In 1971, a movie called Vanishing Point took the United States by storm. The plot focused on a man who worked for a car delivery service. He takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to take from Colorado to San Francisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. After a few run-ins with motorcycle cops and highway patrol, they start an epic chase to bring him into custody. Throw in lots of chase scenes, hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, and you’ve got a great hit from the early 70’s. The movie helped make the Dodge Challenger a cult muscle car, and an alternative to the Mustang that ruled the market.

Fast forward forty years and the Dodge Challenger is back on the market, and is giving the Mustang and Camaro a run for their money once again. This third generation Challenger was launched in 2008, and is based on Chrysler’s LX platform that underpins the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger. Interestingly, the LX platform was adapted from the Mercedes E-Class, reflecting the German company’s ownership of Chrysler at the time – and the subsequent quest for economies of scale.


The Challenger is perhaps the most retro looking muscle car available today. It retains the lines and silhouette of the original car. In terms of size, the Challenger is about 10 inches longer than the Mustang, 1.8 inches wider and 1.4 inches taller. It has a boot big enough to swallow a couple of bodies, or in my case a 42-inch plasma TV that I needed to lug to the repair shop. Viewed from the front, the quad headlamps along with the long hood – with its integrated vents and racing stripe – give the car a menacing look. The rear features a signature tail light that runs the entire width of the car. Our test car came with gorgeous 20-inch chrome wheels, which perfectly complimented the Challenger’s imposing good looks.

On the inside, the retro styling theme continues. The steering wheel is large, though it does have integrated controls that give it a modern feel. The heated seats are nicely bolstered, with the driver seat being power adjustable. The instrument gauges have a white background that seems to go well with the retro theme. Our test car featured an integrated navigation and audio unit that was easy to use, and had a good display screen. The Challenger SRT8 comes with a digital performance gauge display that features a 0-60mph timer, digital speedometer, braking distance and timer, 1/4 mile and 1/8 mile timers, and a G-force meter – muscle car indeed! This is a unique feature that lets the driver measure the car’s performance, and one that I haven’t seen on anything other than a GTR. The one area that can be improved is the interior, as the plastics are hard and coarse. This is one area in which Chrysler is making huge strides with their all-new models.

Our test car was a top spec Dodge SRT8 that came with a 6.1 liter Hemi V8 that put out 425 horsepower, and 420lb/ft of torque. Fire up the engine, and it sounds like 425 caged animals have woken up and are looking to escape! The Challenger SRT8 has a deep loud burble that sounds absolutely divine. Frankly, with such a brilliant engine note, I preferred driving with the music switched off. According to Chrysler, this is the highest naturally aspirated specific-output engine ever offered in a Challenger. The engine has performance oriented camshaft profiles with aggressively designed cylinder heads, and an intake and exhaust system that helps maximize airflow and increase engine speed. The engine is mated to a super slick six-speed manual transmission. With its short throws and precise shifts, this is one of the best manual transmissions around. The six-speed comes equipped with Hill-Start Assist, which will automatically hold the brake for one second to allow the driver to start effortlessly on an incline.

With all that power going to the rear wheels, traction control is kept on its toes. However, as soon as you switch off the traction control, burnouts are hard to avoid. You can smoke the tires right through the first two gears, and doing donuts is as easy and enjoyable as eating them. It’s hard to resist the urge of mashing the throttle to the mat. But the Challenger can also be a good daily driver. In terms of drivability, the engine has plenty of torque right through the rev band. It gets from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. With its well spaced gear ratio, the Challenger is a good highway cruiser. It can do 80mph (130km/h) while the engine hums along at a leisurely 2,500 rpm. The SRT8 comes with Brembo brakes that feel great, and provide fuss-free stopping time-after-time.

The Challenger handles well for a car of its size. It corners flat with minimal body roll. However, it is hard to hide the fact that the challenger weighs 500 pounds more than a Mustang. Its large dimensions coupled with its weight ensure that you need plenty of run off area before you can be truly adventurous through the corners. This is not a car that you want to take to your favorite mountain road because there’s a good chance that you could be facing the wrong way if you’re too aggressive with the throttle.

The Challenger is a true muscle car, and it excels at the stoplight Grand Prix where it can intimidate other vehicles with its outrageous looks and performance of the line. The engine and transmission package are brilliant, and a true representation of what the American auto industry can do when it wants to. After having spent some time in the Challenger SRT8, I came away with two realizations – one, there truly is no substitute for displacement, and two, who said Americans can’t make great cars!

Think of going off-road, and the first vehicle that comes to mind is a Jeep. Initially developed as a military vehicle during the Second World War, the Jeep marque has had a checkered history. Over the past 70 years, Jeep has gone through numerous owners. In 1945, Willys produced the first Civilian Jeep (CJ) – and they were granted the trademark in 1950. Willys was sold to Kaiser Motors, which in turn sold it to American Motor Corporation (AMC). The French automaker, Renault, began investing in AMC in 1979. However, by 1987, Renault was experiencing financial trouble. At the same time, Chrysler Corporation wanted to capture the Jeep brand, as well as other assets of AMC. Chrysler bought out AMC in 1987, and shortly after that the Jeep CJ-7 was replaced with the AMC-designed Jeep Wrangler or YJ. Subsequently, Chrysler merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler eventually sold most of their interest in Chrysler to a private equity firm in 2007. Chrysler and the Jeep division now operate under the name Chrysler Group. In addition, Jeeps have been built under license by various manufacturers around the world – including Mahindra in India, EBRO in Spain, and several in South America.

We tested the U.S specification 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to see how the little jeep has transformed over the last 70 years. With the Wrangler Unlimited, Jeep has taken the DNA and off-road pedigree of earlier models, and revamped it so that it’s much more practical, comfortable, and efficient.

The Wrangler Unlimited retains the iconic styling that’s a trademark of Jeeps. I found the chrome finish on the front grill to be overkill, however, customers do have the option to choose their trim finish. A big advantage of the Wrangler Unlimited is that it’s the only Jeep model that comes with rear doors and adequate seating for 5 people. To make the Jeep a better people carrier, its wheelbase has grown significantly. To put it into context, the Wrangler Unlimited has a wheelbase of 116 inches, which is about 20 inches more than the Mahindra Thar or CJ5. With its larger dimensions, there’s plenty of room for passengers and all their camping gear. To add to the Jeep’s appeal, the hard top can be easily removed for some fun in the sun. In addition, the Jeep Unlimited has an integrated soft-top that resides under the hard roof. A roll cage provides security when driving without the hard roof.

On the inside, the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of legroom for all passengers. The Jeep now has power windows, which is a sure sign that this is no longer a basic form of transportation. The integrated navigation unit helps gives the dashboard a more contemporary feel. Nevertheless, Jeeps are all about utility – in case you get the interiors dirty, it features a wash-out interior with drain plugs and a removable carpet that helps for a quick and easy cleanup.

The Wrangler Unlimited comes with a 3.8 liter V6 engine that produces 202 horsepower and 238lb/ft of torque. Our test Jeep had a 4-speed automatic transmission, though a six speed manual is also available. The engine doesn’t like to be revved too hard, and makes most of its power at low rpm. The big surprise with this Jeep is how well it handled high speed cruising. On the drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, the Jeep felt completely relaxed on the freeway with the engine humming along at about 2,000 rpm while the Jeep was doing 75mph (120km/h). The Jeep averaged an impressive 21mpg (9km/l) on the highway. On the mountain roads, the Jeep felt sure footed and was surprisingly easy to drive. My only grouse with the Jeep’s on-road behavior was that the steering felt a tad too light. With the Wrangler Unlimited, Chrysler has made a concerted effort to make the Jeep better and more comfortable on road so that it’ll appeal to a wider audience, and prove to be a viable alternative to SUV buyers.

Having been charmed by the Jeep on-road, I was curious to find out if the Wrangler had sacrificed its off-road prowess in an attempt to appeal to soccer moms. I noticed that the Wrangler Unlimited has an inconspicuous badge on its fender that says ‘Trail Rated.’ According to Jeep, the Trail Rated badge is found on all 4x4’s that pass a series of grueling tests designed to ensure off-road capability on the world’s most demanding terrain. That was enough motivation for me to take the Jeep off-road to see if it had really earned that badge.

I took the Jeep to the Hollister off-road recreation area in California, and subjected the vehicle to some grueling tests to see how it performed on the varied trails on offer. With its low end torque and impressive traction, the Jeep easily overcame a steep trail which had an incline of close to 60-degrees. The Wrangler Unlimited has a next generation Dana 30 solid front axle set-up. The solid front axle setup is ideal for off-road vehicles as it’s extremely robust and provides near constant ground clearance under the axle, even if one wheel rises over a bump and the other doesn’t. At the rear, the Jeep has a Dana 44 heavy-duty solid rear axle that has a larger ring gear, stiffer and stronger housing, and larger pinion bearings to handle added torque requirements.

The Wrangler Unlimited was impressive in every off-road challenge that was thrown at it. In spite of its long wheelbase design, the Wrangler has impressive approach, break-over and departure angles, which help it conquer seemingly impassable obstacles. The Jeep has remarkable water fording abilities, and I was able to cross a ditch with about two feet of water without any issues. After my off-road sojourn, I have no doubt that the Wrangler Unlimited has earned its trail rated badge.

With the Wrangler Unlimited, the appeal of the Jeep has significantly widened. The Jeep now has enough room, superior highway performance, and luxury to appeal to the Mrs., while retaining the off-road capability and macho good looks that have endeared it to so many over the years.