Source;
Showing posts with label Dodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dodge. Show all posts
"It's Halftime in America" Chrysler Commercial from 2012 NFL Championship Game
Awesome commercial....
Dodge Charger SRT8 2012 car review
Dodge Charger SRT8 2012 car review http://modify-cars-wallpapers.blogspot.com/2011/08/2012-aston-martin-cygnet-cars-interior.html
Dodge Charger RT AWD 2012 car review
Dodge Charger RT AWD 2012 car review with prices reviews http://modify-cars-wallpapers.blogspot.com/2011/08/2012-toyota-hilux-cars-reviews.html
Dodge pulls the plug on the Caliber this coming November 2011
Last year's update to the Dodge Caliber, which saw the high-riding small car get a revised interior and little else, will likely be its last.Reports have circulated for some time that a replacement for the small crossover is on the way, and according to Chrysler enthusiast website Allpar, dealers in the US have been advised to get final orders placed before November.
The report follows talk earlier this year of Chrysler and Fiat developing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based Caliber replacement, with a debut planned for January's Detroit Auto Show.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, has previously confirmed that a new Dodge small car will be built on the Giulietta's underpinnings, known internally as the C-Evo platform.
“The new architecture, which debuted with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, is the most advanced mass-produced car Fiat has ever had. At Chrysler, Dodge will use it first,” he said.
Marchionne's comments and the new reports are in line with the company's roadmap, pointing to a Fiat-based model replacing the current Dodge Caliber in 2012.
While little else is known, Marchionne promised the new model will deliver fuel consumption figures of around 5.5 to 6.0 l/100km - suggesting power will come from one of Fiat's smaller-capacity MultiAir engines.
The new model's styling remains shrouded, although concept art that surfaced online last year (above) offers a glimpse at what could be the sportiest compact car to wear a Dodge badge in a long time.
Source;
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/52365/dodge-caliber-retiring-in-november-report
2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 : Latest Car Reviews
Slated to bow this fall, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 is the most potent variant of the division’s iconic 4-door muscle car to date. In unveiling the new model at the Chicago Auto Show, Dodge president and CEO Ralph Gilles promised a car that “adds a much larger power band across the rpm range, along with intelligent performance attributes and safety and creature comforts for customers who are passionate about performance driving.”
The heart of the SRT8 package is a new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, which is a bump up in displacement from the previous model’s 6.1 liters. The engine is rated at 465 bhp and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, the latter figure representing an 80 lb.-ft. gain over the 6.1-liter powerplant.
Even though the new Hemi V-8 has greater output, attention was paid to delivering the best fuel economy possible by incorporating a fuel-saving 4-cylinder mode, which was not previously available on SRT products.
Also for the first time, the 5-speed automatic transmission adds a standard paddle-shift feature to complement the sequential mode of the console-mounted shifter. Other upgrades include a new adaptive damping suspension that monitors driver inputs, vehicle speed, steering angle, steering speed, brake torque, throttle position and lateral acceleration to tune the suspension to match road conditions and driving styles. Drivers can also select between an auto or sport mode on the adaptive suspension.
Steering feel is also improved with the new heavy-duty pump for the hydraulic assist, and revised gearing gives better on-center response.
The 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 is fitted with new five-element split-spoke alloy wheels shod with a range of all-season or more aggressive three-season tires.
SRT8 Boasts a Unique Appearance
As with the previous model, there’s no mistaking an SRT8 from its standard Charger siblings. The package includes specific front and rear fascias with a new rear spoiler. The grille (and grille surround) is finished in high-gloss black, and the SRT badge is prominently displayed in the signature cross-hair grille. The hood is unique and features a 6.4L badge a black-out air vent for added engine cooling. On the sides, body-colored rocker extensions give the car a lower, more muscular appearance. At the rear, new round 4-in. dual exhaust tips and an SRT8 decklid badge also differentiate the vehicle from stock models.
The interior has also been reworked to reflect the performance-oriented mission of the SRT8. The new leather-wrapped steering wheel has a racing inspired flat-bottom surface fitted with the SRT logo. Besides the new paddle shifters flanking the steering wheel, the cabin has aluminum accents with a high-tech carbon-weave look. The front seats have perforated suede inserts and more aggressive bolstering, plus standard heating and cooling. The SRT8 also features heated rear seats as part of the package.
Also new for 2012 is a 900-watt 19-speaker surround-sound system from Harman Kardon. The entertainment, climate controls and navigation can be set using a new 8.4-inch touch-screen mounted in the center of the dash.
The new product onslaught continues for the Dodge brand with the announcement at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show that the Dodge Charger SRT8 will return for the 2012 model year.
"We're continuing the fast-paced rebuilding of Dodge as our performance brand, and the expansion of our SRT product lineup in 2012 is an important part of our rejuvenation," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand — Chrysler Group LLCs. "The new 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 builds on the iconic four-door fastback coupe design of the all-new Charger and adds a much larger power band across the rpm range, along with intelligent performance attributes and safety and creature comforts for customers who are passionate about performance driving."
The 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 will be built at the Brampton Assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and will be in dealer showrooms in late 2011.
"AWE-INSPIRING" POWERTRAIN
Under the hood, the new 6.4-liter HEMI® V-8 delivers more horsepower and torque than the 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 it replaces. It also will offer improved fuel economy.
Estimated power ratings for the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 are 465 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, including an estimated additional 80 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,900 rpm. Specific horsepower, torque and fuel economy numbers will be announced closer to the vehicle introduction.
Building upon the standard Fuel Saver technology (four-cylinder mode) found in the new 6.4 HEMI V-8, a new for 2012 adaptive valve exhaust system allows the technology to engage over a wider rpm range, which delivers improved fuel efficiency or the use of all eight cylinders when the power is needed.
Cult Motorsport's Custom Challenger SRT8 Looks Evil
Wow.... just when I thought the Challenger couldn't get any better looking....
This Dodge Challenger built for Cult Energy drinks is set to debut in November at SEMA. Built with a one-off, hand-fabricated widebody kit, some Mopar forum fan-boys claim power output's in the 1000 horsepower range.
Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5671734/cult-motorsports-custom-challenger-srt8-looks-evil
Source for pic's, check it out, way more photo's; [Not Bland Photography]
This Dodge Challenger built for Cult Energy drinks is set to debut in November at SEMA. Built with a one-off, hand-fabricated widebody kit, some Mopar forum fan-boys claim power output's in the 1000 horsepower range.Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5671734/cult-motorsports-custom-challenger-srt8-looks-evil
Source for pic's, check it out, way more photo's; [Not Bland Photography]
Dodge Could Get New MPV
Interesting....C'mon Honda, bring the Honda Stream to North America! Listen to what people are asking for!
In April, Fiat rolled out its latest strategy for the revival of the Chrysler Group and loosely outlined the products the automaker is expected to roll out over the next several years both in Europe and the U.S. One interesting tidbit in the presentation was the announcement of a new seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) being developed for the U.S. market that is slated to roll into showrooms sometime in calendar year 2012.
The new MPV, which will reportedly be built on the Fiat Group C-compact platform, and is said to be positioned to do battle with the Mazda5 and Ford's coming Grand C-Max. While it's conceivable that the vehicle could be badged as both a Chrysler and a Dodge, a Dodge-branded vehicle makes more sense -- especially when considering the recent news that Fiat plans to fuse Chrysler and Lancia at the hip.
A Dodge MPV would also mean that Fiat could arguably take a more expressive approach to the vehicle. It's no secret that the Journey and Grand Caravan aren't exactly reflective of where Fiat wants to take Dodge, and a sport-themed MPV along the lines of what is depicted above could be just the ticket to help transition the brand away from its bland people-mover offerings.
It would also allow Dodge to go after younger buyers looking for a vehicle with a blend of practicality and efficiency on top of a sporty character. Any U.S.-market MPV would have to have flexible packaging and offer room for bicycles, snowboards and the like. We'd expect any small MPV to be powered by one of Fiat's efficient MultiAir engines. Of course at this point it's hard to say which brand will actually get the vehicle outlined in the plan, but the addition of the coming MPV to the Dodge stable certainly makes sense. We'll know more over the next year as the Fiat plan begins to take shape.
Source (via autoblog);
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1006_dodge_could_get_new_mpv/index.html
In April, Fiat rolled out its latest strategy for the revival of the Chrysler Group and loosely outlined the products the automaker is expected to roll out over the next several years both in Europe and the U.S. One interesting tidbit in the presentation was the announcement of a new seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) being developed for the U.S. market that is slated to roll into showrooms sometime in calendar year 2012.The new MPV, which will reportedly be built on the Fiat Group C-compact platform, and is said to be positioned to do battle with the Mazda5 and Ford's coming Grand C-Max. While it's conceivable that the vehicle could be badged as both a Chrysler and a Dodge, a Dodge-branded vehicle makes more sense -- especially when considering the recent news that Fiat plans to fuse Chrysler and Lancia at the hip.
A Dodge MPV would also mean that Fiat could arguably take a more expressive approach to the vehicle. It's no secret that the Journey and Grand Caravan aren't exactly reflective of where Fiat wants to take Dodge, and a sport-themed MPV along the lines of what is depicted above could be just the ticket to help transition the brand away from its bland people-mover offerings.
It would also allow Dodge to go after younger buyers looking for a vehicle with a blend of practicality and efficiency on top of a sporty character. Any U.S.-market MPV would have to have flexible packaging and offer room for bicycles, snowboards and the like. We'd expect any small MPV to be powered by one of Fiat's efficient MultiAir engines. Of course at this point it's hard to say which brand will actually get the vehicle outlined in the plan, but the addition of the coming MPV to the Dodge stable certainly makes sense. We'll know more over the next year as the Fiat plan begins to take shape.
Source (via autoblog);
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1006_dodge_could_get_new_mpv/index.html
Inside Line Awesome Comparison Test: 2010 Camaro SS vs. 2009 Challenger SRT8 vs. 2010 Shelby GT500
Now this is a comparison test! Three amazing vehicles going head to head (to head)! I don't think you can go wrong with any of these cars.
Finding Finesse in Muscle
By Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor Email
Blog Date posted: 08-09-2009
Action movie sequels always have bigger explosions and a faster-moving plot than the original film. They also have evil-er villains and bigger budgets. Which gave us an idea...
In our recent pony car comparison test, the retro-heavy — and just plain heavy — 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS walked away with top honors in its debut. The big V8-powered coupe needed a new challenge. It was time to refocus the lens. Shoot from a different angle, so to speak.
So we squared the brooding visage of our SS-badged protagonist up against the cruelest bunch of savages we could find, the range-topping 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and 2010 Ford Shelby GT500.
If one villain is good, two is better. Just ask Michael Bay.
Bigger Budgets, Louder Booms
It's a run-what-you-brung grudge match of the biggest guns Detroit has to offer. Sticker price alone did not rule out any contenders this time around, but value still counts — the baddest in the land still has to be able to pass a basic accounting test. Our one stipulation is that each car must have a manual gearbox. This is a test of drivers' cars, after all.
At its core, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS is a coupe version of GM's platform for its Thunder from Down Under, the Holden Commodore. The Commodore was the first example of this rear-wheel-drive platform with independent rear suspension that also begat the Pontiac G8 (pour a little out). Our Camaro SS tester is equipped with $2,600 in options, including the RS package, a power sunroof and an interior trim package, bringing its final tally to $36,825.
The roots of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 are just as twisted. Its chassis started life eons ago as a Mercedes E-Class, then it was dusted off by Chrysler during its ill-fated corporate liaison with Mercedes and turned into the numerous Charger and 300C variants, and then finally the platform was chopped slightly smaller for duty as the Challenger. The SRT8 treatment throws more engine cubes and a sport-tuned suspension at the Challenger and brings the base price up to $42,245 with destination and gas-guzzler tax. Its six-speed manual gearbox, navigation system and other options bring our SRT8 tester's grand total to $44,975.
Newly refreshed but looking quite familiar, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 draws heavily from the limited-production GT500KR from last year. The GT500's sticker starts at $48,175 including destination and gas-guzzler tax, and once you add the HID headlights and Electronics package of our tester, the total comes to a cool $50,895.
3rd Place: 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8
Math can't do a burnout or scratch 2nd gear, but it can provide clues regarding the performance to expect from the Challenger SRT8. Each of the SRT8's 425 horsepower is saddled with 9.8 pounds, while the tamer R/T from the last test burdens each pony with 10.8 pounds. The nerds would suggest that the SRT8 should be about 10 percent quicker.
Or not. The SRT8 posts a 5.3-second run to 60 mph (5.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and trips a 13.6-second quarter-mile at 104 mph. These results best the R/T by a scant few tenths and less than 1 mph, suggesting that the SRT8 crew had aspects of performance beyond acceleration on their minds when crafting this über-est of all Challengers.
Early indications are promising. Braking the Dodge from 60 mph consumes 114 feet, exactly the same as the Chevy and longer than the GT500 by just 3 feet. Fade resistance is good, too, considering we're talking about 4,152 pounds of German-cum-American iron. Then the SRT8 posts a best-in-test 67.6-mph slalom run, suggesting that this Challenger will have no peer once we get away from the drag strip.
However, we found that its result between the cones doesn't translate into a superior experience on real-world roads. Its handling manners are very good, but the SRT8 communicates too little and isolates too much. Though more alert than the R/T, the deliberate, slightly under-damped ride motions still suggest that you're driving the car from a family-room recliner.
Among the biggest offenders are its sudsy brake pedal and overboosted, slow steering. With precious little information transmitted about the state of the front tires, your faith in their mechanical grip will be tested. You twirl in some steering lock expecting the nose to wither instantly into shuddering understeer, yet the SRT8 hangs on. It turns in responsively and corners flatly, clinging to the tarmac with more tenacity than you expect, even with prior knowledge that its ultimate grip on the skid pad is only 0.85g. The SRT8 gets it done, but this is a big, heavy car that drives even bigger and heavier than it is.
From the evocative styling to its easy-rider damping and syrupy driveline lash, the Challenger is best at stirring memories. Anyone who ever rolled a cigarette pack into his T-shirt sleeve will find it sensational even when parked.
None of the painstaking handiwork that crafted the nostalgic sheet metal found its way into the cabin, though. The pistol-grip shifter gleams like Excalibur plunged into a plinth of indifference, as the interior is a dark hole with little inspiration. Functionally, though, it is difficult to fault aside from the clunky multimedia interface.
You also have to roll down the windows to relish the period-perfect pitch of the 6.1-liter pushrod V8 at full whack, since the cocoonlike cabin does a comprehensive job of filtering out noise. Add in niceties like the telescoping wheel, hill-start assist function and automatic climate control, and the SRT8 proves a great cruiser.
So it turns out that even in SRT8 guise the Challenger still hasn't morphed into a racetrack refugee. Even so, the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is the most faithful re-creation of a 1960s muscle car yet devised in modern times, adding modern polish to the best bits of the past. It's just careful not to stray too far from the original formula.
2nd Place: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
In the time since it topped our previous pony-car comparison test, we've courted the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on familiar roads and cozied it up with our usual testing venue. Call it a second date.
Our first impressions remain unchanged. The Camaro's tremendously stiff chassis allowed GM engineers to dial in the friendliest ride-handling trade-off here. Bumps don't pound it senseless, as the suspension's compliance absorbs even ruinous roads without flintiness or float.
And in the key muscle car measure of ass-hauling, it delivers. With a listless, flat roar from the 6.2-liter V8, 60 mph falls in 5 seconds flat (4.7 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and the quarter-mile drops in 13.1 seconds at 109.4 mph, beating out the pricier Challenger by a half-second. This trap speed is actually a hair lower than the last SS we tested and might improve with a few more miles on the clock.
At 3,894 pounds the Camaro SS is no scalpel, but coming from the Challenger, you're relieved at how wieldy and precise it is. The quick steering starts out light and loads up nicely, and its shifter thumps positively from gate to gate. Clutch action is easy and smooth.
The big coupe is deft and user-friendly, and you begin to think the Camaro has this comparison all locked up. As with any second date, though, we also found a few more things to bitch about.
Step up the pace to full kill in an attempt to gun down the fleeter GT500 and the Camaro's reflexes begin to falter. It's relatively nimble for its size and quite well-balanced, but in quick transitions there is an odd yaw delay from the chassis — a half-beat of time between the action at the helm and actual chassis motion. We noticed it in the slalom, too, where the Camaro ceded ground to the others with its 65.8-mph result. The source of the slack is not obvious. Our guesses include squishy powertrain mounts or tire sidewalls.
Throttle response from the LS3 V8 is heavily damped. When you apply the right pedal to make a hasty escape from a bend, your request for a heaping portion of the 426 hp is first carefully considered by a tribunal of lawyerly electrons. The ruling of this conference takes time to meter out, and the resulting pause dulls the Camaro's throttle-induced exuberance.
Those traits emerge only when you're pressing on, though. You'll have to live every day with the horrid visibility imparted by its high beltline and low roof. Ditto the busy gauges and the — optional, thank goodness — goofy orange-plastic cabin treatment. Equipment levels are leaner than either the SRT8 or the GT500, and the puny trunk opening is another unfortunate by-product of the Camaro's ambitious styling.
Points for furthering the cause of intergalactic cultural awareness go to GM for designing a steering wheel and shift knob that the Sleestaks from Land of the Lost will find comfortable to grasp. Humans? Not so much.
There's a lot to love about the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. With the lowest as-tested price here, the Chevy's formidable performance and civilized chassis make it a tremendous value, and it put up a heck of a fight against the much more expensive GT500. Its platform has obvious potential for keener variants in the future. When that happens, the balance could once again tip in the Chevy's favor.
1st Place: 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
To those unfamiliar with the Shelby GT500 of the late '60s, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is a bit much to take in at once. A full complement of stripes, outsized reptile badges, a full-width front splitter — that's not a chip on the GT500's shoulder, it's Chuck Norris.
Slink across the door sill's glowing crimson SVT logo into a stripe-splattered driver seat. You're in a Mustang, no doubt. The dual-cowl dashboard and seats are familiar, yet there's something oddly intriguing here. It's that among all this over-the-top nonsense lurks signs of serious intent. Maybe it's the gauges that are now actually legible, or the synthetic suede bits on the steering wheel and shifter boot.
Twist the key and the initial skepticism wanes as the supercharged 5.4-liter V8 gurgles away confidently. Throttle response is sharp, the clutch positive and the rich off-idle torque makes the Camaro and Challenger feel meek by comparison.
There's no finger-tipping the GT500's striped cueball-style shift knob. Gearchanges are positive and precise, with a high-effort notchiness that requires a manly yank. Although it's a pain in the palm around town, the shifter works brilliantly at speed. And it is at speed that the GT500 finally begins to reveal that it's not all bluster.
Forget that the GT500 sprints to 60 in 4.6 seconds (4.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and takes down the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds at 113.5 mph, making it easily the most rapid car here. The accelerative might afforded by its 540 hp is only a peripheral component of the GT500's appeal.
Instead, it's the way Ford has made the slabular 3,901-pound GT500 willing to dance. The midpack 66.6-mph slalom result doesn't tell the whole story, nor does its test-topping 0.91g of grip on our skid pad. For that you need a real road or a track, and not the kind with sticky goo and a rack of lights.
Hustling the Shelby into a slightly off-camber 2nd-gear corner, hard on the brakes, the Shelby's nose dips but doesn't squirm laterally. At turn-in, the front end obeys with an assured confidence, if not quite the blazing reflexes of the Mustang GT with its lighter engine. Still, it has poise. The GT500's body motions are tied down with firmer suspension underpinnings than either the Camaro or the SRT8. The Shelby's well-weighted, responsive steering loads up predictably as you approach the apex and squeeze the throttle for the exit.
With a muted blower whine, the tail steps out progressively. It's easy to catch, and you can stand on the gas out of the corner in absolute confidence that the blue tinge of wheelspin will stay behind you. There are exaggerated ride motions at the rear induced by the live axle, yet the Shelby setup dispenses with much of the bump-sensitive loss of traction. This tail-out technique isn't the fastest way through a corner, but it's the most fun and the GT500 makes it so bloody easy. Besides, the SRT8 and SS are struggling to keep up.
The GT500's trump card is in its linearity. While the Camaro goes wayward beyond seven-tenths and the Challenger's talents are drizzled with apathy, the Shelby remains precise all the way up to — and past — the limit of the tires' adhesion. That it's sized right and you can actually see out of the thing only makes it easier to exploit its abilities. For a car of its mass, the GT500's control feel is astonishing and cements the conclusion that the GT500 is the most engaging car in our test.
Downers? The fuel filler neck dribbles fuel in hard driving and the firmly sprung live axle, while more capable than Messrs. Watts or Panhard ever could have predicted, pogos in a way that its independently suspended competition does not. That, and its near-$51K as-tested price is the highest in our comparison by more than $6 grand.
Modern Muscle in Its Highest FormTaking a markedly different tack than the Ford or Chevy, the Challenger SRT8 finds itself outgunned and overpriced. It is a throwback that is long on style and attitude but missing an important dimension of the driving experience that both the Mustang and the Camaro have in varying degrees. Although capable, it offers little dynamic thrill beyond the ability to turn heads. Modern muscle has moved on without the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8.
The amount of performance and ability Chevrolet has stuffed into the Camaro's fire-sale price tag is tremendous. Driven in anger, its handling is so benign that it is almost totally foolproof, yet it feels slightly inert. It is miles more alive than the Challenger, but the Camaro ultimately lacks the honesty — and killer instinct — of the GT500. If you can deal with the functional compromises forced by its styling and can't manage the scratch for the Shelby, you won't be disappointed by the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
One of the surprises of this test has been the evolution of the GT500 so comprehensively beyond its previous generation. GT500 owners receive exactly what they're paying extra for. More speed, more sound, more precision and best of all more personality. The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is a far more purposeful driver's car than either the Chevy or the Dodge, and doesn't ask for much in return. Yes, it's a $50,000 Mustang that is worth the price of admission.
The only question remaining is whether Detroit will facilitate a Part III.
Source (check out a ton of pic's and the video!);
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=154386?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*#2
Finding Finesse in MuscleBy Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor Email
Blog Date posted: 08-09-2009
Action movie sequels always have bigger explosions and a faster-moving plot than the original film. They also have evil-er villains and bigger budgets. Which gave us an idea...
In our recent pony car comparison test, the retro-heavy — and just plain heavy — 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS walked away with top honors in its debut. The big V8-powered coupe needed a new challenge. It was time to refocus the lens. Shoot from a different angle, so to speak.
So we squared the brooding visage of our SS-badged protagonist up against the cruelest bunch of savages we could find, the range-topping 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and 2010 Ford Shelby GT500.
If one villain is good, two is better. Just ask Michael Bay.
Bigger Budgets, Louder Booms
It's a run-what-you-brung grudge match of the biggest guns Detroit has to offer. Sticker price alone did not rule out any contenders this time around, but value still counts — the baddest in the land still has to be able to pass a basic accounting test. Our one stipulation is that each car must have a manual gearbox. This is a test of drivers' cars, after all.
At its core, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS is a coupe version of GM's platform for its Thunder from Down Under, the Holden Commodore. The Commodore was the first example of this rear-wheel-drive platform with independent rear suspension that also begat the Pontiac G8 (pour a little out). Our Camaro SS tester is equipped with $2,600 in options, including the RS package, a power sunroof and an interior trim package, bringing its final tally to $36,825.
The roots of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 are just as twisted. Its chassis started life eons ago as a Mercedes E-Class, then it was dusted off by Chrysler during its ill-fated corporate liaison with Mercedes and turned into the numerous Charger and 300C variants, and then finally the platform was chopped slightly smaller for duty as the Challenger. The SRT8 treatment throws more engine cubes and a sport-tuned suspension at the Challenger and brings the base price up to $42,245 with destination and gas-guzzler tax. Its six-speed manual gearbox, navigation system and other options bring our SRT8 tester's grand total to $44,975.
Newly refreshed but looking quite familiar, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 draws heavily from the limited-production GT500KR from last year. The GT500's sticker starts at $48,175 including destination and gas-guzzler tax, and once you add the HID headlights and Electronics package of our tester, the total comes to a cool $50,895.
3rd Place: 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8
Math can't do a burnout or scratch 2nd gear, but it can provide clues regarding the performance to expect from the Challenger SRT8. Each of the SRT8's 425 horsepower is saddled with 9.8 pounds, while the tamer R/T from the last test burdens each pony with 10.8 pounds. The nerds would suggest that the SRT8 should be about 10 percent quicker.
Or not. The SRT8 posts a 5.3-second run to 60 mph (5.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and trips a 13.6-second quarter-mile at 104 mph. These results best the R/T by a scant few tenths and less than 1 mph, suggesting that the SRT8 crew had aspects of performance beyond acceleration on their minds when crafting this über-est of all Challengers.
Early indications are promising. Braking the Dodge from 60 mph consumes 114 feet, exactly the same as the Chevy and longer than the GT500 by just 3 feet. Fade resistance is good, too, considering we're talking about 4,152 pounds of German-cum-American iron. Then the SRT8 posts a best-in-test 67.6-mph slalom run, suggesting that this Challenger will have no peer once we get away from the drag strip.
However, we found that its result between the cones doesn't translate into a superior experience on real-world roads. Its handling manners are very good, but the SRT8 communicates too little and isolates too much. Though more alert than the R/T, the deliberate, slightly under-damped ride motions still suggest that you're driving the car from a family-room recliner.
Among the biggest offenders are its sudsy brake pedal and overboosted, slow steering. With precious little information transmitted about the state of the front tires, your faith in their mechanical grip will be tested. You twirl in some steering lock expecting the nose to wither instantly into shuddering understeer, yet the SRT8 hangs on. It turns in responsively and corners flatly, clinging to the tarmac with more tenacity than you expect, even with prior knowledge that its ultimate grip on the skid pad is only 0.85g. The SRT8 gets it done, but this is a big, heavy car that drives even bigger and heavier than it is.
From the evocative styling to its easy-rider damping and syrupy driveline lash, the Challenger is best at stirring memories. Anyone who ever rolled a cigarette pack into his T-shirt sleeve will find it sensational even when parked.
None of the painstaking handiwork that crafted the nostalgic sheet metal found its way into the cabin, though. The pistol-grip shifter gleams like Excalibur plunged into a plinth of indifference, as the interior is a dark hole with little inspiration. Functionally, though, it is difficult to fault aside from the clunky multimedia interface.
You also have to roll down the windows to relish the period-perfect pitch of the 6.1-liter pushrod V8 at full whack, since the cocoonlike cabin does a comprehensive job of filtering out noise. Add in niceties like the telescoping wheel, hill-start assist function and automatic climate control, and the SRT8 proves a great cruiser.
So it turns out that even in SRT8 guise the Challenger still hasn't morphed into a racetrack refugee. Even so, the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is the most faithful re-creation of a 1960s muscle car yet devised in modern times, adding modern polish to the best bits of the past. It's just careful not to stray too far from the original formula.
2nd Place: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
In the time since it topped our previous pony-car comparison test, we've courted the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on familiar roads and cozied it up with our usual testing venue. Call it a second date.
Our first impressions remain unchanged. The Camaro's tremendously stiff chassis allowed GM engineers to dial in the friendliest ride-handling trade-off here. Bumps don't pound it senseless, as the suspension's compliance absorbs even ruinous roads without flintiness or float.
And in the key muscle car measure of ass-hauling, it delivers. With a listless, flat roar from the 6.2-liter V8, 60 mph falls in 5 seconds flat (4.7 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and the quarter-mile drops in 13.1 seconds at 109.4 mph, beating out the pricier Challenger by a half-second. This trap speed is actually a hair lower than the last SS we tested and might improve with a few more miles on the clock.
At 3,894 pounds the Camaro SS is no scalpel, but coming from the Challenger, you're relieved at how wieldy and precise it is. The quick steering starts out light and loads up nicely, and its shifter thumps positively from gate to gate. Clutch action is easy and smooth.
The big coupe is deft and user-friendly, and you begin to think the Camaro has this comparison all locked up. As with any second date, though, we also found a few more things to bitch about.
Step up the pace to full kill in an attempt to gun down the fleeter GT500 and the Camaro's reflexes begin to falter. It's relatively nimble for its size and quite well-balanced, but in quick transitions there is an odd yaw delay from the chassis — a half-beat of time between the action at the helm and actual chassis motion. We noticed it in the slalom, too, where the Camaro ceded ground to the others with its 65.8-mph result. The source of the slack is not obvious. Our guesses include squishy powertrain mounts or tire sidewalls.
Throttle response from the LS3 V8 is heavily damped. When you apply the right pedal to make a hasty escape from a bend, your request for a heaping portion of the 426 hp is first carefully considered by a tribunal of lawyerly electrons. The ruling of this conference takes time to meter out, and the resulting pause dulls the Camaro's throttle-induced exuberance.
Those traits emerge only when you're pressing on, though. You'll have to live every day with the horrid visibility imparted by its high beltline and low roof. Ditto the busy gauges and the — optional, thank goodness — goofy orange-plastic cabin treatment. Equipment levels are leaner than either the SRT8 or the GT500, and the puny trunk opening is another unfortunate by-product of the Camaro's ambitious styling.
Points for furthering the cause of intergalactic cultural awareness go to GM for designing a steering wheel and shift knob that the Sleestaks from Land of the Lost will find comfortable to grasp. Humans? Not so much.
There's a lot to love about the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. With the lowest as-tested price here, the Chevy's formidable performance and civilized chassis make it a tremendous value, and it put up a heck of a fight against the much more expensive GT500. Its platform has obvious potential for keener variants in the future. When that happens, the balance could once again tip in the Chevy's favor.
1st Place: 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
To those unfamiliar with the Shelby GT500 of the late '60s, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is a bit much to take in at once. A full complement of stripes, outsized reptile badges, a full-width front splitter — that's not a chip on the GT500's shoulder, it's Chuck Norris.
Slink across the door sill's glowing crimson SVT logo into a stripe-splattered driver seat. You're in a Mustang, no doubt. The dual-cowl dashboard and seats are familiar, yet there's something oddly intriguing here. It's that among all this over-the-top nonsense lurks signs of serious intent. Maybe it's the gauges that are now actually legible, or the synthetic suede bits on the steering wheel and shifter boot.
Twist the key and the initial skepticism wanes as the supercharged 5.4-liter V8 gurgles away confidently. Throttle response is sharp, the clutch positive and the rich off-idle torque makes the Camaro and Challenger feel meek by comparison.
There's no finger-tipping the GT500's striped cueball-style shift knob. Gearchanges are positive and precise, with a high-effort notchiness that requires a manly yank. Although it's a pain in the palm around town, the shifter works brilliantly at speed. And it is at speed that the GT500 finally begins to reveal that it's not all bluster.
Forget that the GT500 sprints to 60 in 4.6 seconds (4.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and takes down the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds at 113.5 mph, making it easily the most rapid car here. The accelerative might afforded by its 540 hp is only a peripheral component of the GT500's appeal.
Instead, it's the way Ford has made the slabular 3,901-pound GT500 willing to dance. The midpack 66.6-mph slalom result doesn't tell the whole story, nor does its test-topping 0.91g of grip on our skid pad. For that you need a real road or a track, and not the kind with sticky goo and a rack of lights.
Hustling the Shelby into a slightly off-camber 2nd-gear corner, hard on the brakes, the Shelby's nose dips but doesn't squirm laterally. At turn-in, the front end obeys with an assured confidence, if not quite the blazing reflexes of the Mustang GT with its lighter engine. Still, it has poise. The GT500's body motions are tied down with firmer suspension underpinnings than either the Camaro or the SRT8. The Shelby's well-weighted, responsive steering loads up predictably as you approach the apex and squeeze the throttle for the exit.
With a muted blower whine, the tail steps out progressively. It's easy to catch, and you can stand on the gas out of the corner in absolute confidence that the blue tinge of wheelspin will stay behind you. There are exaggerated ride motions at the rear induced by the live axle, yet the Shelby setup dispenses with much of the bump-sensitive loss of traction. This tail-out technique isn't the fastest way through a corner, but it's the most fun and the GT500 makes it so bloody easy. Besides, the SRT8 and SS are struggling to keep up.
The GT500's trump card is in its linearity. While the Camaro goes wayward beyond seven-tenths and the Challenger's talents are drizzled with apathy, the Shelby remains precise all the way up to — and past — the limit of the tires' adhesion. That it's sized right and you can actually see out of the thing only makes it easier to exploit its abilities. For a car of its mass, the GT500's control feel is astonishing and cements the conclusion that the GT500 is the most engaging car in our test.
Downers? The fuel filler neck dribbles fuel in hard driving and the firmly sprung live axle, while more capable than Messrs. Watts or Panhard ever could have predicted, pogos in a way that its independently suspended competition does not. That, and its near-$51K as-tested price is the highest in our comparison by more than $6 grand.
Modern Muscle in Its Highest FormTaking a markedly different tack than the Ford or Chevy, the Challenger SRT8 finds itself outgunned and overpriced. It is a throwback that is long on style and attitude but missing an important dimension of the driving experience that both the Mustang and the Camaro have in varying degrees. Although capable, it offers little dynamic thrill beyond the ability to turn heads. Modern muscle has moved on without the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8.
The amount of performance and ability Chevrolet has stuffed into the Camaro's fire-sale price tag is tremendous. Driven in anger, its handling is so benign that it is almost totally foolproof, yet it feels slightly inert. It is miles more alive than the Challenger, but the Camaro ultimately lacks the honesty — and killer instinct — of the GT500. If you can deal with the functional compromises forced by its styling and can't manage the scratch for the Shelby, you won't be disappointed by the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
One of the surprises of this test has been the evolution of the GT500 so comprehensively beyond its previous generation. GT500 owners receive exactly what they're paying extra for. More speed, more sound, more precision and best of all more personality. The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is a far more purposeful driver's car than either the Chevy or the Dodge, and doesn't ask for much in return. Yes, it's a $50,000 Mustang that is worth the price of admission.
The only question remaining is whether Detroit will facilitate a Part III.
Source (check out a ton of pic's and the video!);
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=154386?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*#2
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