The 2009 Dodge Challenger The New Muscle Car
December 1st, 2011 Muscle CarsThe 2009 Dodge Challenger
The 2009 Dodge Challenger is a Muscle Car, testosterone filled and retro-styled car.
From its bold, 1970s muscle car styling to its throaty, loud Hemi V-8, the Challenger in top SRT8 dress is an awesome display of brawn and power.
Push the accelerator pedal, and passengers’ heads instantly get sucked back into the head restraints as the hefty Challenger lurches forward. Rear tires can squeal and smoke at aggressive startup, and the big steering wheel requires some dialing to direct the car, just like the Challenger of old.
Never mind that the four-passenger, 2009 version of Challenger is a gasoline hog in these days of fuel savings and environmentalism.
It’s so politically incorrect in today’s world, it’s nearly cool.
And men — young and old — materialize around it like magic. Young guys took pictures of the test car with their cell phones, while baby boomers recounted stories of what they drove in the 1960s and ’70s when muscle cars were the rage.
Too bad the new Challenger doesn’t come with the price tag of the original 1970-74 Challenger.
Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $21,995 for a base, 2009 Challenger SE with 250-horsepower V-6. The most powerful and iconic Challenger is the top-of-the-line SRT8 with 425-horsepower Hemi V-8 and a starting retail price of $39,995.
This compares with the 2009 Ford Mustang that starts at $20,790 with V-6 and rockets to $44,780 in top-of-the-line, V-8-powered Shelby GT500 Cobra form.
Next year, Chevrolet officials plan to revive their Camaro muscle car for what is shaping up as a celebratory comeback of ’60s and ’70s power machines from Detroit automakers.
But this year’s oil price hikes, jittery stock market and consumers worried about the economy have taken some air out of the sales prospects for the devil-may-care retro cars.
Still, shoppers with the money and a certain “so-what” attitude about greenhouse gases and oil revenues or a bursting need to relive the boomer heydays can enjoy the Challenger as a remarkably well-designed muscle car with the best attributes of yesterday and today.
Based generally on the underpinnings of the Dodge Charger sedan, the Challenger is a bit shorter in length and lower in height.
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Source:http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/101008/liv_478852.shtml
Tags: Dodge Challenger, Muscle Cars