"This thing is just righteous!" Those were the first words that popped out of my head to executive editor Ed Loh after I got done figure eight-ing the big red Dodge Challenger R/T. Talk about old school done right. Of course Mr. Loh's first words to me when we saw the unexpected Challenger being unloaded from the hauler were, "Looks like Christmas came early -- even for you Jewish types." Good point.
Why Christmas in mid-November? We weren't supposed to get our hands on the Dodge Challenger R/T. It just sorta showed up. But hey, when life gives you a snarling 372 horsepower, 400 pound-feet of torque six-speed manual muscle car with a fully defeatable traction control system, you gotta make the most of it. That, and lots of black tire marks. Three cheers then for happy accidents.
Meet the middle child, the third and final (for now) 2011 Challenger. Like the previous generation of Dodge two-door throwbacks, the Dodge Challenger R/T splits the difference between the V-6 engined SE and the top line, big dog SRT8. Just like before, the Dodge Challenger R/T hits the sweet spot in the line up, with much more grin inducing power than the 305 horsepower SE, but with a much lower entry price compared to the SRT8 392 -- about $34,000 vs. $46,000.
It's just so much fun. Countless gallons of ink have been spilled over the decades by hacks like me pontificating on the joys of steering with one's right foot. That tradition does not end today. The Dodge Challenger R/T has a large, usable reservoir of torque and when you're midway through a turn all you have to do is goose the throttle to straighten the bad boy out. It's addictive, especially when the ESC is switched off. But even if left on, and unlike the SE model we also just tested, the electronic aids refuse to cut in early and spoil the fun. And really, what's a car like the R/T about if not fun?
Like the long term 2009 Challenger R/T that we sadly just had to hand back to Dodge, the 2011 model is seductive. In a world where the electrified Chevy Volt just won our Car of the Year accolades, half of the Challenger's appeal is that it's so politically incorrect. The thing's almost subversive. Big, unapologetic, brash, yet so fundamentally appealing that I had trouble staying out of the driver's seat. An animalist force compelled me to keep hopping in, nannying off and just gunning it. Even more than our dear departed longer termer.
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