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Sibling rivalry: Dodge EV versus Challenger SRT8
Dodge revealed the Dodge EV as part of its line of all electric concepts a few months ago. We've also had a peek at what's happening under the hood of Dodge's electric roadster and come to the conclusion that it's fast.
But Dodge has another fast car that's already in production, our Editor's Choice Dodge Challenger SRT8, but which one's faster? Will it be the silent 248 horsepower and electric 480 pound-feet of torque supplied by the EV's batteries or the brutally, loud 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet from the Challenger's … Read more
Video: Coach Builders Ltd's convertible Challenger
How's this for green tech? Coach Builders Ltd. created this bright green convertible Dodge Challenger for the 2008 SEMA Show. According to Coach Builders, it will cost you about $16,000 to lose the top of your Challenger, not including the price of the vehicle itself. Doing a little math, converting a Challenger SRT8 will cost as much as $60,975, if you opt for the uconnect GPS, Kicker stereo system, and six-speed manual tranny.
Adding a little go to the show, Coach Builders Ltd has also supercharged the 6.1-liter Hemi V8 producing 560HP and 510 pound-feet of … Read more
WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week
'Doom' creator wins first stage of lunar challenge
Armadillo Aerospace, a team led by Doom video game creator John Carmack, has won $350,000 in prize money in a contest to improve lunar flight.
The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is a $2 million contest that challenges teams to build a lunar vehicle and then simulate a 90- to 180-second moon flight and landing. The event is hosted by the X Prize Foundation and sponsored by NASA. And the end goal is to open the door for developing a fleet of lunar ferries that could carry people and payloads between lunar orbit and the moon's surface.
The … Read more
Muscle cars vs. high-end audio: practicality ain't their forte
I'm a middle-aged guy, so sure, I read the CNET review of the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 just to get vicarious kicks imagining what it's like to drive a 425-horsepower muscle car. It sounds like a real thrill ride, and sure it's a serious gas guzzler: "The EPA rates the Challenger SRT8 at 14 city mpg and 22 highway mpg. However during our leadfooted testing, we only managed 13.7 mpg over a mixed city and highway cycle."
Even so, I suppose the Challenger's tested price of $43,730 will place it in the affordable range for a lot of folks, or let's be honest, guys. It's a car to get noticed in, but no one's fooling themselves into believing the SRT8 is merely reliable transportation. It's a toy, and if you can swallow the fuel bill, it's a heck of a ride.
Same can be said about high-end audio. It's not practical and it can be expensive to run, but once you get used to what it can do when it's playing your favorite tunes, a $500 HTIB won't cut it anymore. High-end audio isn't an appliance, it's supposed to get your heart pounding and blood flowing, not so different than the SRT8.
Thrill seekers lusting after a muscular audio system equivalent of the SRT8 should check out the following system.
Muscle cars are as American as apple pie, so I went for American made hi-fi where I could. I reviewed Klipsch's mighty RF-83 tower speaker ($2798/pair) for Home Theater magazine last October, but it's still a current model. With three 8-inch woofers and a 1.25-inch horn-loaded titanium diaphragm compression tweeter, the RF-83 mos' definitely will rock your world. Add the 12-inch Klipsch RT-12d subwoofer ($2,199) to ensure the deepest and tightest low bass. … Read more
2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8: Big power and head-turning looks
Riding around in a bright red Dodge Challenger SRT8 is not the best way to go unnoticed. With its wide and low design and deep HEMI V-8 growl, all eyes were on us as we cruised the streets of San Francisco. But the kind of attention attracted in the Challenger was unlike most high-powered sports cars in which we've found ourselves behind the wheel. Everywhere we went, people--almost exclusively male--were giving us the thumbs up, approving nods, fist pumps, and, on one occasion, a full-on round of applause. Yeah, that last one surprised even us.
The attention didn't … Read more
Steve Fossett's unfinished legacy: Deepest ocean exploration
Correction: This story reported that Fossett would have been the first person to dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. In fact, a team of two men did the dive in 1960, aboard a bathyscaphe--a "deep boat"--called the Trieste. Had Fossett made the trip, he would have been the first to do it solo.
Steve Fossett was known for many things, but perhaps the millionaire entrepreneur was best known for the many world records he set in a variety of different adventure sports.
And were it not for what seems certain to be his untimely and … Read more
Robot prototypes battle for cash prize in Singapore
It's back. TechX Challenge, the Singapore death-bot battle, has spit out six finalists who are competing for the S$1 million prize and a chance to further this city state's vision of an army on autopilot.
The competition is sponsored by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). The stated objective is to develop an indigenous defense capability for Singapore, but a breakthrough in autonomous, unmanned ground vehicle technology wouldn't hurt weapons sales either.
Experience and resources for the teams that weathered the May semi-finals run the gamut from bootstrap amateurs to international collaborations backed by … Read more
Slide show: New Dodge vehicles
Dodge brought by a selection of its newest vehicles at a recent media event. We had the chance to photograph and test drive the next generation of Dodge vehicles, including the 2009 Challenger (SRT-8 and R/T versions), the new 2009 Ram pickup truck, and the Durango Hemi Hybrid SUV. Also on hand was the 2009 Dodge Journey, which we've already reviewed.
