Description

It's old school time in the Pony Car segment where Mustang, Camaro, Javelin and Challenger once ruled. Despite its troubles Chrysler has come out with a vehicle that commands a lot of respect with the 2009 Challenger. Check out Bumper2Bumpertv's take on the new edition of an automotive legend.

Transcript

Male Speaker: This is BUMPER 2 BUMPER TV. Greg Morris: No this ain't a flashback folks the Dodge Challenger is back on the streets. Thankfully it returned with it's old school appearance and unlike anything else from that era, it is also be graded on the original front to back and side to side. For those too young to remember this was quite an entry into the pony car segment and like the original it's a straight line machine that can pin a driver back into the seat. Especially if this is on the hood and underhood as well. Dodge has thrown political correctness to the win and offers the optional Hemi engine for the challenger. The Hemi of course has been contained to meet a mission standards but it can still take on high performance competitors without working too hard, yet with all that power under the skin the challenger also demonstrates some smart thinking. It's V6 as well as the automatic version of the V8 can run on mid grade fuel and even tolerate regular unleaded if necessary. We found it was a joy to drive even in city traffic where the front heavy steering and suspension set up. On the inside drivers and passengers will find a design scheme that could be dubbed a throw back. The instruments dials are simple to read analogue units and the center stack houses a well late out set of audio and climate controls. This is one pony car that actually has room for adults front and back as well as some pretty good trunk space. One of the pleasant surprise is was the better than expected level of fit and finish on the car. This is an area where Chrysler have been so much sloppy on the past even with the legacy of a trouble corporate structure behind it. The challenger is an example of how to build a niche car which just might be the future for the Chrysler. This is Greg Morris. What you want to know what you think so e-mail us, the address is Bumper2Bumper tv@cs.com.