Dodge Challenger
Car and Driver
Tested: two thousand seventeen Dodge Challenger GT AWD
2017 Dodge Challenger GT AWD
- May 2017
- By DAVID BEARD
An American muscle car without burnouts? What’s next, a Fourth of July without fireworks? Barbecues without beer? Football without repetitive brain trauma? That’s exactly what Dodge is proposing with its all-wheel-drive Challenger GT. It robs any hope of a rear-tire fire, trading old-school juvenile joy for modern all-weather traction. It’s a segment first—and a potentially wise budge to rescue drowning muscle-car sales with all-season utility.
To turn a pony into a mountain goat, the Challenger receives the driveline hardware found in its sibling, the Charger SXT AWD. The addition of a driven front axle and accompanying componentry increases the overall mass by one hundred fifty seven pounds, bringing the total to a whopping 4103. At least the modified Charger police-cruiser suspension does a noteworthy job of treating the extra weight. The steering is responsive, and the side-to-side athletics are well mannered even as the all-season tires howl through apexes. Controlling assets roll comes with compromise, however, as the overall rail is rock-hard and busy over undulating surfaces. That said, the tall, 55-series tires diminish harsh impacts relative to the 40- and 45-series rubber on higher-spec Challengers.
Calling this Challenger the very first all-wheel-drive muscle car may be a bit of a spread, however, since it’s not all that muscular. Powered by FCA’s familiar 305-hp Pentastar V-6, the steel pony makes it through the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds. However launch control is featured in the Uconnect infotainment Spectacle Pages, it’s a ruse. A 3500-rpm launch can be selected, but the torque converter thresholds engine speed to two thousand five hundred rpm while stationary, creating an uneventful dash from zero to sixty mph in 6.Trio seconds. Despite its newfound traction, the acceleration times are actually slower by 0.1 2nd to sixty and through the quarter-mile when compared with rear-wheel-drive V-6 models, which means the Challenger GT is the slowest of the current generation of Big Three pony cars, even lagging behind the turbocharged four-cylinder versions of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
Torque is routed solely through an eight-speed automatic transmission; a manual is not available. The all-wheel-drive system, capable of decoupling the front axle to reduce parasitic loss and increase efficiency, favors rear-drive most of the time. When the temperature dips into winter-like readings, or when the computer detects wheelslip, a clutch seamlessly engages the propshaft, sending up to thirty eight percent of the available torque to the front axle. The activation of sport or manual shifting mode will also lock the system into all-wheel drive. Here in Michigan, where winters sometimes last into spring, we confirmed what the system advertises: all-weather spectacle. The front tires are antsy to provide extra bite in icy conditions, and, if one desires, well-controlled glides can be performed.
Outside, the Challenger’s bulky proportions and retro looks remain unchanged. The GT’s standard 19-inch wheels house front rotors that are one inch larger than those on SXT trims, albeit any benefit is lost to the all-season rubber. Our GT required one hundred seventy six feet, fourteen more than the last Challenger SXT we tested, to stop from seventy mph.
Commencing at $34,490, the GT offers a higher degree of four-season capability than its Ford and Chevy competitors. But selling the soul of the American muscle car to build up cold-weather practicality feels a little like trading glory for convenience. We’d stick with a rear-drive V-8 and exchange to winter tires when the frost lodges.
Highs and Lows
Highs:
All-season spectacle, spacious interior, retro styling.
A little on the portly side, no V-8, no manual transmission.
Dodge Challenger Reviews – Dodge Challenger Price, Photos, and Specs – Car and Driver
Dodge Challenger
Car and Driver
Tested: two thousand seventeen Dodge Challenger GT AWD
2017 Dodge Challenger GT AWD
- May 2017
- By DAVID BEARD
An American muscle car without burnouts? What’s next, a Fourth of July without fireworks? Barbecues without beer? Football without repetitive brain trauma? That’s exactly what Dodge is proposing with its all-wheel-drive Challenger GT. It robs any hope of a rear-tire fire, trading old-school juvenile joy for modern all-weather traction. It’s a segment first—and a potentially wise budge to rescue submerging muscle-car sales with all-season utility.
To turn a pony into a mountain goat, the Challenger receives the driveline hardware found in its sibling, the Charger SXT AWD. The addition of a driven front axle and accompanying componentry increases the overall mass by one hundred fifty seven pounds, bringing the total to a whopping 4103. At least the modified Charger police-cruiser suspension does a noteworthy job of treating the extra weight. The steering is responsive, and the side-to-side athletics are well mannered even as the all-season tires howl through apexes. Controlling figure roll comes with compromise, however, as the overall rail is stiff and busy over undulating surfaces. That said, the tall, 55-series tires diminish harsh impacts relative to the 40- and 45-series rubber on higher-spec Challengers.
Calling this Challenger the very first all-wheel-drive muscle car may be a bit of a spread, tho’, since it’s not all that muscular. Powered by FCA’s familiar 305-hp Pentastar V-6, the steel pony makes it through the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds. Tho’ launch control is featured in the Uconnect infotainment Spectacle Pages, it’s a ruse. A 3500-rpm launch can be selected, but the torque converter thresholds engine speed to two thousand five hundred rpm while stationary, creating an uneventful dash from zero to sixty mph in 6.Three seconds. Despite its newfound traction, the acceleration times are actually slower by 0.1 2nd to sixty and through the quarter-mile when compared with rear-wheel-drive V-6 models, which means the Challenger GT is the slowest of the current generation of Big Three pony cars, even lagging behind the turbocharged four-cylinder versions of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
Torque is routed solely through an eight-speed automatic transmission; a manual is not available. The all-wheel-drive system, capable of decoupling the front axle to reduce parasitic loss and increase efficiency, favors rear-drive most of the time. When the temperature dips into winter-like readings, or when the computer detects wheelslip, a clutch seamlessly engages the propshaft, sending up to thirty eight percent of the available torque to the front axle. The activation of sport or manual shifting mode will also lock the system into all-wheel drive. Here in Michigan, where winters sometimes last into spring, we confirmed what the system advertises: all-weather spectacle. The front tires are impatient to provide extra bite in icy conditions, and, if one desires, well-controlled slips can be performed.
Outside, the Challenger’s bulky proportions and retro looks remain unchanged. The GT’s standard 19-inch wheels house front rotors that are one inch larger than those on SXT trims, albeit any benefit is lost to the all-season rubber. Our GT required one hundred seventy six feet, fourteen more than the last Challenger SXT we tested, to stop from seventy mph.
Embarking at $34,490, the GT offers a higher degree of four-season capability than its Ford and Chevy competitors. But selling the soul of the American muscle car to build up cold-weather practicality feels a little like trading glory for convenience. We’d stick with a rear-drive V-8 and interchange to winter tires when the frost lodges.
Highs and Lows
Highs:
All-season spectacle, spacious interior, retro styling.
A little on the portly side, no V-8, no manual transmission.