I was just going to add to the other thread, but I figured my opinion would just get lost in the mix.
Most of the people spouting opinions on here haven't driven or even sat in a new Challenger. As the owner of a 2007 SRT-8 Charger, and having owned 5 E-bodies, I think the new Challenger is great and everyone *****ing about it should shut up. Here's my response to the issues in the other threads.
1) The new Challenger is big.
Yes it is bigger than the 1970 - 1974 Challenger, and that is a good thing. You are much safer in the car because of it's size. A year ago I went from an SRT-4 Neon to the Charger SRT-8. I feel a hell of a lot safer in the Charger due to the size. I didn't feel unsafe in the Neon when I owned it, but I don't think I could go back now. A few weeks ago I sold my Omni GLHS. I hadn't driven it in years. When I pulled it out of storage I couldn't believe I used to drive it on I-10 in traffic every day at 95 mph. Felt like I was riding on the front bumper. I definitely feel safer in the Charger than I do in my 71 Cuda.
2) The new Challenger is heavy.
Again, this is a good thing. When I was looking at Chargers last year I read an article on-line that had appeared in one of the magazines where they recreated the chase scene from Bullitt with a new Mustang GT and a new Charger R/T. In the specs area they compared the 1968 and 2006 Chargers. When I saw that the new Charger was 500 lb heavier than the '68, the engineer in me said WTF. With the advances in lightweight materials, how can this be? Then it dawned on me that the new Charger weighs more beacuse it has airbags (front and side), ABS, traction control, gigantic disc brakes for 20 x 9 rims, and more safety items that the E-bodies don't have. So part of the weight issue is items that are keeping you and your family alive in a crash, and preventing crashes in the first place. The other things adding to the weight are a 6-CD player, DVD player, satellite radio, power windows, dual zone AC, heated seats, and other amenities that make the driving experience a hell of a lot more enjoyable.
3) I can build a modernized Challenger cheaper than a new Challenger.
Uh, no you can't. For the same money (not including your time) you may be able to stuff a 6.1 Hemi and a Tremec in the engine bay and upgrade the suspension and brakes, but you won't have nearly the same car. I don't see any modernized Mopars in the mags that have front/side-curtain airbags, ABS, traction control, or any other safety items. Also, pieceing together suspension/brake components is not the same as a car that is designed as a system. If you want a modernized E-body that is kind of designed as a complete car your best option is XV motorsports, and one of their cars will run you six figures and it still won't have the safety features or amenities the new Challenger has for 1/5 the price.
4) The back seat isn't big enough.
The irony is people are complaining the car is too big but they also complain there isn't enough leg room in the back. Last time I checked, the leg room in the E-bodies is lacking. When I take my 2-year-old twins for a ride in my 71 Cuda, they have to curl their legs up in their car seats because their feet hit the seat backs. Whenever I give rides I limit it to three people because you can't realistically get four adults in the car. The person in the back usually sits in the middle with their feet on either side of the console. If you need comfortable seating for four or more, the ne Challenger isn't the car for you and you should be looking at the Charger or Grand Cherokee. But an E-body isn't for you either.
5) When I put the old and new Challenger side-by-side they don't look the same.
Don't put them side-by-side. Yes the new car looks like it could swallow an old one when they are in the same shot, but when you look at the new Challenger by itself is there really any doubt what the car is? I think it looks a lot like the old Challenger, but more modern. Why would you want it to look exactly like the old Challenger anyway? We already have those. Using the logic that the new Challenger should look exactly like the old one means that the 71 Cuda should have looked like the 70, and I'm pretty sure there's quite a few people on this board that are happy the 71 Cuda looks the way it does.
The bottom line is despite the new Challenger being bigger and heavier than the E-bodies, it will runs circles around any old Mopar. It is quicker in the 1/4 than any factory stock vintage Mopar (sorry, but any vintage mag that tells you a Hemicuda could run low 13's or high 12's had a specially prepped car that most certainly did not come right off the production line), but it also handles and stops in about half the distance. It also gets twice the gas mileage. The new car also has all the safety features and amenities mentioned previously. When I took the SRT-8 on the Phoenix-Vegas cruise for Mopars at the strip, the only cars that could keep up with me were the drag cars being trailered. Many vintage Mopars wanted to see what my car could do and all they saw was the Charger logo on my trunk. While they were admiring my tail lights, getting wind/sunburn/dehydrated from the desert heat with the windows down, and wondering when the AM radio would be able to pick up another station and put it out through a single dash speaker, my family was enjoying the dual zone AC, the adults were listening to symphony-hall-quality satellite radio with a selection of about 200 stations, and the kids were watching movies and playing video games in the back on the DVD player. We continued doing that in the comfort of our car while we watched everyone else fill up their gas tanks.
My suggestion is you go try one of the new Challengers before you bash it. If you need seating for four, try a Charger. I love E-bodies and will own them until I die, but I will never use one for daily transportation. The new cars are better. Period. Go find out for yourself.
