With No Speed limits to worry about, AutoTopNL stretches the legs of this Pony Car to its claimed Top Speed
by Khris Bharath, onMax from AutoTopNL recently got to check out the latest 2021 Dodge Challenger 392 R/T Scat pack courtesy of AEC, who brought it over from the States. This one of course sits in the middle of the range between the regular RT and the top-of-the-line Hellcat.
The Dodge Challenger Scat Pack R/T
According to Max the Challenger definitely has to be the most retro-looking muscle car that you can currently buy. He feels, while the Mustang and Camaro are pretty cool, it is the challenger that stays true to the original muscle car form.
The car that we’re looking at today is the Challenger R/T Scat Pack. For those of you who don’t know, the Scat Pack name dates back to the late 60s and in order to earn it, the car had to run a 14-second ¼ mile. The original Scat Pack line included cars like the Coronet Super-Bee, the Dart GTS, and the Charger R/T.
The Walkaround
Max does a quick walk around the car. The front end is pretty wide and wears a splitter. You have a hood scoop and a couple of vents to help the HEMI breathe better. This particular example has the wide bodypack and hence the flared fenders.
Moving to the rear we have some classic-looking tail lights as well as some real exhaust pipes which so many automakers skimp on these days (ahem-ahem Mercedes Benz). You’ll also find a performance spoiler and the exposed fuel filler cap is a cool touch.
What’s it like on the inside?
Stepping inside Max is quite impressed by the way this thing is put together. He is more than happy with the build quality. You’ve got quirky little touches like the Super Bee logo on the seats. He’s just as impressed by the amount of space that it offers and you can actually fit adults back there in the rear seats.
However, one area where the Dodge does fall short on is visibility because the rearview mirrors especially on the driver side really are useless according to Max. Thankfully there is a camera in the infotainment system although it’s not of the best resolution.
What about performance?
Under the hood lies a naturally aspirated 6.4 liter 392 HEMI V-8 engine that produces 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 mph is down away with in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph. The Torqueflite 8 speed automatic transmission was developed by ZF. You have 20-inch wheels with 305 section tires at both ends and performance Brembo brakes to bring this beast of a car, to a stop.
The US V-8 with the EU gearbox is a match made in heaven - Max AutoTopNL
The best part that Max says is the kind of torque and sound that muscle cars make because such true blue performance cars aren’t really available anymore in Europe.
Time to Hit the Road
Max puts the car into manual mode and switches off the traction control, because why not. He immediately gives it some stick and is thoroughly impressed by the performance, however, one thing that he notes its the throttle pedal is incredibly sensitive, to the extent that he struggles to behave at the lights. However, the soundtrack is something that is truly glorious.
He’s also come away impressed with how solid, refined, and quiet the new challenger feels and he says that they’ve come a long way from the days of, drum brakes, old four-speed gearboxes, and seats that you would fall out of, this modern iteration certainly still manages to capture the essence of the classic muscle car in a far more refined usable package.
Flat Out On the Autobahn
He makes it onto the Autobahn and switches to track mode although he says that it was still super comfy soaking up pretty much all of the bumps. The V-8 revs out to 6000 RPM. He wasn’t really expecting the Challenger to be that quick however the 100 to 200 km run was done in just 10 seconds and that is a quick car in his books.
Getting to the top speed would clearly depend on how busy the Autobahn was going to be. He tops out at 274 km/h (170 mph) and says that given the space, he could actually get to the claimed top speed of 281 km/h, however before that could happen, Max crosses the border from Germany, back into the Netherlands where they have speed limits.
To Sum It Up
Max says that while cars like the Mustang and Camaro are now more European than ever, the Challenger still remains a true blue American muscle car, that you can have fun with on the streets or the dragstrip. However, It’s not necessarily designed to go fast around corners, even though R/T actually stands for Road and track.
It is a lazy muscle car that has its own place in the current pony car space. He loves how these muscle cars are such a true throwback to the days of the old. Every time he drives one, he feels more people should actually buy them, especially considering the kind of performance that they offer for the money.
Watch Max’s Top Speed run in the video below
