It's a sunny Coastal Georgia afternoon, and you're blasting down I-95, located a little less than 30 miles outside of Hinesville/Savannah...windows down...classic rock playing solid in the backdrop. Cool breeze in your hair (provided you have hair). Seat hugging you as you press down hard on the throttle as the large 392 cubic inch engine pins you back in your seat. Your face...well...I don't think I could wipe the smile off with a wire brush. This car screams, "Hey...ya...you...Mr. Camaro man...try me...I dare you."
That, in a nutshell, describes the feeling of driving the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 on any given day. We drove the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 on the track last fall, and there are some subtle changes here--but what has changed makes the Challenger that much better at hot lapping the competition.
For 2012, the car receives a two-mode adaptive suspension that offers
an "Auto" mode that adjusts to road conditions and driver inputs and a
"Sport" mode that locks in a higher damping rate for back-road blasting.
The rest of the changes: A new heated steering wheel with shift
paddles for automatic-transmission cars, and an 18-speaker Harmon Kardon
900-watt audio system with GreenEdge technology (basically, the
amplifiers and speakers are tuned to use the least amount of energy
possible).
There's one big picture change: SRT is now its own brand, with former Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles in charge.
Otherwise, the car remains mostly unchanged from its 2011 update.
Specs for the updated 2012 version are as follows: Manufacturer
estimated 0-60 time in the high four-second range, manufacturer
estimated quarter-mile time of mid-12 seconds (high 12s with the
six-speed manual) and top speeds of 182 mph with the manual and 176 with
the five-speed automatic. If you're wondering, fuel-economy numbers are
14/22 mpg with the automatic and 14/23 mpg with the stick.
I know a lot of people compare this to the 2010 models in different aspects, but I'm here to tell you there is a huge difference in braking and performance in general. The interior is a little spiced up as well. All in all this car flies and holds true to the muscle car heritage it came from...unlike its competition who seemingly is trying to take on the small sports car segment. HEY did I mention its also the only one with a backseat worthy of sitting in? (Mustang and Camaro might as well delete the backseat altogether.
Yes, the changes are subtle. But they make a damn good car even
better, which when one thinks about it, is really the intent of the SRT
brand.
