Meet the first ever all-wheel drive muscle car!
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If you've been a fan of muscle cars, I assume you like simple things. Big motor in the front, power to the rear, a lot of tyre smoke and a wide grin as you rocket off the lines. This is a fairly clear-cut mantra that works for the most part of the year - right up to the point where it rains or snows. You see, muscle cars are notorious for letting the rear wheels be naughty. A splash of rain or ice, and the Mustangs, Camaros and the Challengers of the world are wiggling about, struggling to lay all the big horses down.
Not this Challenger though. Meet the GT AWD - the first all-wheel drive muscle car EVER. Dodge even sent pictures of it playing about in the snow, just so we'd be sure it wouldn't want to hide in the garage when the weather goes bad. The boffins at Dodge plucked the all-wheel drive tech from the Charger, and plonked it into the Challenger.
The system includes the usual active transfer case, that lets it shuffle between being a rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It is capable of disengaging the front axle entirely when not need, directing all of the ponies to the rear wheels. "This preserves the outstanding fun-to-drive performance and handling characteristics inherent to rear-wheel-drive vehicles," say Dodge.
How many ponies you ask? 305 of them. The all-wheel drive Challenger doesn't get the full-cream HEMI V8, but the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 (that will power the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler in India soon). With 363Nm and 305PS on tap, it still packs quite a punch. To lay the power down irrespective of conditions, it is equipped with fat (235/55R19) all-weather tyres. It features the usual electric nannies too - Vehicle Dynamic Control that aids the all-wheel drive system, and Electronic Stability Control that helps get things back in check when they get scary.
On the outside, there is practically nothing that distinguishes the all-wheel drive model from its rear-wheel driven siblings. The classic muscle car proportions remain untouched, and it isn't hard to fall in love with such simplistic design. There are modern touches however, in the form of the projector headlamps, and the LED halo ring daytime running lamps and taillamps. The 19-inch wheels finished in gunmetal grey complements the 'long-hood-stubby-boot' theme well too. Standard goodies include heated and ventilated seats, heated steering, and an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The GT interior package adds Nappa leather and Alcantara suede seats, a performance steering wheel and an Alpine audio system to its kitty.
The all-wheel drive Challenger retails for $33,395 in the states, which translates to roughly Rs 22.5 lakh. With FCA spreading its wings in India with the Jeep brand, we'd love to see a few Dodges around prowling too. Give us the V8 first, though. Please, Dodge?
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