All-wheel-drive is groundbreaking in this category, but does it break enough ground?
The Challenger GT is the first of the pony-car group— that includes the Chevrolet Camaro and FordMustang— to drive all four wheels. This is indeed groundbreaking, but also incredibly frustrating as the system is only available with the base V6 and not with any of the V8 models, which could really use the traction.
Dodge refers to the GT as an “allwheel-drive American muscle coupe,” but Dodge is really only pushing allwheel-drive as a way to make the V6 Challenger more bearable— perhaps even useful— in winter climes.
Visually, Dodge is keeping the news pretty much to itself. There’s no big fender flairs or “AWD” call-out letters. In fact, distinguishing the GT from the rest of the Challenger pack could prove, uh, challenging, but standard fog lights, rear deck-lid spoiler and unique 19-inch “Hyper Black” wheels are giveaways. The specially tuned dual exhaust system also makes more of a rumble.
A Challenger that drives all four wheels does keep alive the Dodge tradition of creating unique specialty models. Count the 707- horsepower Hell cat and upcoming Demon among the models that cater to buyers who believe that “muscle ”’ means a V8 under the hood.
It’s undoubtedly a missed opportunity to only offer the 305-horsepower 3.6-liter V6, especially when the 372-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 can be had in the related allwheel-drive Dodge Charger four-door sedan, although only authorized police departments can get it. Still, the hardware exists and would make an obvious transfer to the Challenger.
Adapting the Challenger for AWDduty includes installing the Charger’s Police Pursuit suspension and adjusting the spring rates and anti-roll bars for a softer ride. Most of the time, the GT functions in rear-wheel-drive and the driveshaft that transmits torque to the front wheels is disconnected to aid fuel economy.
When the rear wheels begin to slip, or during hard acceleration — or when the windshield wipers are activated, which presumes rain and therefore lessening traction — the front axle is automatically engaged.
TheGT comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission with steeringwheel-mounted paddle shifters. ASport mode speeds up the shifts— and holds each gear longer— but will likely negatively impact the fuel rating of 19 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. TheRWD V6 model is rated at 19/30. The extra 200 pounds ofAWDhardware is at least partly responsible for theGT’s poorer highway number, although it’s peculiar that the city number is unaffected when compared to theRWDmodel.
At a base price of $34,500, including destination charges, the GT is equipped with premium leather seat covers, heated and ventilated front
seats (power-adjustable for the driver), heated power adjustable steering wheel, 276-watt audio system and backup assist. The GT rolls on modest 235/55-19 all-season tires.
Despite that, there’s a Super Track Pak button with launch control. When activated through the 8.4-inch touch-screen, launch control holds the car until 4,500 rpm is reached, at which point the GT accelerates as hard as possible, minimizing any traction loss. Bear in mind the V6 makes a minivan-like 268 pound-feet of torque.
The Super Track Pak will also record your zero-to-60-mph times, reaction times, lap times and cornering G-forces.
The GT’s stability- and tractioncontrol systems can be turned off completely if drifting around corners or performing donuts in empty parking lots is your thing.
For an extra $1,000 you can add a GT interior package with leather and faux-suede front seats, a 506-watt Alpine audio system and a sportier steering wheel.
Whether Ford or Chevrolet respond in kind with AWDMustang and Camaro models will likely hinge on how the market reacts to this new Dodge.