Cheery it's not, but the the air of a classic muscle car is recreated with a cool, retro look. » More Photos

Yes, I’d love to have seen more chromey accents to heighten the ’70s look – sorry, fake carbon fiber doesn’t do it for me. And while the designers think black leather, black dash plastic and a black headliner add to the muscle car atmosphere, a December day in Murmansk is cheerier than this.

The real beauty of the cabin however, is that it can accommodate four – five at a pinch – real-size adults, with plenty of headroom and kneeroom. Even in the back. And the trunk is cavernous enough to make Tony Soprano happy.

Sadly for our drive, we’re not following in the tracks of Kowalski and running flat-out across the wide-open desert in a bid to get from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. But Los Angeles isn’t a bad substitute, especially as we’re about to manhandle this brand-new Challenger along the legendary Angeles Crest Highway.

The “Crest” is a hundred miles of snaking, serpentine blacktop that zig-zags its way across Southern California’s towering San Gabriel mountains, all the way to the Mojave Desert.

It’s one of the best driving roads on the planet, and a firm favorite of local car guys like Leno and Arnuld. Tight bend after tight bend. Pool table-smooth asphalt. More twists than a bowl of linguine. But with short, sharp straights for quick-fire overtaking. And the kind of views across mountain ranges and dense forests that will steal your breath. Yet it’s only 20 miles out of Hollywood.

Twist the key – thankfully there’s none of that push-button-start nonsense – and the big Hemi 8 rumbles to life like a grizzly coming out of hibernation.

No manual yet, but the five-speed auto 'box is a decent compromise. » More Photos

But before we hit the Crest, indulge me for a sec, and let’s make sure this puppy can really burn rubber.

Hit the button on the dash to disable the traction control, hold your left foot on the brake while the right foot stands on the throttle. Then, as the revs rise and the torque converter loads up, simply step off the brake. And smile.

That’s when the 255/45-section Goodyear Eagle RS-A rears light up like fireworks on the Fourth of July and engulf the car with so much smoke it blocks out the sun. Juvenile and childish, yep. A whole lot of fun? You bet.

Now leave the traction control on, click the stopwatch, and sit back as the big Dodge lunges to 60 from rest in just 4.9 seconds and hits the 100 mark in 11.5. Keep your right foot planted and forward motion won’t quit till the speedo is showing an aero-restricted 170mph.

And the noise from the exhaust as the tach needle sweeps towards the 6400rpm red line is muscle car nirvana. The sound is deep, throaty, hard-edged and downright sexy. Pavarotti in his prime couldn’t hit these kind of notes.

Through the Crest’s soaring twists and turns, the Challenger certainly feels big and bulky – it tips the scales at a lardy 4140 pounds.
That said it never feels unwieldy. Only on low-speed corners does excess weight come into play and the front wheels run wide. But on fast sweepers, the Dodge grips like Velcro on velvet and corners with minimal body roll.

While the steering is a little numb in your hands, it’s certainly precise and accurate, and has the kind of heft you expect of a big American muscle car. And with big 14.2-inch vented rotors up front (13.8 inches at the rear) clamped by red-painted Brembo four piston calipers, stomping on the brake pedal produces epic results. Dodge engineers claim 60-to-0mph braking in just 110 feet and we believe them. These are just awesome brakes.

Before I know it, the Crest is done. A hundred miles have passed in the blink of an eye. The road straightens. Civilization reappears. Game over. The Challenger has certainly earned its colors as a hard-charging, fun-to-drive, genuine American muscle car. The bar has been raised high – way high – for Chevy and its upcoming Camaro.

Hate to say it, but yep, you’d want one. Maybe it’s worth putting a call in to that Philippino organ donor shop. Who needs a spleen anyway?



Tampa-based writer Howard Walker has been covering the auto beat for more than 30 years. Former editor of Britain's Motor magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Classic & Sportscar, Walker now reports on the U.S. auto scene for more than a dozen international publications. He also edits the duPont Registry's Exotic Car Guide.