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2008 Dodge Challenger Review

STYLING | 9 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

unmistakably the Challenger from any angle
Cars.com

handsome retro styling
Edmunds

looks spectacular in orange
Car and Driver

direct, heritage-inspired connection to the original
Motor Trend

The styling of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8--Chrysler's entry into the Detroit pony car revival--has been an instant hit since the concept version made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006.

The production 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 remains very true in overall appearance to the concept car that set the automotive world abuzz a couple of years ago. But upon closer examination, there are many subtle details that set it apart from its predecessor. One of the first things one might notice is the undivided grille, which replaces the concept's split grille. Also, the SRT team finessed the aerodynamics of the car in the name of high-speed handling. This includes "a small lip spoiler out back, plus a splitter and two small dive-plane winglets up front," says Motor Trend.

Unlike the Charger sedan, which shares little with its ancestral namesake, the Challenger "was designed after the 1970 model and is unmistakably the Challenger from any angle," notes Cars.com. This is a significant achievement, considering that the Dodge Challenger, 2008 edition also shares Chrysler's LX platform (minus four inches in wheelbase) upon which the Charger and 300 sedans are both built.

Dodge stays less true to the original car where the interior is concerned. While a black headliner echoes that of the original, Cars.com points out that the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8's interior is less 1970s than 21st century, including "exclusive materials and prominently bolstered leather sport seats with accent stitching and embroidered SRT8 logos." Edmunds was less enthusiastic about the Dodge Challenger; 2008’s interior is "somber and dull with only a few metallic trim pieces and orange seat accents to spruce up what is otherwise a sea of gray."

TheCarConnection.com has spent a few weeks behind the wheel of the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, and judges its styling an unqualified success. While some have criticized Dodge for not reaching far enough in terms of styling the Challenger, 2008’s version is worlds apart when it’s placed next to a 1970 edition. The exterior is spot-on, and while the interior styling could stretch further, it’s at least functional and built from good-quality materials.

Conclusion

In a time when pale, warmed-over remakes of decades-old classics abound, the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 thrills just like the original.


Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The Mustang is a perennial player in the muscle car segment. Unlike the Challenger and Camaro, the Mustang never went out of production. Comparing today's models, the 2008 Mustang is nowhere near as large as the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. You can seat three in back in a Dodge; don't try that in the current Mustang or the upcoming 2010 Camaro, which we bring up here even though it doesn't go on sale until 2009. If you like your muscle with additional practicality, perhaps the four-door Pontiac G8 GT is more up your alley. It has a rumbling V-8 and rear-wheel drive to boot, and a new 402-hp version with a manual transmission is on the way for 2009.

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See the Dodge Challenger in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

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