America's latest fuel sipper: Dodge Challenger?
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Dodge Challenger SE
Our good friends over at Popular Mechanics have been on a fuel-saving tear as of late, putting the brand-new Jetta TDI up against the reigning mileage champ, the Toyota Prius, and following that comparison up with a test of Chevy's Cobalt XFE. What's the next obvious choice for a mileage run? None other than the Dodge Challenger. Wait... excuse me? The Challenger was created to burn rubber and gas, right? Sort of, as one of the reasons people will buy one is for that "I live my life one quarter-mile at a time" Vin Diesel image, but that doesn't mean that all Challengers are equipped with a gas-guzzling Hemi V8 engine. In fact, there is a perfectly decent 3.5-liter V6 engine option for the base-model, though it's saddled with an ancient four-speed automatic transmission.
So, if there is a Challenger out there that isn't exactly being marketed towards the racer crowd, how does it rate on its fuel mileage merits? Eh, we've seen worse. It's EPA rated at 17 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway. All right, we've seen better. But, how did it do in real-world testing? After 669-miles of mostly highway driving, the pony car managed 23.4 mpg. For what it's worth, we got 24 mpg in our own testing. While that's certainly better than what you're likely to get in a V8 powered model, it's not exactly miserly. In any case, now you know.
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MikeW 1:16PM (10/01/2008)
Does this engine have external exhaust gas recirculation?
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Chris 4:26PM (10/01/2008)
So what you and Popular Mechanics found is that the Challenger V6 is unable to meet it's EPA mileage rating in independent tests.
And this is with the new, relaxed EPA estimates... what a shame :(
BTW, my V8 powered Mustang can get 22MPG and it's 12 years old with more than 150K miles....
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Mechanicaldan 5:08PM (10/01/2008)
So, is the engine bay big enough for a Cummins diesel?
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paulwesterberg 6:09PM (10/01/2008)
24mpg = fuel sipper!?
Auto sales fell by 30% this month. Nobody is going to buy a car like this with $5+ per gallon of gas looming in the future.
They better make a 4 cylinder engine standard or this car will rot on the lot.
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rob 7:07PM (10/01/2008)
Putting a 1-cylinder in this still wouldn't get you much better gas mileage. It takes a certain amount of energy to accelerate a given mass, and a certain amount of energy to keep it moving against aero and rolling resistance.
This is a heavy brick of a car, and putting a smaller engine in it won't change that.
Paul 3:48AM (10/02/2008)
This beats the mileage of the 4-cyl Camry I commute in and looks MUCH better.
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Frylock350 8:19AM (10/02/2008)
I'm willing to bet you'd only average 1 mpg less with the 5.7L HEMI and a 6sp manual.
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MikeW 9:59AM (10/02/2008)
Chrysler is sandbagging it. This engine is so out of date
No variable valve timing, can't because it doesn't have DOC heads
No variable camshaft timing
No camshaft switching (honda, mitsubishi) with single cam heads
No tumble/swirl flaps
The hemi has a dual length intake manifold, like this engine.
But it also has VCT & cylinder shutoff (with 5 speed auto) or VCT and a tall 6th gear.
No, Chrysler will wait a few more years for the Phoenix engines and 6 speed automatic.
RyanD1981 6:12PM (10/03/2008)
The guys at allpar.com were able to get 25-26 mpg highway with the SRT8! 16 in the city.
Granted, that was with a manual transmission. But the 6.1L Hemi does not have cylinder deactivation at all! They got 14% better economy than the EPA estimates. The 5.7L Hemi with a manual does not have cylinder deactivation.
Here's link to the article:
http://www.allpar.com/reviews/2009/challenger.html
The info is under the 6th picture (the shot with the front grill and the engine compartment open).
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