Pricing: 2009 Dodge Challenger

Muscle car enthusiasts, rev up your engines, Dodge has announced pricing for the all-new 2009 Challenger line. Styled like its '70's namesake, the base price for the five-passenger SE coupe starts at $21,995 and comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 250 horsepower. The R/T model, starting at $29,995, features a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine producing an estimated 370 hp. The high-performance SRT8 model is priced at $39,995, plus gas-guzzler tax. It has a five-speed automatic transmission matched with a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 engine producing 425 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission is available. All prices include the $675 destination charge.

Dodge dealers are accepting orders now; the Challenger arrives in showrooms this fall. With Chrysler auto sales struggling, we’ll see if this model can help muscle the company out of its slump.

For more information on the Challenger, see our preview and video.

—Liza Barth

Comments

[HEMI CUDA]

Chrysler would make the car lighter if they could, but todays safety standards make it damn near impossible. Regardless, the car is still faster than hell. I hope they bring out a model with a shaker hood.

[Chris Braden]

Bought a '09 Hemi Orange Challenger R/T near end of May 2009. Got a great deal on it. It brought back a lot of memories from the first new muscle car I ever bought back in '71 when I was 22. I'm 60 now and can truly say that I love this car as much as my first '70 Challenger R/T which has a pistol-grip 4-speed with the 440 Magnum engine and single four-barrel carberater. Sold that car in '94 for $125,000! Maybe this one will skyrocket in price also. For those of you in your nitrous-powered Jap import--beware. You probably never lived the muscle car era so few of you can appreciate a car like this. Those of you who brag about 10 second 1/4 mile times are really going through the traps at 17-18 seconds; 15-16 at best. My '70 could run the quarter in the low 13s--dead stock down to the tires, and with mimimal tweaking it was easily capable of high 12s. What will this one run? Well judging from how it feels--I'm predicting about 14 flat or so. Not bad at all by today's standards, especially for a
stock production vehicle.

[vincent spadavecchia]

I have a 2009 challenger SRT8 with a 6 speed manual transmission. I am having big problems with the rear end its clunking and banging during starting and shifting gears and has a bad whineing noise between 40 and 50 MPH while driving in 5th gear. The dealer changed the rear end and it was fine for about 800 miles then started making noise again. The dealer has changed rear end 3 times already.Is anyone having the same problems.