challenger for the price of a V-6 powered Charger?
I understand where you’re coming from on this, but honestly I think if they skipped making a V6 it would end up being seen as more of a performance only car, and cost even MORE than it would otherwise.
sothings wrong i just went to chevy.com and built a fully loaded Cobalt and it ended up cost 21 and change thats with out a supercharger and what 2K will put it on at the dealer? now if you build a srt caliber your looking at over 27k. and yes they have a few diffrent options but not good enough to pay 3 grand more for the caliber and i didnt even go to ford to compare what ever they have.
“I WANT MINE IN SUBLIME GREEN. 6.1 MOTOR OR BETTER. 6 SPEED MANUAL OR AUTOSTICK WILL BE FINE. IF YOU MUST PUT OUT A 6 CYLINDER, PLEASE ALLOW ONLY PANTHER PINK TO DESIGNATE THE FEMININE DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL”
. . .So the fact that I’m not rich and can’t afford to spend 30k plus on a car that gets 10 mpg makes me a woman? Do you really need this car to be priced out of average joe’s income so that when you drive down the street in it people know you get a big fat paycheck every month? There’s already car companies catering to you. Go buy a mercedes.
random.. but whats the difference between Sassy Grass and Sublime?
as for the comments about ford and chevy.. RIGHT ON! dont they have the same design team that chrysler had from back in the 80s designing their new cars? oh.. no chevy just steals the new ideas dodge has and well ford just renames their cars to try and get sales when the other names dont sell. let me explain… everybody knows the HHR was designed by the same guy that made the PT. Lets look at the viper… at least.. the latest models. The hood: viper added a scoop then the vette came with one, almost identical in shape. the new hood has tons of gills. the new vette (from the picture i saw) also has tons of gills… in the same place.
The camaro is basically an XLR with a chevy badge on it and a different engine, at least imho.
Mopar (for short) has put all the good ideas posted into 1 message. use them. Now for everybody that keeps whining about a v6… lets explain supply and demand.
Lollipop Co. offers a dirt lollipop for 50 cents b/c 10 people want to buy them as gags… but the company knows that everybody is going to pay 1.00 for good ones simply because nobody wants dirt. Well jee.. obviously if nobody wanted dirt lollipops.. nor wanted to pay a dollar for the good ones, they’d offer the good ones at 50 cents. So here goes, obviously nobody is going to get a beefy challenger for cheap, but nobody (excluding 2 or 3 people) are willing to pay 35+ for it, so the only option would be to find ways to cut costs and produce it at what customers are willing to pay.
Look at the Caliber. its 25k for a fully decked out and beefy 4 cylinder. the chevy cobalt SS with the same options that come standard on the SRT4 caliber is around 30k and is still worse on HP. the civic si has about 200hp with the same options and costs about 24k. Obvious choice is to buy the caliber. all that needs to happen is to have the challenger with that type of value at a price better than chevy and ford have already set.
In my opinion, success is all about competition. If the Challenger is offered in a similar configuration to the Mustang, the odds are greater for success. If the Challenger is a 40K car only, I don’t think many folks are going to buy. Give it something like a 40/40/20 split (40% V6, 40% 5.7, 20% 6.1). Oh, and please, make a shaker hood scoop option for the V8s. Thanks!
Yeah Dodge. Read everything that I post. After all, I’m always right!
Now I just need to convince my wife of this simple truth
the last couple of post dodge needs to read more then once. I like te idea of being able to order any option i want, that would be cool. and it would make every challanger diffrebt in it own respects and to the owner and the dealer’s should like it to if a good part are dealer intalled just for the simple fact that they will make more money. and i dont know if any of you have been to a dealership latley it’s all about money to them it dosent matter what make.
I really think to if every body bands together on saying NO to the dealer on the hugh mark up this car is going to get when it hits there lot we might be able to some what control the price and get it for MSRP
again the last few post were great keep more like them coming. i would also like to here more about the options list and color schem then the motor and trany
I recently read that Ford is planning on offering all of their vehicles without any options, instead just make every car off the line fully loaded . . . in an effort to cut down on production costs and help keep them out of the red. In my opinion, this is the exact same kind of miopic thinking that has gotten Ford (and GM & Chrysler) in the sorry financial state that they are in today. Meanwhile companies like Toyota (whom, as I understand it, has recently knocked the general off of the top block to become the World’s largest auto maker) are embracing the idea of letting the customer pick the options that they want, look at what they are doing with the whole tuner thing with their Scion and Lexus models. Now us old Mopar gearheads can berate the tuner kids and their rice rockets all we want, (it’s sure easy to make fun of a car with a a huge wing on the back, spinning wheels and 90hp) but the way that they embrace the idea of getting their cars exactly how they want them and the very successful business models that have been built around catering to the customers that want to carefully personalize their vehicles. If I were running Chrysler, I would look at this and what people on forums like this one are saying and think to myself “You know, if we broke away from the concept of option packages and let the customer pick each and every option that they wanted on their new Chrysler while providing a much wider variety of options (many, dealer installed options) we could not only beat Toyota at their own game but appeal to the customers that Ford is going to leave out in the cold in favor of cutting corners. Sure, providing customers with a few hundred options per model will increase production costs due to the increased logisitical demands; but when a customer walks into a Dodge/Chrysler dealership they will be able to drive out with a vehicle that gives them everything that they want and nothing that they don’t want. This is something that no other automaker can claim.
Right now, dodge has 10 production ready RWD capible engines (and several engines that aren’t quite production ready) that they could stuff under the hood of new Challenger. In my opinion, looking at each model as a general platform from which to base several thousand variations or mini-models to fill several thousand tiny niches is a marketing plan that is vastly superior to the notion of having each model fill four or five segments of a smallish niche. Some may argue that if this is done, a lot of potential Caliber or Charger sales will be lost to Challengers or what-have-you, I say that It’s better to lose a sale to yourself than to the guy down the street. If the customer likes the Challenger better than that Caliber that Dodge thinks is just right for him, this guy might like the Mustang better than the Caliber; that guy wouldn’t buy a Caliber, he would buy a Mustang if there wasn’t a Challenger that appealed to him. If your production capabilities are flexible enough to allow you to build three different models on the same line, why aren’t they flexible enough to break oout of the ‘packages’ trap that you’ve gotten into? Also, while I’m ranting, there are a couple more issues that I have with today’s Chrysler offerings. There is a serious lack of manual transmissions; many of us would much rather drive a car with a manual transmission. Some of us flat-out refuse to own a car with an automatic transmission. Interior: Most Chrysler interiors look and feel cheap and are generally ugly. You want to see how interiors should be done? Look at what Honda, Mazda, and Jaguar do. Notice the choice of materials? Notice the fit and finish? Notice the overall design acstetic? Now, look at the interiors of your cars. See the difference? Pretty big difference there, isn’t there? Now, honestly, which space would your rather spend 1 to 4 hours of your day in? Now, make yours better than those three.
there are some folks talking about how they disagree with the idea of producing a v-6 challenger. So you want the new challenger to be a high dollar status symbol like the ‘vette or Viper? Do we have something to compensate for? When I get my Challenger, I’ll get one with a Hemi and a manual transmission; but I’m not going to begrudge the guy who can’t afford a Hemi car his chance to own a V6 Challenger. I say, build a billion of them, I would much rather see the roads filled with new Challengers then be the one guy in the Challenger in a sea of Camrys and Mustangs. the presence of a few million V6 Challengers won’t make that Hemi Challenger any less cool or awesome. Those V6 cars just make a better business case and there presence will allow Dodge to better take advantage of the economy of scale and offer those glorious Hemi Challengers at a lower price, OR offset the additional cost incurred in providing us Challengers with a boat load of options.
Wake-up guys. Dodge needs to flood the market with these cars if they are going to compete with Ford. They should be calling all the rental cars companies like Enterprise, Hertz, Thrifty, etc. Stick a bunch of v-6 Challengers in the rental car market, advertise the snot out of it, and drive the prices down. If you want it to be a success, buy the market. Ford did this with the Mustang and the Taurus. I think its high time Dodge started dominating the pony car market.
I WANT MINE IN SUBLIME GREEN. 6.1 MOTOR OR BETTER. 6 SPEED MANUAL OR AUTOSTICK WILL BE FINE. IF YOU MUST PUT OUT A 6 CYLINDER, PLEASE ALLOW ONLY PANTHER PINK TO DESIGNATE THE FEMININE DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL
WHAT’S UP NOW TECHNO CHILD?
See the good news? Yes sir ladies and gentlemen get ready to start your engines. Ha Ha. IM HOPING THOUGH THIS ISN’T A PLOT TO CORNER THE MARKET. Try to sell the challenger for a lot more and give us the ‘Cuda for a little less. Still no way you can sell the Challenger for 40K unless it has the 392 with a drop top. So let the fuss begin about the ‘Cuda cause dodge just drop Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peace.
This should be simple. Offer a 6.1 srt8 version, a 5.7 RT version, and a v6 volume seller. Make all engine choices available with a manual or automatic. Price the car between 25K(v6 model) to 35K (SRT8) model. And please please plaese make the manual available at the introduction. I think this should appeal to most of us looking forward to this car comming out. I will be in line to order a 6.1 with a 6sp manual.
I am one of the 71% who wants the most powerful engine in the Challenger. I want the most power that I can get and am willing to pay for it. I don’t want Dodge to cheap out (on any part) just to make it affordable for the masses as they did with the Charger. With that said, if the price tag is in the $40k - $45k range it better be worth that much.
I do think that there needs to be different model options for different price ranges such as the SXT, RT, Daytona and SRT so that it will be affordable for everyone.
To compete with the Mustang it needs to be readily available, priced right and have the options that make the most sense for the true muscle car that the Challener is!!
you guy’s need to get real about dropping all these big hemi’s in this car it just not going to happen you guy’s are ether dreaming or have more money then sence. it must be nice to want to blow 40-50 plus for this car. you better be crossing your fingers that the car will get a six speed option.
if i have the chance to get one of these cars and have to spend 32k it better be loaded but if i could get a v-8 w/6-speed between 25-30k i wouldnt mind rolling the windows down by hand.
and whom ever brougt up the thought of carbration is a retrard
somewhere dodge already posted that there will not be a cuda because of the price to get a copyright on the plymouth name alone. and could somebody axe the posts by the mitsu lover? obviously the only smart thing dodge did with mitsubishi is the stealth TT and even thats only now popular because all the other 3.0 cars were gone.
why bother with a v6 period. why not just use the 4.7? obviously if people want a v6 its going to let them say.. oh wow lets put a 20k sticker price on a car that we know people dont want.. to force a higher price on a car they do want? you vote for wanting a v8…. you get a v8. if its known you wont pay the rip off artists aka dealers… then you get a lower priced v8.
MOPARorNOCAR
You got it right man. I’m with you all the way brother. Someone needs to listen to this guy. As for the 500 horesies they’ve already got the 392 proto-type challenger busting damn near 11 second quarter miles. Now i could maybe see the 392 going for maybe the low-40’s and it sucks saying it. But the 6.1 has got to be at leasT obbtainable. NOW THAT 392 COULD KNOCK THE SOCKS OFF ANY MUSTANG. I don\’t care what ford wants to do. You can’t mess with our hemi’s. PEACE.
Poll results, 71% want the moster V8? Do you realize that will come with a 40 to 50K price tag. Get real, give us 300 to 350 hp and keep it in the low 30k range. I have wait along time for this car dont price me out to the Mustang.
Make mine the most powerfull HEMI you got, hopefully over 500 H.P. normally aspirated to blow away that Mustang Shelby 500 with the cheater blower on it. Real Muscle cars don’t need power adders, lol.
I forgot about the 4.0L and that ‘cuda looks pretty far removed from a production version - and the charger interior - yuck. However, I think that it would be pretty cool of chrysler to offer a barracuda as well. the trick would be to make sure that the two cars are made distinct. in the e-body days the cuda was a stripped down pony designed to go head to head against the mustang and camaro - the challenger was a little more plush and luxurious, designed to compete with the more upscale firebird and cougar. I prefer the quad-headlight front end of the challenger to the ‘cuda, but I would rather have a stripped down beast with a big engine and a drop-top than something with an extra 500 lbs & $10K of ammenities that I’ll never use. I would prefer that if both cars are built, a full range of options are offered for both cars, but if you must go the route of the e-bodies at least offer a quad headlight facade (circa 71) as an option on the cuda - and the fender gills would be a nice touch.
as cool as it would be to see dodge dig out the old engine block casts and put 273, 318, 340,360,383,400,426, 440 CID etc. engines in these 2008+ Challengers, let’s be realistic. The investment required to retool production to allow for all of these old-school power plants would be absurd. And you can forget about a carbureted engine, the regulators wouldn’t allow that. It’s just not going to happen. The best that we can hope for is that Dodge will stuff just about every RWD compatible engine currently in production under the hood of a few thousand 2009 Challengers. The E-bodies were designed to me a platform that was light-weight and nimble like the A-bodies but flexible enough to house all of the big blocks that where being put in the big B-bodies. The 70 Challenger came with 10 different engines to choose from. It would be awesome if that sort of range of options was made available in the 2009+ Challenger. Realistically, we can expect to see the 2.7L (Mitsu piece of junk that it is), the 3.5L, the 5.7L Hemi, and the 6.1L Hemi. If Dodge is esspecially clever, they’ll also offer the 3.7L, the 4.7L, the 6.4L Hemi, & the 8.4L. It would be interesting to see some with the 3.0L turbo diesel and the 6.7L cummins too. Gee that’s ten engines right there. . . hmmm. No just make a 6-speed manual transmission that will hook up behind all of them - you’ve already got automatics - and we are in business. there you go, powertrain problems are solved, now you can figure out how to make a convertible hardtop challenger.
Chrysler Unveils Cuda Concept At SEMA
Don’t know if this is true or not, but it would be great if RLD could confirm or deny… the pictures definately shows a Cuda (shaker hood and all)… I think the trunk section needs to be just a bit thicker from the side angle it looks to much like the Camaro. But a great overall appearance and a definate winner!!!
see link below
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2007/10/chrysler-unveils-new-cuda-concept-at.html
Well its gonna (READ:GOTTA) be a six speed for me, but 5.7 vs 6.1 depends on the final pricing. Make A LOT of them and make them as affordable as possible.
Oh also, good cup holders and a folding backseat is MADATORY!! I’d like to see t-tops and AWD available as well. hopefully you could add a rear wiper as well
A DSG-style transmission should be offered too
to Clo:
No I don’t have a Mustang, but I DID have a 78 Challenger (until a tree fell on it and totaled the car while it was parked) I actually liked the car, and used examples are actually affordable (I paid $600 and got 20000 quality miles out of it), as opposed to 50-100k for a “real” challenger. Someone else in one of these forums had an 81 (same as my 78; they made them from 78-84) and said he misses it! The only thing I’m scared of coming in the rearview mirror is the COPS!!
I have also owned a 91 Trans Am GTA and a Nissan NX2000 (kind of a small 2+2 with t-tops); my current car is a 240SX
I see this class of small performance cars (240SX, Prelude, Celica, NX2000, Eclipse, MX3, Impulse/Storm, Integra/RSX) making a comeback because of fuel economy concerns but still a desire for sporty performance A 78-Challenger-type car fits right in. Lighter cars are also easier to get good performance out of, and they’ll be cheaper to buy, gas, and insure!
I also think a hybrid would also work (with a V6 for this design, 4-cyl for a 78-type car) for the same reason. MPG and MPH!! I know there is controversy about “muscle-hybrids” among hybrid circles, but a muscle-hybrid is perfect for a muscle-car!
I apologize for being long, but I really did enjoy my 78 Challenger
why would you put a deposit down on a car that you dont even know how much it will cost or what engine tranny color and interior options its going to have
on the motor i hope the do put good v6 in it because that 3.5 they have is a turd and they better put a manual in it know matter what engine’s in it.
Iam pretty sure the mustang has a manual in there v-6
I have been eagerly anticipating the release of this car since I first saw the concept well over a year ago. I would just about give my left arm, because I don’t need it to shift, to get a Challenger. I just hope that Dodge does this right, and does not expect the average guys like me to pay an enormous price. That is why, as much as I would love to own a Hemi V-8 SRT with 400+ HP, it would be much more realistic to have a V-6 mated with a standard tranny as at least an option. Something that is the epitome of the classic “Pony” car. If the Challenger goes the way that most people I have talked to expect, a $35,000+ behemoth of a status symbol for middle aged twits, then I hate to say that I will have to look to other manufacturers for an affordable muscle/sports car. It pains me to say that given that I have been a Dodge guy ever since I got behind the wheel of my first car. While I will always own a Dodge truck it make me a little ill to think that I might have to consider buying a Ford, GM, or even a foreign car to get what I am hoping the Challenger will at least offer.
I have already put a deposit for a 2008 and asked for a srt8 with a manual trans. If that option is not available I would rather lose the deposit than buy an auto, unless its as high tech as the ferrari paddle shift. Please give us and engine like the one in the 2007 AMG cars with a stick shift. If there is not a powerfull V8 with a 6-speed i will walk away from my deposit and go buy a gt500. Please do not let me lose my money.
its gotta be stick shift! its just gotta be. all these new cars would be so much fun with a proper gearbox!
even with other dodge models, i have been tossing around with the idea of getting a nitro after my Cailber RT but have gone off the idea beacuse i cannot get a stick shift!!
HEY FELLAS
Anyone else heard about the drag packages that are supposedly gonna be offered. What i don’t understand is that were all giving in to this dealer mark-up garbage. I see why that’d happen but let’s make dodge understand that the MSRP should at least be reasonable so down the road a year or two we’ll at least be able to get one maybe not at first cause im sure all the people with money will gobble up the first couple thousand but after that the camaro will be out and another year for them to sell the challenger. IM SAYING MARK-UPS I GUESS ARE INEVIABLE AT FIRST. BUT THINK DOWN THE ROAD.
Remember guys its not what we want. It is what we can afford. I too would love to have the 6.1L Hemi. However, that isn’t a reality. Any one who can afford to buy one of those, that is great. I’m not saying not to build it that way, by all means build it that way. It may give us guys who can’t afford one new a chance to buy one used one day. This is how my Dad ended up with his Mustang 3.8L with a 5 spd. The entry level pony car is still alot of fun to drive and economical to boot.Thanks Guys
YES!!!
less than 100 days
99 days 21h 17m 05s (to be exact).
Please give us some answers and some pricing… and lets start seeing the commercial w/ the Challenger more often (like every day). I’ll take mine in Hemi Orange or Sublime.
HEY FELLAS
I agree with the last several posts i was being kinda sarcastic. (If you couldn’t tell).
On the other hand i’ve been paying 250-300 dollars for insurance and am used to 13mpg on gas. For about almost 5 years now seeing how i’ve got the ram 4×4 2 door with a hemi. THIS CHALLENGER IS MY DREAM CAR COME TRUE THOUGH. I’ll sign the loan as long as there not gonna price gouge like they did with the charger super bee. I’m saving as we speak for this one, but i’d truly be dissapointed if the pricing is over the top. I love this car. Peace. FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE IS CALLING FOR THE CONVERTIBLE
I think that the 360 CI (320 HP) Magnum should be the stock engine. The next available engine should be the 5.7L Hemi. From there, I would like to see the 500 Wedge. I would really like to see the 472 Hemi (carbureted or fuel injected) in my Challenger, but I don’t think that my budget will allow this.
first of the vett has always been smblk performance and it dose a good job of keeping up with the viper and its v-10. second your nissan skyline will only be avalable in an auto and way over priced
third i think everybody is on the right track about what options should be avalable not just a package with a few things you want and a couple you dont. personally i would’nt mind waiting a few months to get the color engine tranny and radio i want.
i hope MOTHER dodge pays attention to the pricing. cars today are way to much of a major investment for people to day
Ok besides engine and tranny options, lets talk color and interior options? i wouldnt mind seeing a plum crazy purple with ether racing strips or the hemi strip down the side, with white leather or leather like material (not vinal),
navagation, and a nice bose 6 disc mp3 sound system w/aux jak for my ipod. and the seats better be comfortable because i will be driveing this car everyday to work and any were else i go with a car like that it just sreams road trip
Hi
I would like to see the 426 hemi. Also there should be a couple different engines to choose from.
Also I would like to see a convertible come out of all this. Thanks Rick
who cares about the gtr. its 80 or 90k for a 460hp engine.. you also have the new vette thats got 650hp but its 100k. of course they cant come up with real power so its a supercharged v8 to compete with the viper. now then, who wants a viper engine? 600hp out of an 8.4? the specs on the 6.4hemi alone are 500hp, which is what the last viper had (minus 5hp). get up to the big hemis and well surpass a viper engine in hp without having to add cylinders and take up more space.
Although, as I stated earlier in this blog, I want a true 426 Hemi (w/ min 475 HP and 500 lbs of TQ) 5 or 6 speed manual and a shaker hood. I think everyone on this blog and Dodge will agree that to make this car a success, they need to appeal to the masses. Which means they have to make available a V6 and an automatic trans. I have no problem w/ that if it helps keep the Challenger in production. What Dodge should understand by now is that what will make it a success is two things: 1) it MUST compete with the Camaro & Mustang on both Pricing and Performance; and 2) the Buyer MUST be allowed to chose the options. I would recommend at least 4 engine options
1) 500 Hemi (the vette Killer)
2) 426 Hemi (the Stang & Camaro Widow Maker)
3) 383 or 360
4) 245 cubic inch V6
tranny options:
1) 6 speed manual
2) 5 speed manual or slap stick
3) auto
I didn’t read all of the posts but of the ones I did read how come no one has requested the viper motor? At least make it an option. The customer should be able to choose the motor they want….I have always wanted the biggest thing I could get….any chance for a 1500 horse blown keith black hemi?
I’ve watched this car in development since word first leaked. Did the same thing with the new model Mustang as well. I like the big horsepower, no doubt. But, the Challenger has to be able to beat out the Mustang to win any market share at all. Mustang owners are not going to drop their cars unless they’ve had real trouble with them. Given the JD Power wins Ford has this year, there aren’t many with real trouble.
I’m running a 2k V6 Mustang right now, but Ma Mopar is an old family friend (still have a ‘68 Fury believe it or not) that I’d like to get to know again.
Everyone is asking for big Hemi’s. Heck yes, you have to have them, but the car will NOT gain any market share without some lighter engines. If I’m buying, it’s not just to play, but to put it to work hauling me to my job. My cars aren’t bought to be trailer queens, so I have to be able to afford to drive them as well. Show me a good 250hp V6 with at least a 5 speed stick (a 6 would be fantastic) that’ll jump when I need it too AND get 30mpg on the highway and you’ll have my attention. Start the base at 19k MSRP and compete with the Mustang head on.
Big engine fans won’t buy that setup, but that’s fine, have the choices out there and available then Dodge can and will take a huge chunk of the ponycar market with the Challenger.
OHH YEAH JUSTIN IM NOT BUYING AN AMERICAN
V-6 THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING LET’S GET THE NISSAN GTR NOW THAT’S GONNA BE SOMETHING. I WANT A V-8 MAN. COME ON!!!
HEY FELLAS
Does anyone relize that the charger srt is going for 38k msrp?! And the super bee is 41k doesn’t this sound ridiculous?! MAN I HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THE CHALLENGER. I don’t really think there gonna try to make this thing affordable. COME ON DODGE 41K FOR THE SUPER BEE!!!! You’ve got to be out of your mind to pay that. Dude that’s corvette pricing almost. I’D MUCH RATHER BUY A USED VETTE THAN PAY 40 GRAND FOR A CHARGER OR THE CHALLENGER. Shoot maybe that camaro sounds good after all. Dodge you’ve got some serious thinking to do on this one. 40 GRAND HA!!!! YOU’LL SEE ME IN A VETTE. YOUR CRAZY!! SOMEBODY HAS TO FEEL ME ON THIS ONE. I love vettes too but always considered them kinda out of reach but with the pricing on the charger and we still don’t know what the challenger is gonna cost it seems like a smart investment to buy a vette, dude if i got a later model vette and did nothing to it, it would still tear a challenger up so why buy a challenger and dump a few g’s into just to catch up to the vette this charger pricing is silly for the srt and super bee so now im convinced dodge is MESSING with us on the challenger. I’d love to be able to get this car but wHy buy some over-the-top car that doesn’t perform? DODGE THIS CAR BETTER TAKE THE CAMARO IF NOT IM OUT!!!!!! IT’S JUST MONEY WASTED TO ME. PEACE. P.S. YA’LL HEAR ABOUT THE NISSAN GTR COMING OUT SUPPOSED TO TAKE A 911 TURBO. HOW ABOUT THEM APPLES
I want this car made availible with over 300 horse, 4 speed manual, and the stock exhaust should be loud enough to cause hearig damdge. It should be carborated and priced the same as the mustang!!
avg joe. . . so much for optimism huh?! Lol but you are probably right about the dealers, but that’s how it is when any hot item hits the market. It happened with the mustangs and now you can get one for $5000 off msrp. Dodge will just have to stay competitive since there’s a lot of great cars coming out. Sure at first all the models will be expensive, but when prices start to drop it’d be nice if when they hit msrp, msrp isn’t still high.
i hate to burst every body’s bubble but when was the last time you saw or heard a car company listen to it core consumers, or the people that want or just dream to have one of these cars. If the dodge dosent over price the car the dealers are going to bend you over on price. it wont matter if it has a v6 or any v8 hemi or not remmber the PT?
then you going to get hit again from the insurance company this isnt a high end sports car but they will charge you like it is.remember thats what helped cause the muscle cars death the first time.
Now that will leave the most of the first year or to of these cars to go to collectors and rich pricks with more money then sense
so for you average blue collar guy working 40-60 hrs a week or more enjoy watching one drive by.
Anyone else notice that the only posts on this blog that are getting any comments are the ones that directly deal with info on the production Challenger? Look at the posts they’ve put on here dealing with the Caliber and Dakota……..0 comments……..look at the Challenger posts………72 comments, 99 comments………maybe a pattern here? Could there be a little interest in more detailed info on the Challenger? Hello? Anyone at Dodge paying attention here? How the heck are we going to make it to the spring of ‘08, let alone ’til Thanksgiving?????? AAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!
I’m going to load it with the bigest badest powertrain available from the factory. Then I’m going to grab all the aftermarket power enhancing parts and repave the roads around my house with Goodyear rubber!
The 425 R/T is great, but in the high performance version, I want something bigger than what the Mustang 500’s got. Live up to the HEMI name.
Starting in 2009, GM will offer enhanced OnStar service in 20 of its models. If a car equipped with the new system is stolen, besides telling the police its whereabouts, it will actually stop the car dead in its tracks. According to the report, if the police see the car in motion and determine that it can be stopped safely, they can tell the OnStar operators to send a signal via a cell phone to slow it to a halt. Although, the horepower will be cut, the steering and brakes will still work. In addition, before all of this happens, the car’s emergency flashers will go on and the car will give the thief a verbal warning before it stops moving.
The best thing about this technology is that GM is willing to sell it to other automakers in an effort to cut dangerous police chases.
It would be great if Chrysler would buy this to protect our Challengers!
hey I’m with you man, if Dodge can put out a challenger with over 300hp for under 26k I’m there (If I can find a dealer actually charging that). But if the lowest they can price a V8 at is 31k+ then I’m gonna need a V6.
what im thinking man is that my truck was a hemi 4×4 slt 20inch rims 2 door my color black for a sticker of 31k i paid 28k for it dodge can make a challenger with a 345 hemi at 345hp for the same price especially a hardtop i know it now a drop top maybe an extra 3k and the bigger hemi another 2k so im thinking 35k to 37.5k fully loaded chally sounds right think about it we just have to worry about dealer gouging dodges needs to protect us man
Yeah I was comparing the Mustang GT since it’s closer in price, not based on engines. A 250 hp charger starts at the same price as a 300hp Mustang GT. I’m all in favor of having Challengers with the biggest engine they can fit in it, but if that’s all they offer it’s going to be a short lived car, and definitely not one that will be in my garage. Unless I win the lottery and my own private gas station. If I can manage I’ll be trying to get the 350hp r/t, but I’m not holding my breath, and the 425hp is out on gas mileage and insurance price alone.
Hawk, if we wanted a Charger with a V6 we would have bought one already. They’ve been out for 3 years.
The simple fact is that if I can not afford a Challenger, I won’t have one. Common sense. And unlike a lot of people, that doesn’t mean I’ll run out and buy another Dodge. I’m not committed to any particular brand, so if I want a muscle car, I’ll be headed to the Ford or Chevy dealership. Ford is supposed to be doing some changes to the mustang for 09 which is another thing to consider.
As much as I want a Challenger, if it comes down to it I’ll have to wait 5 years and buy a used one.
Lots of questions, issues and concerns but, NO ANSWERS!!! Hummm
what im worried about are dealer mark ups inconcevible sitcker prices and availabilty. (sp)? This car shouldn’t come out if it’s not ready to perform. I’m the future mopar build it and you’ll see. If not then im saying to myself why not buy a camaro and that thought sucks seriously it sucks bad i want this car, i can taste it. Peace
YO JUSTIN
Motortrend did a guess-ta-mate AND I am under the assumption were talking V-8’s cause you said GT which means V-8. But Props to you yeah feel the college loans and the house thing. I guess me being a sous chef allows me freedom of movement so im not seriously considering purchasing a house for a few years then again i’ve seriouisly considered furthering my education. Being said i’ve got credit so a house is whenever i want it. BUT WHAT IM SAYING IS the sticker on my truck was 31k so if i can get 12k on a trade that only about 300 beans a month not bad. But this car will prolly be around 35k and hopefully no more.(fingers crossed)WITH THE 6.1 THAT IS. This car should have dodge all about it BIGGER BETTER BOLDER and to the other guy make the darn thing scream. I’ve got flowmasters on my truck and the thing makes me smirk everytime i crank it up. Like soulja boy ha! You only live once man this car is way more unique than a mustang and camaro’s that’s the real competion. LETS JUST ALL CROSS OUR FINGERS cause this ones gonna be good no matter what. COVERTIBELE TIME PEACE.
lets make the challenger what it shold be,a challenger. dear mr dodge, i would like my challenger with a 472 hemi and a six speed.let the cookiecutters in want of a six banger stick to the low end side of the charger and such.
I’m a Mopar fanatic. I’ve owned just about every car Chrysler built in the 60’s including big-block Chargers & a GTX. Sadly the last few decades I ended up going to Ford & now Porsche for my new car performance fix. I’d come back in a second if Dodge does it right this time.
Below are a few things that will get me to spend $30k+ on a Challenger.
1) Keep it under 3500 lbs. My ‘66 Chrysler 300 made from solid steel weighs 4000 lbs and needs its 400+ horses to move it along. 4000 lbs is way too heavy for a pony car and is the main reason I didn’t buy a new Charger (Coronet cop-car); who wants to spend $30k and get spanked by a stock Mustang GT.
2) The base V-8 has to run 0-60 in 5 secs flat, no excuses. The big “Hemi” should be in the low 4’s and pull 12’s in the 1/4 mile! The Zo6 runs 3.7 to 60 & high 11’s.
3) Offer a pistol grip 6-speed and a 5-speed “slap-stick” automatic.
Most importantly realize that 75% of the Mustangs Ford sells are V6’s and the majority of those are to female drivers. These sales have kept the Mustang in production over the years not the Cobras or Shelby’s. Offer a V6 base model for $22k!
Lastly to get the die-hard Mopar guys back, make the Hemi a true Hemi-head, not the semi-Hemi you’re building. You don’t need a domed piston to make up the compression, just add a supercharger
Mrkrissullivan,
You seem to think that I should want the same thing in a car as you. Chrysler knows better than this and realizes that people have different tastes and needs, which is why they’re polling us and asking for feedback. And I’m not sure where you heard that the Camaro will be more than the Challenger since neither Dodge nor Chevrolet have released any pricing information. The only guaranteed information is that Chevy is indeed going to produce a V6 version, meaning that if Dodge doesn’t, you will definitely be able to get a Camaro cheaper than a Challenger. It’s great that at 22 you have managed to afford a car with a Hemi in it, but for me it’s really not an option. Most people in my age group are still paying off college loans or trying to save up for a house (which is what I’m doing). If the 5.7 is the smallest engine offered then look at the Charger pricing; $31k. That’s out of reach for a lot of people. You may not like Camaros or Mustangs, but a lot of people do, and it’s Dodge’s main competition.
If Dodge is going to compete with the Ford guys and their Mustang then they need to look at what Ford is doing. I would very much like to get one of these cars(Challengers). However I want a V-6 and A 5 speed or 6 speed manual trans. The mustang is available with a 5 speed in the V-6 version. My father has a 1998 Mustang 3.8L V-6 with a 5 speed and he loves this car. He did say though that if Dodge puts the Challenger on the market with a V-6 and a Manual trans he would tank the Mustang and buy the Challenger. We are Mopar guys but Dodge hasn’t offered a pony car since the 70’s. I think that Dodge could steal many sales from Ford if they do things right. My Father considered a Camero and a Firebird at the time he bought his Mustang but the GM cars were 5 to 6 thousand dollars more money for their V-6 cars so he ended up with the Mustang. And had Dodge had a Pony Car with in reason he would have it. I had a 1973 #’s matching Dodge Challenger a few years ago and had to sell it to pay other bills. It had a 340 and a slapstick 3 speed. I loved this car. I can’t express enough how inportant it is for Dodge to offer the V-6 with a Manual trans . IT WILL SELL!!!!!!!!!!!
yes I said a 5.9 - bringing back an old car put back the 360 the plus for this there would already be many after market parts for us that like to modify our cars-
I have a durango has the 4.7 - boat ancor, in my opinion - now after the supercharger, intake, exhaust, header, re-vamped the ECU, intake system - runs pretty good
also own a srt crossfire - loved - kids and dog hated it because they knew if I got in it they were not going - once again this was there same mistake as they made with the prowler - high dollar 2 seater never got off the ground
The hemi sounds good but has a lot of torque, not a lot of horse power - good for spining tires - bring back the 360 5.9
Challenger has to have options - a V6 should not be one - true fans should hope for the compition, SRT version should have the V10 stanadard version 5.9 and an optional upgrad to the hemi - don’t forget the camaro will e dropping into production about the same time - looking a 400 horses for about 30-33 grand - if you want a looker go buy a BMW -
it looks fast it needs to be able to deliver!
Dodge - You need to get in the game and start advertising this car. This situation is very much like the mistake made over 30 years ago. Chrysler came late to the muscle car dance, Fords marketing/advertising people knew how to sell their car, Chrysler last four (4) short years and the dance was over. Don’t repeat your sad mistakes of 30 years ago, again. Crank up the marketing/advertising machine and start promoting this car. If you don’t have any people on hand, hire some from Ford of Toyota but whatever you do get started. GM is already ahead of you with the new G8 and the Camaro not to mention the many versions of the new Mustang.
Standing by!!
I like the idea of many options, but make them unique and worth it.
the 6.1L is mandatory, as is a manual trans. But the 5.7L, 4.7L, and 4.0L are all good options. But dont take the 4.0L out of the Nitro and slap it in.. give it some extra ponies to make it a Challenger unique option. Retro colors and stripes are also in order.
I abolutely agree with:
“Just please, please, please, offer either 15, 16 or 17 inch wheels as an option.
”
I don’t like the super low profile tire look or the ride they provide.
And, the 6.1 & manual trans for me.
The 6.1 Hemi that is shown in the developmental car pictures has got to be the one. Make it sound quiet but strong if ya know what I mean. Fast in the quarter ya but as or more important it needs to be a road racer as well. Boy if I can afford one I will make every attempt to purchase one of these.
As a Dodge salesman, I get at a minimum of 4 customers per week asking for info on the Chalenger. And nearly everyone asks or states the same things i have read posted below… “I hope it has a manual tranny, I hope they make it affordable, what about a convertable, will it have a 6 cylinder.” Dodge has a hit on their hands no doubt, but I can say that everyone is really hoping that the manufacturer actually listens to what they are asking for, if so there will be no problem ‘challenging’ the Mustang. As a lifelong Dodge lover, there would be nothing better for me than to see that!
As for me, I am wrapped up in the excitement and plan to buy one for myself, no matter what they decide to put in it. It’s just getting harder and harder having to sit here and wait! I know it will all be worth it in the end though! I feel like I’m 8 years old again and waiting for Christmas…
Put in the old four banger engine in and watch the Challenger go chug chug chug and slowly inch itself away… lol
No no. I’ll be happy with a Hemi. Preferably the 5.7, but if the 6.1 can fit, that’s just fine. Mate that sucker to an auto tranny and I’m game. Just please, please, please, offer either 15, 16 or 17 inch wheels as an option.
Some of us don’t like the whole bling bling look.
Stick on some fat tires in the rear, normal in the front. It’ll give that Challenger a very mean, fast racing stance. >:)
this ones for reeves and justin im also the big duece duece or 22 that is and im about to pay off my first hemi in just several months SO I WANT A BIGGER ONE!!! AND MUSTANG ARE YOU KIDDING? Please brother keep saving and the camaro is gonna be more than the chally so tell me how your gonna get that one DONT SOUND SO BRIGHT TO ME NOW but we do have things in common like love for the challenger and our friends don’t really know about them but when they see one they want it too. Please don’t even consider buying a mustang and camaro’s gonna be outta reach with that thought process bro. DODGE CAN WE START TALKING CONVERTIBLE YET? or you guys gonna let some people gobble up hard tops first? that’s cool that means i can save a little for a down payment you know. For now on nobody talks about acutally considering buying mustangs or goofy looking camoro’s please!!! With hugs and kisses SULLY. PEACE
Please at least offer a 5 speed manual trans. initially with the 5.7, not all automatics!
(Choice #1) 6.1 w/6 speed manual trans.
(Choice #2) 5.7 w/5 speed manual trans. Four initial colors, green, orange, plum and black. Add some stripes options.
Will not settle for an automatic or 6 cyl., although they should be offered later.
I second everything MOPARorNoCar said. Base six,5.7, and 6.1, 7.0 maybe. Manual and auto by all means!
price it to compete with the stangs. the “top dog” needs to be less than $45,000 though.Find a way to prevent gouging. make it a mass market car! no limits!
Possibles:
The AAR inspired stripes on that drawing in the other post about the designers would be awesome on these cars, please offer a rear hockey stripe too, genuine ram-air shaker or supercharger/ or both! ducktail spoiler please not the charger’s “thing”.
Once again let the customer order the car how they want it! if that be a base model, with leather seats, and the biggest engine, let it be.
Take a lesson from an old company you absolved back in 1987! AMC always allowed the buyer to get the car with just about any option on any car.
Finally, good job in properly resurrecting a model instead of ruining it! You are doing a good job so far, but listen to your customers!
I think this car could be a real winner if you do it right. Make it exciting by installing the 6.1 with an available super charger as an option.Dodge was always known for performance (blow away the comp.).
Choices are a good thing.
I have an 06 Daytona Charger and an 05 Daytona Ram 1500, and while I love them both I don’t like the fact that my charger stopped short in the area of brakes…(it should have come with Brembo brakes) pun intended. It is cool that it is fully loaded, being that it is my family car, but I really don’t care that it has a DVD player or heated seats. I do care about performance and style. Let me build it the way I want with out making me have things that I don’t want and I will be a happy camper.
I will be buying a new Challenger when they come out, and it will be an SRT8. It will be all about handling and power. And when those Ford drivers see it, they will take their GT mustangs to the local Dodge dealers and trade them in, hopefully, for them, Dodge will take them, (what are we going to do with all those Mustangs?)
The commenter “Omnivision” down about 10 posts has some real wisdom about the 5.7L R/T model being the key model for insurance, gas, and a generally reasonable approch to selling this car under the current economic conditions today.
Chrysler executives need to remember that the purchase of a new car is a major investment for the average consumer. We don’t all make six figure salaries. In many parts of the US, the mean annual salary is less than $30K. That means that the majority of the market spends the majority of their annual salary when purchasing a new car. Most of us who don’t default on the car note tend to be very careful about choosing the car that we feel best suits our needs - regardless of what we say in faceless internet forums. While many of us have preferences in terms of brand names, at the end of the day we will go with what we perceieve to be the best fit for us, regardless of brand name. Imagine the rigors that you - or your executive assistant - went through when you purchased your last summer home. That is the sort of process that the average consumer goes through when we purchase a new car. We don’t have the luxury of picking up a new car in exchange for a month’s pay. To most of us a car that costs $40K every bit as out of reach as a car that costs $1,000,000. Give us a car that is flexible enough to allow the customer to get one that suits their needs at a price that they can afford and add that to the exceptional appearance of the new Challenger and you will have a car that sells faster than you can build it. I promise you that the high volume/lower margin paradigm is vastly more lucritive than the low volume/high margin paradigm.
If properly executed (providing customers with a ton of options, getting rid of packages, and keeping the base price affordable) the new Challenger has the potential to outsell the Mustang. However, if you go the route of a no/low option high priced limited release the new Challenger won’t fare much better than the ‘new thunderbird’ that ford messed up with a few years back. Chrysler already has a low option high priced limited release sports car - the Viper. While, they are nice, I’m sure that a lot more posters get sold than actual cars. The Challenger provides you with an opportunity to produce a car that does not target a relatively narrow market. but instead appeals to a very broad market and will become a ‘no brainer’ choice for many if you give us all the option to buy the exact Challenger that we want at a price that is competitive. Give the teenagers and college kids their $22K V6 bare-bones pig in lipstick. Give them a V6 convertible for $26K Give the working class a stripped down Hemi for under $26K. Give those of us with a few nickels in the bank a hemi convertible for under $32K, and give the old men their fully loaded monsters for $40K. Give the customer the ability to get exactly what we want, don’t try to shoehorn us all into three of four option packages. If you limit our options you will make us look elsewhere for the options that we want. As much as I want a new Challenger, if I can’t get one with the options that are important to me at a price that I can afford, I’ll look for (and buy) another car that better suits my needs - even a if it is a chevy
Also, the reason why there isn’t already a new Charger sitting in my wife’s side of the garage is due to a lack of options - specifically the lack of a manual transmission) I was born and raised suckling at the teet of ma mopar and between my father and I we have owned nearly a hundred classic mopars from the sixties and seventies; but I’ve never bought a brand new mopar as I’ve yet to come across one in recent years that met my needs. (I can’t stand to drive a car with an automatic transmission.) My wife was ready to trade in her RX-8 when I showed her a video of the new Sebring hardtop convertible until I informed her that you couldn’t get one with a manual transmission - she immediately lost all interest in the car at that point. You can make the best car’s in the world, but if you don’t provide the customers with the option to buy the car with the features that they want at a price that they can afford, the customer will look to your competitors. If you guys provide us with this, I guarrantee you that you will sell cars faster than you can build them.
This message is in regards to Justin’s note; If Chrysler is reading these comments, yours is the most articulate and important one. I am a true Mopar fan in my 40’s and all I want is as much horsepower as I can get, but as a bright 22 year old car fan you are the best hope for Mopars future and your generation. Well done Justin, you nailed it. Mopar all the way
V6 with an Automatic transmission is my choice. Make it affordable. Base price around $22,000. Make cool colors like Plum Crazy available on all models and not just the SRT versions. Also make classic stripe options available on all models.
While I’d love to have the 5.7 model . . . please make a V6. Otherewise the only options for people like me are a Mustang (which everyone and their grandmother has) or wait another year for the Camaro. . . which I don’t really like the looks of. I can get a Mustang GT for 26k. . . Could I get a comparable Challenger for at most 28k? I think once a car is priced at over 30k for the base model, it’s out of consideration for a lot of people.
Because of the lack of in your face advertising for the challenger so far, the fanbase right now is left to the over 40 enthusiasts who already had fond memories of the original challenger. Once the car is out there and the public becomes aware of it. . . those polls will shift. I’m 22 and can’t wait for this car. Most of my friends don’t know much of anything about them, but then I show them a picture or tell them about it and they get the same feeling I have. They want one.
Don’t get me wrong, the bigger engines should be available too, it’s clear people want them. Just don’t leave any of the market out. You can’t lose if you have something for everyone.
Yep biggest nastiest hemi i can find sounds great, like a dream to me.+++convertible equals too much fun. OK hybrid are you kidding? Forget about it. I do though like the sound of the auto stick on that 425, cause unless it shifts like a vette there is gonna be some serious fall off in between gears but that’s up to dodge, correct me if im wrong though. Option groups cancel ‘em have individual options not sport groups and such i’ve got the ram with a hemi all black 4×4 slt 2 door i love it, it’s my baby but i’d have to say the rumble bee is garbage for the money IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN option packages are for people with too much money GIVE ME A CHALLENGER BIGGEST HEMI LEATHER COVERTIBLE SOME STRIPS AND BADGES LET ME CHOOSE THOSE BADGES LIKE DEALER INSTALLATION AND KEEP IT SIMPLE DON’T THINK CAUSE I WANT THAT I WANT A DVD PLAYER. p.s. I love u now give me a convertible. peace.
6.1L HEMI manual. I like the concept color, I don’t care about a DVD player, leather seats would be nice but not a must, good sound system would be nice but I can get a different one, so not a must. I was hearing rumors that they were only going to offere a fuly loaded 6.1 and liked it. I want mine to be unique and not have everyone running around with a lookalike like everyone does with Mustangs. Most people look at any Mustang and say “It’s a Mustang” whether it is a GT, a Shelby, are a V6. If they sell a V6 I will still buy a V8 but not feel the same. If they don’t sell a V8 I WILL NOT buy the Challenger.
PS, the only reason I don’t own a Charger is because it isn’t a stick.
I’ve had 2 ‘71 challengers.1 318 and 1 383.Both moved liked scalded geese,both handled turns fairly well.I never worried about gas mileage because I didn’t buy them for that purpose.
The new challenger should be able to run with the old ones and handle better due to new technology.Combine the old and new and make it fly.
Engine size? who cares? just get the horses out of it when you tromp on the pedal.
Tranny? Standard would be nice,but man you will work your legs off in a traffic jam,so autos have there time and place.(besides,I used to run mid 13’s with a 727)
A plain jane interior and optional exterior would be nice.
A convertible works for me,but put a roll bar in it.
Price? Take my first born if it runs as good as it looks.
As a salesman for a Dodge dealer in PA, I get quite a few requests for information about the new Challenger. I believe we have even accepted a few deposits for cars when they become available. At any rate, this car is poised to give the Mustang a run for its money, but only if it is excuted correctly. There are a few people on here who are delusional if they think that smaller engines are desirable to the prospective market for this car. Ford has done very well with the Mustang by offering three different engine choices: a V6, a V8, and a high performance V8 in a “halo” model. Initial rumors I had heard stated that we were going to do the same thing. After all, it worked for Ford, why not us?
Now I am hearing that we are going to only produce approximately 5000 vehicles the first year in SRT-8 trim. I think this is suicide in this market. There are going to be those younger buyers who can’t afford the gas or the insurance on a 6.1L Hemi but still want great styling and handling. After all, there are quite a few regular Mustangs out there. Our new 3.5l or the new 4.0l are at least enough to give the V6 Mustang a run for its money if outfitted correctly. Many people will buy this car on Styling alone. It must be made to be economical for the average joe who is concerned about gas prices and insurance or we won’t be able to sell the cars. Please remember that I am not saying we should restrict ourselves to V6 models however. I think that the bread and butter model needs to be a Challenger R/T with a 5.7l Hemi and MDS. It needs to be offered as a basic performance car with several different option packages which will allow people on a budget to pick a performance car for their budget.
I can see why the person right below posted under the name “none” b/c if it looks like the 78 Challenger, that’s how many people will BUY IT! 78 Challenger … please get out of here that was a Mitsubishi with Dodge badging, nothing resembling the heritage of the real Challenger. The person posting is probably a Mustang owner that is running scared at what he sees coming in the rear view mirror.
A high-power 4-cylinder around 250 hp 2.0-2.4L
or 300-hp 3.0-3.5 L v6
hybrid would be a good option
automatic t-tops
big power from small engine, turbo optional but not required, AWD would be nice too
and some REAL performance tires and suspension stuff
make it like the 78 Challenger but add t-tops and AW
I’m with everyone else here. Keep this baby a factory hot rod just like the good ‘ol days. I’m tired of bells and whistles. I want pure power and performance. I would love to have your Challenger with the 6.1 liter Hemi with no power accessories and true functional needle gauges in the dash. If you could offer this option so an average Joe could afford, you would have a real winner.