At sufficient volume, the entire rear end falls into vibratory ecstasy. At least not after technical editor David Beard found a radio station playing appropriately bass-heavy jams. Sure, the thumper is optional (part of a $1595 audio package), but we can't imagine the Challenger without it. If there is a clearer indication of how the Challenger differs from the other combatants, our horsepower-addled minds cannot conceive of it. The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody tested here was equipped with a trunk-mounted subwoofer, whereas the GT500 came with carbon-fiber wheels and without rear seats. Verdict: Plays to its own drummer, loudly. Lows: Terrible seats, wobbly body, dead steering, more power than it's prepared to deal with, WHINE. Highs: Muscle-car retro done right, a usable rear seat and trunk, comfy ride, WHINE. We also specified the 10-speed transmission ($1595) to better match the automatic-only competitors. For this test, we opted to include the 650-hp ZL1 model and spec'd the $7500 track-focused 1LE package, which adds a road-racing-style wing and front dive planes to the increasingly futuristic-looking Camaro. The last two generations of the Camaro also had a bit of retro at their core, but with this one, Chevy has turned its classic pony car into a modern sports car. Otherwise, the options-which take the Challenger's as-tested price to $92,785-are all comfort and convenience items. Our test car came with optional summer-only Pirelli P Zero PZ4 rubber ($695) and a shorter, 3.09:1 rear axle ($1095). Here we have the most outrageous, most capable version currently available, with nearly 800 horsepower and tacked-on fender flares to cover its fat tires. But Dodge has made a virtue of the Challenger's antiquated chassis and tough-guy looks with increasingly outrageous editions. It's not just the look that's old school the chassis underneath the Redeye dates back more than a decade. Leading the old-school charge is the Hellcat Redeye Widebody. Which Ultimate Pony Car Is the 1/4-Mile King?.And that's not including the tanks of fuel these vehicles mainlined during performance testing and hot lapping at a racetrack. In our driving, the trio averaged less than 14 mpg. Choose the new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and you'll need to pony up $2600. The feds have decided that buyers of the automatic-equipped Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE need to pay $2100 because of its thirst. So instead, we're starting this 2207-hp comparo by noting that the 797-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is saddled with the lowest gas-guzzler tax of the three cars, at $1700. If you didn't catch that piece, know that it's sasquatch large. Why, just last month, we estimated Car and Driver's carbon footprint. But in these more enlightened times, simply typing "2207-hp Smackdown!" just doesn't cut it. In previous incarnations of this journal, the procedure for writing a headline for a comparison test similar to this one would have been to add up the peak horsepower of all the participants, add an exclamation point or two or three, and be done with the thing. From the March 2020 issue of Car and Driver.
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