The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
The Return of the ’70s Boulevard Cruiser
Grandma had a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass, two doors, light blue metallic, landau vinyl roof, 350-cubic-inch V-8 under the hood. It was my ride often when my decrepit BMW 2002 was in the shop.
This 2017 Dodge Challenger GT is reminiscent of Grandma’s boulevard cruiser.
Even powered by the base 3.6-liter V-6, the Challenger has plenty of power. Just like
Grandma’s Cutlass. That’s not surprising.
What was shocking was the smoothness of the Challenger’s ride, just like Grandma’s Cutlass.
The fingertip-light steering was also a dead ringer for the Olds. Well, except that the GT’s steering provided a bit more information to the driver than the Cutlass, which felt like piloting a boat in a 12-foot wide freeway lane.
This version of the wellknown Challenger is all about its new all-wheeldrive system, a first for the Dodge pony car.
This refined ride made for a comfortable weekend trip to Northeastern Michigan, a trip that
Cutlass made many times.
But there are some fine twisty two-lane roads up there, a place where the Challenger should excel. But the cushy ride comes at a price: vehicle control when the turns get fast.
There’s certainly a place for a car with light steer- ing and a smooth ride, but in a muscle car? It seems incongruous with what is expected of a two-door sports car.
The GT comes with a sport mode that changes the throttle response, transmission mapping, steering and traction control. Setting the steering on sport gave it a bit more heft, but it still felt light.
Changing the suspension tuning is not one of the options. it would appear the suspension designers chose relatively soft springs and dampers. The car heels over in turns like, well, like the boulevard cruiser it is.
The V-6 with an eightspeed automatic transmission is the only configuration available. Of course, the V-8 would be fun, but the 305-horsepower V-6 has great oomph. Put the spurs to it and it makes cool sounds. The transmission is smooth and always seems to be in the right gear and helps deliver instant power anytime the driver asks for it. There’s a manual-shift mode with paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
The GT comes with a Performance app that includes launch control. Select the Performance mode in the instrument panel and the Challenger will clock your reaction time and 0-60 time. We managed a 6.5-second run, just a 10th off the fastest time saved in the test car’s computer.
The Challenger is big, a lot bigger than it’s crosstown rivals from Chevrolet and Ford. It weighs
300-400 pounds (comparing similar models) more than the other two. It’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than the Chevy, 9 more than the Ford. It’s more than 9 inches longer than the others. It never feels small.
The interior is comfortable. We even had room for a smaller adult to ride in the back seat and he didn’t have to eat his knees. The front seats are supportive and comfortable.
There’s a ton of standard equipment baked into the Challenger GT’s $34,490 (all prices include destination) base price. Power adjustable, heated and ventilated leather seats, 8.4-inch touchscreen, rear parking assist and a configurable instrument cluster display screen.
The test car added navigation ($795), power sunroof ($1,195) and compact space-saver tire for an astested price of $37,965.
The real criticism of the Challenger is how little Dodge has done to update it over the years. Line up a 2008 Dodge Challenger next to this 2017, and most people will have trouble saying for sure which one is the new one (unless their looking at the taillights, which have changed a couple of times over the years).
The Mustang and Camaro have been updated multiple times since 2008, including all-new designs in the last two years.
Instead of updating sheetmetal, Dodge has spent its Challenger development dollars on evermore-powerful engines at the top of the lineup. First came the 707-horsepower Hellcat, but
Dodge recently announced the Demon, making as much as 840 horsepower. At least those mega-powerful cars cast a bright halo over the rest of the Dodge lineup. The commentary about the Challenger GT’s ride and handling isn’t necessarily a criticism. In it’s day, there was a market for a powerful boulevard cruiser like Grandma’s Cutlass. Maybe there’s a market for a modern version, one with all-wheel drive, so the drive up north will be a snap, even if there’s some snow on the ground.
Thankfully, the GT doesn’t have the Cutlass’ vinyl top.