Dodge unveils Challenger with AWD

Muscle car one-ups Mustang, Camaro

Muscle-car fans, start writing your relatives for holiday cash.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has finally unveiled one of its worstkept secrets: the all-wheel-drive version of the Dodge Challenger muscle car. Challenger GT goes on sale in the first quarter of 2017.

The GT heralds the introduction of all-wheel drive to the Challenger lineup, but it isn’t cheap. At $34,490 including a destination fee, the GT is more than $6,000 pricier than the base rear-drive Challenger.

The two share a 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 and 8-speed automatic transmission. But the GT also gets Nappa leather upholstery, heated and ventilated seats, 19-inch wheels, a backup camera, a heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping adjustments, and an Alpine stereo with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Chrysler’s 8.4-inch multimedia touchscreen. Most of those features are optional on the regular Challenger.

Options include Nappa- and Alcantara seats, a performance steering wheel, a moonroof and even more stereo speakers and wattage. Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman Kristin Starnes told us the GT won’t offer any of the Challenger’s V-8 engines, however.

The EPA leaked fuel-economy numbers — 18 miles per gallon in the city, 27 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg combined — for the Challenger GT in October. That puts the all-wheel-drive Challenger GT behind its rear-drive sibling by 2 mpg.

The all-wheel-drive system, as in the Challenger’s Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger corporate cousins, features an active transfer case and disconnecting front axle to remain essentially rearwheel drive until low traction requires power up front.

The GT gives muscle-car shoppers an all-weather choice, something unavailable in the rival Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. There are, however, sporty cars with all-wheel drive that aren’t the typical muscle car, such as the Volkswagen Golf R, Ford Focus RS and Subaru WRX STI.