November 12, 2019

The Dodge Challenger Has Been Outed as One of the Best Performance Car Bargains in the Country


There are a lot of mysteries in life, and for us who serve in the automotive fiefdom, one of the biggest ones is: how much do those Mercedes-Benz cost? Well, reversing years of slapping on “price upon order” or “price upon application,” exclusive distributor Auto Nation Group is now implementing a “open price policy.”

Thanks to that, expect regular updates on your favorite Chedeng models (see the full list here). Now, that we have that out of the way, there’s something we’d like to zero in, and it’s got nothing to do with the three-pointed star. Instead, it’s got something to do with the other brands that ANG offers namely, Dodge.

See, in their latest price list, they list the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack at P 3,990,000—and that’s for a two-door muscle car that’s packs a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 under the hood. For reference, that’s within striking distance of the Ford Mustang GT’s P 3.518 million and the anemic Chevrolet Camaro 3LT RS’s P 3.298 million price tag.

For those who’re unfamiliar, the term “Scat Pack” dates back to the 1960s as a reference to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.’s Rat Pack. It was the collective term for Dodge’s muscle cars that were used in advertising of the era. Today though, Scat Pack refers to track-friendly trims of the Challenger coupe and Charger sedan.

At the heart of the matter is a 6.4-liter V8 cranking out 485 horsepower and 644 Nm of torque. Standard features include Brembo brakes, an upgraded suspension, and of course, the Scat Pack’s most famous figure: the Super Bee which is prominently seen on the front fenders. Oh, and despite its “made for the race track roots,” its still well-loaded with features like an 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ventilated front seats, and a Harman Kardon sound system.

While the Challenger doesn’t look as exotic as a Corvette, it does manage to decimate the fiberglass-bodied supercar, at least on the drag strip where it does the century mark in 4.1 seconds—0.2 seconds faster than the twice-its-price Chevrolet.

Oh, and if you are not a fan of two-door muscle cars, the Charger R/T Scat Pack is also available for (drum roll, please) the same P 3.990-million price tag.

Digging through the rest of the list, it’s also clear that Chrysler is currently six feet under with zero offerings, while RAM, Dodge’s recently spun-off pickup truck brand has both the classic 1500 (DS) for just P 2,990,000 or the new 1500 Laramie (DT) for 3,990,000.

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