Dodge Challenger is First AWD American Muscle Car Coupe
Mike Aguilar
Click Here to Begin Slideshow
All images courtesy FCA Media Center.
Dodge introduced the all-new Charger AWD this year. The company excited the automotive world Dec. 7, when they made the announcement that very soon, buyers will be able to buy the first and only American muscle car coupe equipped with All Wheel Drive. The 2017 Dodge Challenger GT will be the first two-door coupe American muscle car that will have AWD.
When it becomes available for sale (soon), the Challenger GT will have the same all-wheel-drive system found in the Charger AWD. This is an award-winning system that consists of an active transfer case and front axle disconnect. This system will give muscle car lovers a confidence in all weather conditions that will be exclusive to Dodge.
The Challenger GT will be equipped with the Pentastar 3.6 V6, which is also an award-winning system. The V6 produces 305 horsepower at 6350 RPM and develops 268 pound-feet of torque at 4800 RPM. The car will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $33,395, plus an additional $1,095 in destination charges. Production is scheduled to begin in January of 2017, with the first models being shipped to dealerships during the first quarter of the year.
Backing up the Pentastar V6 will be Dodge’s standard eight-speed TorqueFlight automatic transmission. The engine will breathe through a tuned induction system and dual exhaust from manifold backs. This system will help the engine develop 90% of its peak torque in the 1800 and 6400 RPM range.
Dodge’s remarkable all-wheel-drive system is ideal for pulse-spiking twisty mountain road driving, commuting through slush and ice during the winter in the Northeast and Midwest, or driving up to the mountains for a weekend ski trip. Tim Kuniskie, Head of Passenger Cars for Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, and FIAT, FCA-North America said, “Dodge is shifting the muscle car paradigm with the new 2017 Dodge Challenger GT - the world’s first and only all-wheel-drive American muscle coupe. The Challenger has always been the most wide-ranging and functional muscle coupe, and now, with the new 305 horsepower all-wheel-drive Challenger GT, we are stretching the functional and geographic boundaries even further.”
