A week on the road reveals the good and the bad about Dodge’s retro-modern muscle car
Road trip! It’s easy to fall in love with a car on the showroom floor – or even on a short test drive. But all vehicles have their pros and cons and some take a bit of seat time to come to the surface. A 3000-km, six-state road trip to Nashville, Tennessee was just the ticket to find out how practical – or not – the iconic 2017 Dodge Challenger R/T muscle car really is as an everyday driver. By Allie Marsh ▲
2017 Dodge Challenger R/T With 10 models to choose from, affordable prices for the base model(s), and looks that are a throwback to the 1971 model, there is a Challenger to suit every fan. Prices begin as low as $32,600 for the base SXT model, and there are plenty of options to help find your ideal version, including three engine choices (3.6L Pentastar V-6, 5.7L Hemi V-8 or 6.4L SRT Hemi V-8), AWD on one model (rear-wheel-drive on the rest), and a six-speed manual transmission on seven of the 10. Our particular tester was a Destroyer Grey R/T version with a 375-hp 5.7L Hemi V-8, six-speed manual gearbox, RWD and a $40,700 base price. Here are the pros and cons we found in a week on the road. ▲
Pro: Drive me! This car is meant to be driven. From the cockpit area surrounding the driver, to the sound(s) it makes when accelerating, to the Sport mode and Super Track Pak modes, there is no mistaking its purpose. And there are no intrusive ‘driver assist’ programs to co-opt your control either – no Adaptive Cruise Control or Lane Departure Warning systems, so it’s up to you to be in control. And you’ll want to be. When you take command in the driver’s seat, everything is right there within arm’s length. The instrument panel virtually surrounds you, all the way down through the centre console. Cozy! ▲
Con: But can you see? From behind the wheel, you need to be very aware of the car’s four corners and your surroundings. Until you get used to its long nose and annoying blind spots, its very hard to see around you. The C-pillars don’t allow for great blind spot checks over either shoulder, nor do they make it easy when looking behind to reverse out of a parking spot. So the ParkView Rear Back-up Camera really was that extra set of eyes needed. Its wide angle provides almost a 180-degree view on the screen when the transmission is in reverse. The vehicle was also equipped with Rear-Cross Path Detection chiming through the sound system when something crossed our path from behind. An indicator light also illuminated in the exterior side mirrors. When changing lanes, I made sure to check mirrors and make use of the Blind-Spot Monitoring system for help. The icon illuminated in the external side mirrors and often my passenger also assisted when changing lanes. ▲
Pro/Con: Being a passenger ain’t so bad, but… While the driver’s seat is preferred, if you must be a passenger in this vehicle, it’s really not so bad. Both seats are comfortable, the leg room is plentiful, and the headroom doesn’t feel compromised by the sun/moonroof. You do however feel as though you are in the wrong seat. With the centre console curving around and favouring the driver, space was limited to store items. The console cup-holders are inconvenient to the passenger, although there is a cup-holder pocket under and to the back of the armrest on the passenger door, and the Hectic Mesh netting on the side wall of the centre console only held my phone and some papers we had collected. I found I was leaving items on the floor under my legs most of the time, which wasn’t ideal. ▲
Pro: Size isn’t everything From both outside and inside, this vehicle looks and feels big. But don’t let its size fool you. The Challenger isn’t hard to manipulate on city streets or in traffic. Once you get your four corners located (and learn to see through the huge C pillars) the vehicle zips in and out of lanes effortlessly. Many times, when pulling into a parking spot, looking over the long hood to determine distance to the curb, I found I still had plenty of space in front before I filled the entire parking space. After extended periods of time with this vehicle, your depth perception adjusts and you begin to recognize its length through the windshield. ▲
Pro: Turn up that tune? Oh … maybe not The sound system in this car is fantastic. With the harmon/kardon sound system, we had six speakers and 276 watts of amplification power to create our road trippin’ country- tune audio experience. On second thought, because this car makes such great sounds itself, you may not want to turn up the tunes. ▲
Con: Bright – but blinding The infotainment screen is bright and can be distracting. The 8.4-inch touch screen was easy to use, easy to navigate, and the Uconnect SXM/Hands-free system worked well with our handheld devices, even offering Apple CarPlay functionality. The screen’s responsiveness sometimes became frustrating, but all in all, it was as good as most touch screens and infotainment centres come. ▲
Con: Destroyer Grey As most things go, vehicle colour these days seems to be in constant flux. For photography purposes, we had hoped to have a Green Go Challenger for our road trip but a last-minute incident in transport left us instead with the Destroyer Grey version. As well as making photography more challenging, driving a dark coloured vehicle means you are harder to spot by other drivers. We did have one positive comment on the colour from a border crossing guard who really loved it. Me, not so much! ▲
Con: Parking Brake – by foot? Nowadays we’ve become used to pulling a hand-brake or pressing an electric button for parking your manual transmission car whilst in first gear – at least in cars with a sporty bent. Not in this car – its parking brake is engaged by your foot. Yup! Just like in an old school pick-up truck – and just like the ’71 Challenger. I got used to this “new” way of doing things by the end of the road trip, but remembering it every time was tough. would go to pull away and the car would lift and remind us something was still engaged. The other annoyance is that in order to engage the parking brake by foot – your left foot – you need to take that foot off the clutch unless you’ve released the brake first. Easy enough to do, but old habits die hard. ▲
Pro: Hot and cold buns Both the heated and cooled/ventilated front seats came in handy on this road trip. During those hot days when the temperature rose past the discomfort point, the ventilation helped keep us cool and the cockpit area cool as well. Unexpectedly, we also used the heated seat feature on the day we ran into Hurricane Cindy and were a little dampened by the rain and quick drop in temperature. ▲
Pro: Comfortable cruisin’ Along with the sound of the exhaust and its great sound system, the sheer comfort of cruising at highway speeds surprised us. We cruised along at comfortably at 120km/h with the revs at a steady 1500, which allowed for great fuel efficiency and a quiet ride. There was minimal road or wind noise apparent from the outside, and yet, I knew, if I needed it, the power under this hood could match almost any vehicle on the highway. ▲
Con: Heavy lifting No one likes to lift their groceries, luggage or belongings any higher than they have to into the trunk of their car and that’s a downside with this vehicle. The trunk lip doesn’t mount flush with the bumper, so you are always lifting your luggage up, over and down into the trunk. There is no shortage of trunk space, however, so pack as much as you want. ▲
Pro: Let in some light Yes! Open up the sunroof/moonroof and take in some fresh air. There’s also a privacy screen, so if you want some fresh air, without the sun – or wind pulling your hair out the roof – you can extend the privacy screen to protect you from sun/wind. It’s a win/win! ▲
Pro: Look up – way up Above the rear-view mirror are more hidden treasures, including three programmable buttons for opening garage doors. There’s also a drop-down compartment, large enough to hide a couple pair of sunglasses or prescription glasses. You will also find the interior dome lights for lighting your cabin when needed. ▲
The bottom line Whether you’re looking for a throwback to your youth, or a great muscle car full of many of today’s automotive luxuries, this car could be for you. The technology is there for up-to-the-minute connectivity, but this vehicle requires you to pay attention to the road and drive. The advancements in fuel-efficient engine technology help save your dollars, but you can still enjoy the vehicle’s full potential through the track option. ▲
Keyword: Dodge’s Hemi-powered Challenger R/T: The pros and cons