DodgeForum.com drives the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Inaugural Edition
#1
11-24-2010, 01:47 PM
DodgeForum.com drives the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Inaugural Edition
Last week, Dodge invited me to come out to San Francisco to drive a handful of new models, including the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Inaugural Edition. The new high performance Challenger was a great surprise from Dodge, as this car was not on the original drive list but when I came out of the hotel on Monday morning and saw this white and blue beauty sitting outside, I could not wait to get behind the wheel.
The Inaugural Edition of the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 will offer 1,492 units, with 1,100 sold in the US and the other 392 being sent to Canada and our particular test car was equipped with the standard 5-speed automatic transmission with Auto Stick manual shift capabilities, but a Tremec 6-speed manual transmission is also available. The Inaugural Edition 2011 Challenger’s feature either Bright White Clear Coat paint with Viper Blue stripes or Deep Water Blue paint with Stone White stripes, adding unique wheels and a sharp white and blue interior dressing to make the first 1,492 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 models to stand out.
The exterior of the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 remains largely unchanged from the 2010 Challenger SRT8 and based on the popularity of the Dodge muscle car, keeping the general appearance the same makes good sense. The only “major” exterior changes are found along the front fascia, with a larger (and reshaped) lower fascia opening improving cooling efforts and aerodynamics and below that, a new chin spoiler furthers the aerodynamic improvements. On the inside, the interior also retains a similar look as the previous year, with the exception of the sexy white and blue interior trim, along with the special edition dash plaque included in the Inaugural Edition package.
The big news for the 2011 Dodge Challenger is the resurrection of the 392 cubic inch Hemi V8 – packing an awesome 470 horsepower and 470lb-ft of torque. The base model 2011 Challenger receives the new Pentastar 3.6L V6 and the Dodge muscle car features a special output from the V6, offering 305 horsepower, but for our test drive, it was all about the huge Hemi. Even better, thanks to the addition of Chrysler's fuel saver technology, the new, more powerful 6.4L Hemi gets better mileage than the previous 6.1L mill.
My test time in the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 was entirely spent on California’s Highway 1. If you haven’t been there, imagine the most intricate road courses in the world all linked together and then stretch it out over the course of a few hundred miles with the elevation spanning from sea-side to mountain top on some of the curviest roads I’ve ever seen. Highway 1 is a sports car playground and on the day of my test time behind the wheel of the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 – oh how we did play.
Even with the relatively tame rearend gearing in the automatic-equipped Challenger SRT8 392, it had enough power to easily near double digits on the rare straight stretch of Highway 1. The revised suspension system combined with the massive SRT braking setup allowed the Challenger to handle even the sharpest turns after testing the acceleration of the big Hemi and even though the suspension provided a comfortable ride on the open road, once we hit the intricate section of Highway 1, taking the hairpin turns at speed was like a dream come true. At no point does the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 feel like a 2-ton car, as it was light on its toes as we cut through the corners and the 392 allowed the car to tear out of turns with little effort.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is truly a muscle car competing with pony cars. The interior allows reasonable seating room for 4 adults with luxury level quality but for the driver, there is no mistaking this car for anything but a high performance sports car. The new 392 cubic inch Hemi provides instant-on power like few cars in the world and the suspension and braking system allow this 4000+ muscle car to keep up with the best the industry has to offer.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is not A muscle car… it is the THE muscle car.
Click here for a look at our 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 test car on Highway 1.
The Inaugural Edition of the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 will offer 1,492 units, with 1,100 sold in the US and the other 392 being sent to Canada and our particular test car was equipped with the standard 5-speed automatic transmission with Auto Stick manual shift capabilities, but a Tremec 6-speed manual transmission is also available. The Inaugural Edition 2011 Challenger’s feature either Bright White Clear Coat paint with Viper Blue stripes or Deep Water Blue paint with Stone White stripes, adding unique wheels and a sharp white and blue interior dressing to make the first 1,492 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 models to stand out.
The exterior of the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 remains largely unchanged from the 2010 Challenger SRT8 and based on the popularity of the Dodge muscle car, keeping the general appearance the same makes good sense. The only “major” exterior changes are found along the front fascia, with a larger (and reshaped) lower fascia opening improving cooling efforts and aerodynamics and below that, a new chin spoiler furthers the aerodynamic improvements. On the inside, the interior also retains a similar look as the previous year, with the exception of the sexy white and blue interior trim, along with the special edition dash plaque included in the Inaugural Edition package.
The big news for the 2011 Dodge Challenger is the resurrection of the 392 cubic inch Hemi V8 – packing an awesome 470 horsepower and 470lb-ft of torque. The base model 2011 Challenger receives the new Pentastar 3.6L V6 and the Dodge muscle car features a special output from the V6, offering 305 horsepower, but for our test drive, it was all about the huge Hemi. Even better, thanks to the addition of Chrysler's fuel saver technology, the new, more powerful 6.4L Hemi gets better mileage than the previous 6.1L mill.
My test time in the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 was entirely spent on California’s Highway 1. If you haven’t been there, imagine the most intricate road courses in the world all linked together and then stretch it out over the course of a few hundred miles with the elevation spanning from sea-side to mountain top on some of the curviest roads I’ve ever seen. Highway 1 is a sports car playground and on the day of my test time behind the wheel of the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 – oh how we did play.
Even with the relatively tame rearend gearing in the automatic-equipped Challenger SRT8 392, it had enough power to easily near double digits on the rare straight stretch of Highway 1. The revised suspension system combined with the massive SRT braking setup allowed the Challenger to handle even the sharpest turns after testing the acceleration of the big Hemi and even though the suspension provided a comfortable ride on the open road, once we hit the intricate section of Highway 1, taking the hairpin turns at speed was like a dream come true. At no point does the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 feel like a 2-ton car, as it was light on its toes as we cut through the corners and the 392 allowed the car to tear out of turns with little effort.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is truly a muscle car competing with pony cars. The interior allows reasonable seating room for 4 adults with luxury level quality but for the driver, there is no mistaking this car for anything but a high performance sports car. The new 392 cubic inch Hemi provides instant-on power like few cars in the world and the suspension and braking system allow this 4000+ muscle car to keep up with the best the industry has to offer.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is not A muscle car… it is the THE muscle car.
Click here for a look at our 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 test car on Highway 1.
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11-24-2010, 08:22 PM
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Speechless, except for the fact that I need one of those... God I love the pony wars....