Big cars… I love em’. In fact both my personal cars are over 18 feet long which may be why I was so attracted to the Dodge Challenger. When you first see the car in person you come to realize that this sucker is HUGE… seriously, it’s a big boy. I received the car on Friday morning which was great because I had the whole weekend to really play with it and put it through its paces. This particular one was a dark blue ‘09 R/T six speed and it was loaded with every option. Navigation - check! Sunroof - check!, Heated leather seats - check! 376 HP - DOUBLE CHECK!

Now I know I am generally pretty critical on most cars, but you know what? I REALLY like this thing and here’s why. It doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t, which simply means it’s a muscle car. Big, brash, ballzy and in your face is exactly what the Challenger is. It makes all the right noises and stirs up all the right emotions when you hit that starter button. The tried and true 5.7l HEMI burbles to life with a great sounding exhaust note to let the driver know they started something that was meant to get them into trouble. Tap the go pedal and the noise only gets better. There is a lot to say about this thing so I think I’m going to break it down by category… again, this is generally not my style, but like I said, I like this car so it deserves to get the full treatment.

Styling:
As soon as one lays eyes on the Challenger you know immediately that something different is going on. The car was built for one purpose and for a very segmented population of drivers. It is not a family truckster, it is not a grocery getter, it is not meant to be a fuel efficient eco-box. What it is meant to do is make every family toting, grocery getting, tree hugging driver out there forget about daily life and have a little fun. This car is about tire smoke, noise and an in your face presence… it wants to be the bouncer at the door of that club that may not let you in because you wore the wrong shoes, that’s what the Challenger is. Now, is the styling perfect… well, no. But its one hell of an effort. You see, the car when viewed from different angles looks different. Looking at the car from behind makes me think of that song, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, by Queen as the Chally definitely has a little junk in the trunk. However when you look at it from a pure side profile that pork chop ass seems to disappear. Same with the front. From an angle you see a really large front bumper but the more you walk around the car the more it disappears - strange.

Interior wise in just about every other review it was noted that the interior was simply a carry over from the Charger and 300 and in all honestly, it is. Problem though is it works in this setting. Big fat analog gauges that are in plain sight that can be seen without obstruction from the steering wheel with inset digital displays that showcase everything from oil temp to tire pressure. The in-dash navigation unit is easy to operate with a simple push button screen that is fairly intuitive as well as cleanly displayed. Sitting just below that are your climate controls… again, no BS, just good basic knobs and buttons that make everything work as it should. Interior room however is cramped for anything more than two people for such a big car. The back seats are usable, but are more suited to kids rather than full size adults. One quick note I must mention to back seat passengers: when exiting the car - WATCH OUT FOR THE FRONT SEAT BELTS! The front belts are anchored to this rail that is located right at the base of the doors and every time someone got out they caught their foot on it, so FYI on that one.

The front seats, lifted from the SRT models are great and provide nice support. Notice to tall drivers though - head room is lacking. I am 6′4″, 240 lbs and with a helmet on I would not be able to fit my big melon inside this thing. I say this because if you plan on taking the car to the track whether drag or road course, you’ll need a helmet and if you’re big like me, you ain’t gonna’ fit. Another tall driver notation: I am always weary of cars with a center console because my right leg always butts up against it and it is very uncomfortable, but in the Challenger I DID NOT have this problem… for those of you who know what I’m talking about you will appreciate this. Smaller folk will also enjoy this car as the seat offer loads of adjustability. My wife for instance is 5 feet tall and had no issues finding a nice seating position, so guys, if you are trying to get the wife to buy into you getting a new Chally this could be a selling point…. seriously, my wife now wants one… BOOYA!

Performance:
Now this is the big one that I am sure everyone wants to know about. Again, ‘09 Challenger, 376 HP, track pack car with 3.76s and a 6-speed. I’ll start out by saying that I don’t really like the transmission in this car so before all you die hard manual weenies go nuts because of that statement, let me tell you WHY I don’t like it. First off, I’m a road course guy, not a drag racer and because of that I tend to move towards a paddle shifted car. For drag racing I think it will probably be ok as the ratio’s are very close together, just keep in mind that you will be shifting this thing very quickly. Another issue I had was that the clutch did not engage until the pedal was 3/4 released, that means there was a lot of travel between your left foot and the floor before this sucker actually grabbed a gear. This car came to me with 1000 miles on it so I don’t know it’s history and that may be why. I’m also a city dweller so shifting every 3 seconds gets really tiresome after awhile. If however, you live someplace where you can really explore the joys of a manual then I’d say go for it. The shifts are crisp with short throws and it is a hell of a lot of fun. Braking wise the Challenger R/T was good but not stellar as it could use a bit more in the way of binders.

The 5.7 HEMI is simply a joy and when coupled with that glorious exhaust note you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time to the movie “Vanishing Point”. Chrysler nailed the sound of this thing and I mean NAILED IT! That low burble just sounds badass. Once you get it on the road the Challenger is deceptively quick, but doesn’t really feel that fast and I think the reason for this is that the power delivery is extremely smooth. Notice, I didn’t say wasn’t fast, I said didn’t feel fast. The long and short of it though is that this sucker moves and anyone that thinks 0-60 in 5.5 sec and a top end of 170 mph is slow is a bonehead pure and simple.

Ride quality is superb around town and on the highway. Although the suspension is a little soft for my liking (that means I’ll need to buy the SRT8). Another minor performance annoyance on this car would have to be the lack of road feel. Yes, the car gives a great ride and does handle, the problem is it doesn’t tell you it’s going to handle, meaning there is very little transmission of road feel from the front wheels through the steering wheel. That means you really have to “hope” the car makes that tough corner you’re going to take because it sure as hell isn’t going to tell you.

So, as you can see, I like this thing a lot. It’s a great car that does exactly what it was built to do. For those of you that own one I would love to hear your thoughts as well. Now this coming weekend I’m getting hold of an SRT 8 Challenger so ya’ll will get a real back to back comparison in the early portion of next week… stay tuned.

Y’all are going to have to bear with me on this one cause it may be a long blog. I spent the last ten days driving across the continental United States on a scouting trip for the upcoming Mother Lode Road Rally which runs from May 15th to the 22nd of this year. We started in Chicago, IL and made our way west to our final destination of San Diego, CA some 3,100 miles later.

Obviously one immediate concern about driving across the United States in the dead of winter was the weather. We simply had no idea what the elements were going to bombard us with. So we set out to get the right vehicle for our journey west.

Before we even left things started to get funky. We had originally made a reservation through Hertz for a full size SUV, so I’m thinking perhaps we’d be getting a Tahoe or and Expedition or something. But when we arrived at the Hertz counter at Midway Airport we were informed that we were getting a KIA Sorento. I will put on my flame suit now because I must say that this vehicle is nothing but a monumental pile of… well… lets just say it’s not very good.

I am sure that it’s safe and has good rating, but from a drivers perspective… woof! What a slob. First off the parking brake is positioned right next to the drivers right leg and actually digs into your thigh every time you go around a corner. Just a bonehead design in my opinion. The rest of the interior was standard economy SUV—cheap plastics covered with vinyl that try to convince you that you’re driving a more expensive vehicle. Sadly, it doesn’t work.

Driving the Sorento was even more disappointing, as this thing has absolutely no road feel whatsoever. Seriously, the steering wheel feels completely detached the front tires. Not exactly a confidence-inspiring vehicle. So we knew it had to go. Fortunately I was picking my brother up at Chicago’s O’Hare airport where there was another Hertz location. I got my bro and his luggage and headed to the counter.

Before I forget though let me mention that there were three of us on this trip. I’m 6’4”, 240 pounds.  My brother at 6’0”, 230 and our friend Ashlie is 5’3” and is about as chunky as a paper-weight. We also had ten days worth of luggage crammed into four large duffel bags, one big backpack and three normal carry on size pieces to boot. That combined with our emergency roadside and first aid kits and two bottles of washer fluid meant that we were loaded to the hilt.

The Sorrento is advertised as having 242 hp and 262 pounds torque. Pretty decent numbers, actually. Problem is, I think it’s a lie as the little KIA was struggling to cope with simple on-ramp entrances and small hills. As I said earlier, it had to go. For those of you out there that own one, well… God Bless. Use it for what it was meant for, that being a suburban family utility buggy that gets little Jimmy and Sally to soccer on time and gets the groceries home safe. For all others on the fence about this thing, keep reading and I’ll tell you what to get.

Now, back the Hertz counter. If you want to get a new car and/or upgrade, simply tell the people at the Hertz counter that the car is f*cked up. We did and it worked like a charm. I told the nice lady that little Kia pulled to the right at speeds above 60 mph and shook a little. No, problem she said, and preceded to get us 2009 Ford Explorer.

I am actually a big Explorer fan and have in fact owned three of them over the years. They’re big, have nice interior appointments and plenty of power. Problem with this particular one though was that it was only two-wheel drive, something we didn’t realize until we were about 20 miles from the Hertz dealer. Crap.

After one more trip to Hertz and with the woman apologizing again (this time it was warranted) we were treated to a 2008 Nissan Xterra.

Now most everyone has seen the Xterra commercials—they generally have people mountain biking with kayaks on their backs and eating granola. Honestly, not my cup of tea. I mean, I don’t mountain bike or kayak, but I do like the occasional granola bar and in fact had two with me. Thus I felt qualified enough to pilot this thing on our journey.

To be continued…

If you’re a Mopar fan, there are certain movies that you must see. Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Phantasm, Dukes of Hazzard, Joe Dirt, Cannonball (the orignal), Blues Brothers, and of course Vanishing Point. In this flick Kowalski tried to run from the cops in a white Challenger R/T while totally jacked up on uppers. If you’re really fine cinema, this movie is not for you. If you like Mopars, car chases and cool nude scenes with a hot blond chick on a motorcycle, then you must check it out. Anyway, below are the pics of one of the original movie cars in Mopar Alley, complete with movie make-up and and battle scars. Enjoy.

One car that there is no shortage of at SEMA is the new Dodge Challenger. Without exaggeration, there are no less 40 of them here, each with different modifications. There are widebody Challengers, lowered Challengers, blown Challengers and race replica Challengers. Execution is the key with this car, and there is a very fine line between great and gaudy. Most of the customizers have done a great job, however there are those select few that have missed the boat entirely. One thing for sure the custom car community seems to think the Challenger is second coming of Christ, so with that being said hopefully Dodge will sell enough of them to keep Chrysler from going down the crapper.

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Subaru loyalist rejoice! Your mountain rescue vehicle has arrived. This thing is actually pretty badass considering it started life as a new Forester. Fender flairs, a warn winch and some crazy suspension mods have turned this mild-mannered grocery getter into a mean mountain rescue unit. Obviously, Subaru will never make this, but the cool thing, as with all concept cars and trucks, is they give the consumer ideas. Good ideas.

I’ve been here at SEMA 2008 for 22 hours and, it’s all pretty impressive. First the sheer number of exhibitors is off the charts. Big rigs, trucks and cars are rolling in by the minute and the overall vibe is pretty cool. What I am very interested in seeing is the upcoming market trends. We all know I’m a muscle car guy, so rest assured, that’ll be the majority of what I’ll be bringing to the table. Since I also dig the SUV’s I’m rolling with those as well.

Customizers are everywhere at SEMA, and on the way to the convention center this morning one car from one of the best in the business caught my eye—and unfortunately, not in a good way. The new Dodge Challenger is out in force at SEMA, wearing many different outfits. This one, however, looks as though it was put together from a parts bin, and I hate to say it, but I think famed customizer George Barris may have had something to do with it. Every custom bit seemed to be thrown together as a non-functional afterthought. From the big bulbous carbon fiber hood scoop, to carbon fiber trunk overlay to the spoiler that was—GULP—cut in half. The wheels were up from the stock 20’s to 22’s and honestly didn’t do a damn thing for the car. The inside was even worse with a cheesy looking red leather overlay on top of the stock dash.

Now, please don’t think I am hating on Mr. Barris—the man is legend, but with this one I think he may just have missed mark. What do you think of it?