Dodge’s latest hemi was a fitting companion for Vin Diesel
Our fluorescent green (Dodge calls it “Sublime Green Pearl” ) Hemi Challenger showed up just two days before the opening night of Furious 7. The car gods were looking out for us.
The Challenger is a great looking car, strong, powerful, with that long hood, short rear and tight greenhouse that is classic muscle car design. We also learned that Sublime Green Pearl is not the color you want if you plan to be low-key.
But if you ever wanted to be a celebrity, this is your shade. Everybody who loves Challengers stops to talk to you. Everybody who loves muscle cars has a story for you. Little kids point and smile. Big kids, too. Even in the car-crazed South Bay, where Ferraris take their Sunday cruise around PV, and the luxo-barges fight it out for the top valet spot space at Shade in Manhattan Beach, the Challenger reigns supreme.
In homage to the Fast and Furious franchise, we named our tester Vin Diesel. Part of the Challenger’s allure – Like Vin – is that people instinctively know it’s no poser. Although there is a very sane and sensible V6 model, we would always recommend the Hemi. Because, well…it’s a Hemi. And while the technological description is a Hemispherical combustion chamber (gives great combustion and room for monstrous valves), what it really means is power.
With our tester’s standard 5.7-liter V8, you get a very solid 375 horsepower and a fat 410 lb.-ft. of torque that moves the Challenger quickly. The exhaust has a nice deep bellow at low rpm and a nice piercing wail as it claws up the rev range. And if that’s not enough, there’s an optional 485- horse 6.4-liter hemi that goes to 60 in a tick over 4-seconds and can push that big, blocky body over 180 mph. There’s also the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 with over 700 –yep, over 700 horsepower. See you in the pokey, pal.
Our tester was also gifted with a 6-speed manual transmission, and frankly, it’s a bit of a revelation. We were expecting a heavy clutch and a shifter that required a shoulder-full of shove to swap gears. The clutch is surprisingly light and easy to use, the shifter light and direct. Even in heavy stop-and-go traffic, a piece of cake.
A side note – after our Challenger, we spent a week in a Charger R/T with the new 8-speed automatic. It’s an excellent choice if you don’t want to stir your own gears, but frankly, the involvement, the personality, and the ease of use makes the manual the clear choice in the Challenger.
Our tester had the optional Super Track Pak, which is a bargain. It starts with 20-inch Hyper Black Aluminum wheels, adds high-performance brakes, performance steering and performance suspension. For $695 it’s a screaming deal. There’s more. With the Pak (they don’t like the letter “C” for some reason) you also get a rear sonar parking system and a rearview monitor, which, with the Challenger’s tall rear flanks, comes in mighty handy.
While the Charger looks heavily muscled and tough, underneath the brawny appearance is a surprising depth of character. (Okay, we read an interview with Vin Diesel.)
Even with all the performance goodies, the Challenger is impressively refined and comfortable. The ride is excellent and when you’re not stomping on the throttle, it’s quiet. The front sport buckets are deep and supportive and the rear seats area about as roomy as you get in this class of vehicle.
The Challenger also has a completely designed interior. The dashboard is modern and crisp with big legible gauges featuring a configurable, 7-inch digital display between speedo and tach and a massive 8.4-inch touchscreen in the center console. The technology is easy to use and the interior materials look and feel high quality.
The Challenger is an affordable way to go. If you were on a tight budget, the V6 Challenger has the looks for just $26,995. Our Hemi R/T tester started at $31,495, and loaded up with goodies including a power moonroof came in at just over $38,000. That’s an incredible deal.
Costly cousin: Lexus RC F.
Furious 7 is a bittersweet movie, because one of the movie’s stars, Paul Walker, was killed in a movie-unrelated accident before the filming was finished. A gifted actor and a true car fanatic, we honor him here. In the very first Fast and Furious, Paul’s character ended up in a wickedly quick and eye-popping orange Toyota Supra.
Keeping to the script, we’d choose the new Lexus (Toyota’s luxury division) RC F coupe. With its 467 horsepower V8, classic rear wheel drive layout and crazy, aggressive in-your-face style, it’s the modern soul mate to that Supra. It’s even offered in a retina-searing orange Lexus calls Molten Pearl. It’s also a ball to drive, a refined, upscale counterpart to the Challenger. Our tester was close to $75,000.
Comments: Ben@EasyReaderNews.com.
