2010 Dodge Challenger R/T

2010 Dodge Challenger R/T
The newest version of the Dodge Challenger has been on the market for over a year now, so you'd think people would be used to seeing them around. On the other hand there are at least two reasons people might not think of them as ordinary. One is that they are still fairly rare on the street, though there are half a dozen in our "neighborhood." The other is that many people don't see them as new cars.

A common question for us as we drove the new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T was, "What year is it?" Apparently many people didn't recognize it as a "retro" design, but thought it was an original Challenger or even a Plymouth 'Cuda from the early 1970s. While that may be a nice tribute to Dodge for building a terrific retro car, it won't help them sell many.

For the record, the new Dodge Challenger is like the new Mini-Cooper: while it may have the same proportions as the original, it's actually a much larger car. That said, unless they are parked side by side, it's pretty tough to tell they aren't the same size.

The fact that the new Challenger is a fairly large car is a real bonus, simply because it's more versatile. (Not that it works for everyone. One woman was really interested in our pretty blue test car, but between them she and her husband have five kids. Even a really big sports coupe isn't going to fly for them)

2011 Dodge Charger caught

2011 Dodge Charger
Dodge president Ralph Gilles talked a little about the future of Dodge’s vehicles, stating that the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee was just the beginning of Dodge’s plans. Today, a reader was able to catch another glimpse into their future with a photo taken of the backend of the 2011 Dodge Charger. He was able to catch the muscle car taking a break from its testing in Florida and, although it is still bandaged up, could see some revised taillights and some hid headlights. The reader was able to take a peek on the inside and that revealed a unique two-tone leather interior that he said “looked upscale for a Dodge.”

In last month’s discussion, Gilles mentioned that the company was looking into a “higher-power version of the Pentastar V-6 with unique power rating” for the 2011 Dodge Charger. The sounds coming from the exhaust of the test vehicle assured us that a higher power version was found and utilized. Another interesting feature our reader noticed was the square cutouts in the bumper housing the dual exhaust which is similar to the feature found on the Chevrolet Camaro.

Dodge celebrates ultimate factory-customized Viper

Dodge Viper Customized

Dodge welcomed more than 400 loyal Viper owners at its Conner Avenue assembly plant in Detroit recently to present the ultimate factory customized 2010 Dodge Viper coupe to proud new owner, D’Ann Rauh.

Rauh and her husband Wayne are from Arp, Tex.

The couple own more than 40 Dodge Vipers, the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world.

A member of the Mid-South Viper Club of America, D’Ann Rauh worked with the Dodge design team to select the personal touches she wanted on her car.

The custom bronzed gold exterior paint was supplied by House of Kolor.

The custom interior features various leather appointments, which were crafted by Tony Spampinito from Venzano, who has worked with the Rauhs on previous Viper projects.

Bob Soroka, from Chrysler Group LLC’s street and racing technology team, airbrushed layouts of Viper-significant racetracks into the custom-painted copper stripes applied by Prefix.

The five-spoke forged-aluminum wheels are custom painted in dark graphite.

Members from the Motor City Viper Club and the Viper Club of America participated in the celebration.

Rauh’s Viper is the last of the current-generation Vipers built at the plant.

Dodge has created more special-edition Viper models for the 2010 model year than all other model years combined.

2011 Dodge Challenger price

2011 Dodge Challenger

Chrysler hasn't officially let loose with 2011 Dodge Challenger pricing, but you can build the car at the NADA Guide site and there are prices attached to the various options. It appears to be legit – even though the pictured coupe is a 2010, the new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 6.4-liter Hemi for the SRT8 are listed as available options, though their horsepower ratings are shown as TBD.

Interestingly, if NADA's numbers are accurate, MSRPs have climbed substantially – a couple thousand dollars across the range. A base 2010 Challenger SE with the 3.6-liter V6 presently retails for $23,695, according to NADA, a 2011 needs $2,310 more, coming in at $26,055. The Coupe R/T jumps by $1,910, from $31,610 to $33,520. Get the R/T with the J Package and 20-inch wheels and pay $3,085 more, at $36,500, or go for the R/T Classic and pay $2,460 more than for a 2010, at $37,400. The 2011 SRT8 is $1,921 more, at $45,601. All prices include the $750 destination charge.

When it comes to paint colors, there's even more mixing and matching to do. Redline 3 Pearl, Green With Envy, Billet Metallic and Mango Tango Pearl are variously available (depending on the model you want to configure), and a number of colors on the Dodge site, like Inferno Red Crystal Pearl, aren't available anywhere. But don't take our word for it – Challenger lovers, you know where to unite. Hat tip to Mike!