The current Challenger has been originally released back in 2006 which is a decade ago. Because of that there is really no surprise that it can’t match the Mustang or the Camaro. Despite that it still sells reasonably well and it is bought by people looking to get a comfortable GT car rather than a true muscle car. Well, things are about to change with the 2018 Dodge Challenger. This one will be an entirely new model which is going to be released sometimes in August 2018. The car will be using a new platform, new engines and it will even get an entirely new design scheme.
New Challenger – New details
Even though Dodge did say a while ago that the future Challenger is not going to be based on an Alfa Romeo platform, it seems that this may not be entirely true. It seems that the car will actually get a stretched version of Alfa’s Giorgio which underpins both the Giulia and the Stelvio. This new platform is considerably lighter than the Mercedes-based one of the current Challenger. It makes heavy use of aluminum, high strength steel and composite materials such as carbon fiber. The end result should be a car with up to 500 pounds lighter than before. The price is still unknown but it is worth mentioning that the current Challenger is more expensive than all of its rivals and this trend is expected to stay for the new car as well.
The looks of new Challenger
There are going to be some surprises in store for the 2018 Dodge Challenger. For starters, this time around Dodge might not borrow cues from the older Challenger. Instead, most rumors suggest that they will turn to the Barracuda for inspiration which is another really iconic model. On top of that, due to the new chassis, the car will be noticeably smaller than before. It will definitely be lower, shorter and likely as wide as before. The end result will definitely be a more aggressive design which will be specifically targeted at the Mustang and Camaro customers.
While most things will improve on the new car, the space offered inside will definitely be less than before. For starters, this is mostly because the new chassis will not allow Dodge to offer as much cabin space as before. Luckily though, they should be more than capable at offering a similar experience with the current model. Expect a really clutter-free cabin, comfortable seats and a lot of storage spaces. The car will likely be sold as a 2+2 instead of a true four-seats model which was the case with the current generation.
2018 Dodge Challenger – Under the hood
Some rumors suggested that the 2018 Dodge Challenger was going to have all turbocharged power. We would actually not be surprised if this will happen. This is the trend lately and it would allow Dodge to offer plenty of power while being highly efficient. Thanks to the large weight drop, the new Challenger will start with a 2 liter turbocharged inline 4. This will most likely be the new 300 horsepower unit Jeep is developing for the Wrangler. Further up the range we should see either a 3 liter twin-turbo V6 or a larger naturally aspirated unit.
We would bet on the smaller turbocharged engine though, especially since Ford, and Chevy, are going to offer one in the future as well. This should be capable of delivering anything between 300 and 400 horsepower. The top end models will continue to use V8 engines. Instead of a big HEMI though, we may see a smaller displacement engine with either supercharging or turbocharging. These will range from anything between 450 and all the way up to more than 700 horsepower. Rear wheel drive will be standard while a manual will still be an option on some models.
