2008 Dodge Challenger Photo

2008 Dodge Challenger - Expert Reviews

MSRP: $37,320 See Local Classifieds
 

Expert Reviews from Around the Web

We have scoured the web for expert reviews of this car and found the best ones for you to read. Found 8 reviews. This list is displayed in ranked order based the reviews we think are the best.
RankingDetails
#1
2008 dodge challenger Professional Edmunds Review
Source: Edmunds

...powered by a 6.1-liter V8 that sends its prodigious 425 hp and 420 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. The latter features Chrysler's "AutoStick" manual shift capability. Dodge claims that the V8 vaults the Challenger to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and through the quarter-mile in around 13.5 seconds. Fuel economy, should a potential buyer care about such things, is an expectedly dismal 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. Safety: Antilock disc brakes (with brake assist), stability control and front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags are...

#2
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...With this engine, that weight is a factor only when cramming the car into a tight turn, where inertia can't be overcome even by massive 20-inch tires and alloy wheels. But when we finally get to test the V-6-powered Challenger in a few months, we have to wonder whether that weight will make this pony car feel a little more like a plow horse. That size does, at least, translate into a roomy interior and big trunk, though the rear seat is pretty tight. The front bucket seats, though, are near perfect, and the driving position is pleasantly European. While instruments and controls maintain a...

#3
2008 Dodge Challenger Overview
Source: CarGurus

...Built on the same platform as the Dodge Charger, but two inches shorter, four inches wider, and sitting lower to the ground, the Challenger concept car features a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. Like its 1970s inspiration, it has 425 horsepower, but it's even quicker off the line, with a claimed 0-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds and a max speed of 174 mph. It's likely the 6.1 Hemi will only be an option on the 2008 Challenger, and some of us will just have to settle for the mere standard 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine.Early pictures reveal horizontal taillights and four round...

#4
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...Dodge set journalists loose in Challengers on California's Willow Springs Raceway, where the cars proved reasonably agile and capable in situations more intense than any owner is likely to encounter. The weight distribution is decent, with understeer the default, and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar summer-performance tires are a good match. The standard tires are all-seasons rated P245/45ZR20 , front and rear. The summer tires are the same size in front and wider in the rear, at P255/45ZR20. They're a mere $50 option, but come replacement time the same models will cost you $263 apiece...

#5
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...It's also a benign cruising engine that burbles peacefully at highway speeds or quietly through traffic. The five-speed automatic works well, enhanced with a responsive self-shifter. The six-speed manual should be nice. Yes, gas mileage is abysmal, so bad that Challenger SRT8 gets slapped with a big, fat gas-guzzler tax of $2,100. DRIVABILITY: Unlike Challengers of yore, the SRT8 handles nimbly despite its heft. Balanced, with nicely weighted steering and awesome Brembo brakes, SRT8 can be driven like a sports coupe. The multilink independent rear suspension certainly helps, as do such...

#6
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...Zero-to-60-mph accel is about 5 seconds (the exhaust note has been engineered to sound like the old car) but the Challenger makes its happiest/orneriest noises at 5,000 rpm in third gear, as it snatches the air from the passing lane. No one will adore the five-speed AutoStick transmission used here. It works fine and, yes, you can shift it much like a manual transmission using the lateral shift gate (but no steering wheel paddles). Still, going around Willows Springs race track, I felt a little handcuffed by the positioning of the shifter. The Challenger just screams for a six-speed manual...

#7
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...Tweaks to engine breathing this fall will bring mileage to 13/19 for 2009 with the 5-speed automatic to lower the tax to $1,700. Mileage on a 6-speed manual is expected to reduce the levy more, but no numbers yet. With a sports suspension, ride is a little firm. It doesn't feel as if the pavement is covered with railroad ties, but the more blemishes, the more bumps and bounce. Excellent handling in corners without sidewalls scraping for grip, and precise steering response takes you right there. The '70s icon would stumble. Challenger puts a lot of pressure on the Chevy Camaro to be as...

#8
2008 Dodge Challenger Professional Cars.com Review
Source: Cars.com

...As in all the other Chrysler and Dodge SRT8 models, this engine does without the fuel-saving cylinder-deactivation technology of the smaller Hemi. In the end, the EPA-estimated mileage is 13/18 mpg city/highway. Unlike its archrival, the Mustang, the Challenger has an independent rear suspension. It's sport-tuned for handling, but Dodge says its ride quality is comfortable. Rear-wheel drive and a torquey V-8 aren't the best choice for all seasons, but the standard tires are Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-seasons. Goodyear F1 Supercar summer performance tires are optional. Also unlike the Mustang...

Dodge Challenger Related News
 
2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Yellow Jacket

2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Specs, 2012 Dodge Challenger: Car News Headlines

Today at Motor Authority we review the 2012 Dodge Challenger and specs leak out for the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will debut an autonomous... November 14, 2011 by 


 
Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 "Yellow Jacket"

2012 Dodge Challenger "Yellow Jacket" Leaked Ahead Of L.A. Auto Show

In 1970, Dodge created a show car called the “Yellow Jacket.” Based on a 1970 Challenger Convertible, the car was painted in pearlescent Honey Gold and powered by... November 10, 2011 by  5


 
Daniels wheels her Dodge Challenger down the drag strip. Image courtesy of Tiff Daniels.

All The Right Moves: Tiff Daniels Making Strides In Modern Street Hemi Shootout Series

Racers are a different breed of athletes in that any given time, with the right circumstances and people, they can excel and achieve their dreams through hard work and... November 8, 2011 by  2


 
Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR. Photos by Autoholics.com.

Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR: 2011 SEMA Live Photos

Sporting a range of Mopar upgrades and weight-saving features, better aerodynamics, and slightly more power, the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR shown at the 2011 SEMA show makes... November 2, 2011 by 


 
The Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR, built for SEMA 2011. Image: Chrysler Group LLC

Dodge Preps A Challenger SRT8 ACR For 2011 SEMA

The 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is a contradiction in terms. It’s a big and heavy car, so it shouldn’t be capable on any race tracks that involve turning left... October 25, 2011 by  3


 

Why should I also consider these?

The Mustang is a perennial player in the muscle car segment.

Unlike the Challenger and Camaro, the Mustang never went out of production.

Comparing today's models, the 2008 Mustang is nowhere near as large as the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8.

You can seat three in back in a Dodge; don't try that in the current Mustang or the upcoming 2010 Camaro, which we bring up here even though it doesn't go on sale until 2009.

If you like your muscle with additional practicality, perhaps the four-door Pontiac G8 GT is more up your alley.

It has a rumbling V-8 and rear-wheel drive to boot, and a new 402-hp version with a manual transmission is on the way for 2009.

 
2010 Chevrolet Camaro
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the 2010 Chevy Camaro is here—and it's good.
 
2009 Pontiac G8
The G8 gives Pontiac real sport-sedan credentials and hits the mark with only minor faults.
 

 
© 2011 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.
 

Use the form below to send us a tip, give us feedback, or just say hello.

(max 750 characters)