2019 Dodge Challenger: More grip helps the R/T Scat Pack go even faster

[MUSIC] I can't think of any other new vehicle that better keeps alive the dream of the classic American muscle car. Then the Dodge Challenger. Often with anywhere from 305 to 797 horsepower, with bright colors and all manner of go fast performance parts, it's a hugely fun car. And for 2019 the Challenger get some sweets to make it even more exciting. Decoding the dozens of changes to all the Challengers many trim levels a little bit complicated. So, lets breakdown exactly what this car is. The R T Scat Pack gets a six point four liter hemi V8 under the hood. You get 485 horsepower and 475 pound feet of torque. The wide body kit is new to this car this year Dodge originally developed these fender flares for the Demon and then has rolled them down to other Challenger models. They add three and a half inches of width to the car but maybe even more important they allow for fitting these wider 305 section width tires at each corner. They're wrapped around these absolutely awesome looking 20 inch wheels that Dodge calls, no kidding, The devil's rim. [BLANK_AUDIO] Previously the widest tires you could get on the scat pack were 275 section widths which are not exactly narrow. But now with the 305 section widths on here that's 12 inches of rubber at each corner. Personally I didn't really think that the scat pack needed more grip before. I thought it had just the right amount of traction to reign in that V8 engine but Dodge proved me wrong. The new tires shave two tenths of a second off this cars quarter mile time, dropping it to 12.1 seconds, according to Dodge. And, along with six pistons rainbow front brakes, it cuts the 60 to 0 braking distance by three feet. Those are really solid improvements. But, don't fear, just because there's more grip it doesn't mean you can't still break this cars tires loose at a moments notice [SOUND] This car is so much fun. I think this engine is just the right amount of power that you can have fun with it on the street without constantly being afraid that you're gonna wind up in jail, which is kind of how I feel when I drive the To challenge a Hellcat. The engine has fantastic throttle response all through its rev range, and it sounds just fantastic. This '60s manual transmission really makes the experience for me, too. It's not exactly sports car like. It's got pretty long throws and kind of heavy mechanical action, but that makes it even more satisfying. To use. It makes the process of going fast in this car just even more engaging. The only thing I would change is that I which the pedals were a little better spaced for easy heel-toe downshifting. Still, in a straight line on an open road, Scat Pack is an absolute monster. If the orange paint doesn't make people see you coming, the roaring engine absolutely will. [SOUND] [SOUND] The wide body package also gets handling upgrades in the form of performance tuned springs, adaptive dampers, and larger anti-roll bars. Upfront we've got the air [INAUDIBLE] headlights that originally debuted on the Hellcat. They get more cooling air into the engine bay, and there's also vents on the hood to get more heat out of the engine bay. Upfront There's that massive new splitter and it works alongside the rear trunk spoiler to give me more downforce at speed. Now there's no getting around the fact that the Dodger Challenger is long, wide, and heavy. This one tipped the scales at about 4300 pounds and just to put that in perspective that's pretty much as heavy as a Jeep Wrangler Sahara. On almost 600 pounds beefier than a Ford Mustang GT. That said it's really impressive how well this car handles considering its size and weight. I wouldn't call it nimble per se but between the velcro adhesion from the Pirelli tires, the anchor like Brembo brakes and that really stiff suspension. This thing really does hustle around corners and stop like a sports car. In fact, Dodge says that with the wide body kit, this car is two seconds faster a lap around the track than last year's [INAUDIBLE] They didn't specify which track but the point is that this car is faster in every respect. [SOUND] As in most modern sports cars, there's a lot of electronic controls to help me go fast too. From the drive mode button, I can choose from street to track and sports modes for the adaptive dampers and steering and traction controls. I've got launch control to help me make those quicker starts, and line lock to help me, well, destroy those [UNKNOWN] even quicker. The 6.4 liter does unfortunately drink quite a lot of premium fuel. It's rated by the EPA for 14 miles-per-gallon in the city and 23 MPG on the highway. But I can't remember that we've been getting anywhere close to those numbers. And to make things even worse, because this car is so inefficient, you pay a $1,000 gas guzzler tax. On the sticker price when you buy it. That said, I'm probably willing to put up with higher gas prices given how much fun this engine is to drive. [SOUND] Of course, the Challenger is not just a one trick pony only about going fast. The cabin is quite roomy. The back seat is spacious enough that you can actually fit three adults back there. The trunk is pretty roomy too. It's certainly bigger than you get in a Camaro or a Mustang. And this UConnect touchscreen entertainment system is one of the best in the business. We've got our entire separate video telling about all the tech inside this car. Pricing for the 2019 Challenger starts at about $29,000. But getting it to the high performance model is obviously more expensive. This R/T Scat Pack Widebody, with a couple of options, has an as-tested price of $55,000. I still think that's a pretty good horsepower per dollar ratio but if you're looking for something a little more affordable you can get into the 6.4 liter engine if you pick the regular R/T Scat Pack. That one's only about $40,000. And if you're just looking to go faster not necessarily hit the track all the time that's probably the one to go for. So aside from finding a parking space big enough for it and affording the big gas bills. Living with the Challenger today isn't all that tough.