2017 Dodge Challenger GT First Drive: A sacrilege that feels right Inappropriately fun in the white stuff

[Devolz]

Adding all-wheel drive to a two-door American muscle car might seem blasphemous, but after driving the 2017 Dodge Challenger GT earlier this week in New England, we can safely report the package is far more compelling than two extra driven wheels implies.
 
With a starting price of $34,490, including the $1,095 destination charge, the 2017 Dodge Challenger GT is in a unique position. There is no other two-door, five-passenger, all-wheel-drive vehicle on the market today. AWD sales for Dodge are up year over year, with more than 50 percent of all Chargers sold in the northern states equipped with AWD.
 
Bringing the Charger’s active transfer case and front-axle-disconnect system to the Challenger involves taking suspension sourced from the Dodge Charger Pursuit and massaging it into a setup ready for a cross-country adventure: slightly softer springs and shocks, and less aggressive antiroll bars, along with slightly (less than an inch) more ride height. The from-the-factory rubber is Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires, which wrap themselves around 19-inch wheels. Rims aside, you'll need to look hard to distinguish the GT from your run-of-the-mill V6 Challenger: A rear spoiler, fog lights and GT badging on the quarter panels complete the package.
 
Inside, standard equipment includes the Uconnect 8.4-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six Alpine speakers with a 276-watt amp, bright pedals, universal garage-door opener, Hectic Mesh aluminum bezels, heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. It’s a good-looking interior, but the $995 GT Interior package is a must. It adds personality to the overly refined Challenger. Performance napa leather and Alcantara suede seats (a first for the V6), nine Alpine speakers with a subwoofer and 506-watt amp and a Dodge performance steering wheel take the Challenger GT’s interior to the next level.

How well is it executed?
 
Our drive with the 2017 Challenger GT started in Portland, Maine, and took us through the back roads of the state to Club Motorsports in New Hampshire. Black ice lurked at intersections as we made our way across the state line. For an RWD Challenger, this would have been a trial for the nerves, but the GT provided a level of confidence you would not expect from a coupe that enjoys wagging its tail at the slightest sign of precipitation.
 
A right turn from a stop sign with a judicial application of throttle does not result in the rear tires wrestling for traction. Instead, when the AWD system senses things are about to go awry, the front axle connects and the front wheels grip with glee. There is no countersteering when all the nanny systems are turned on. On a hard-packed dirt road covered with snow, slush and ice, any undulations, sweeping turns and hills don't upset the GT’s confidence.
 
Several conditions must be met before the front wheels are driven. Otherwise, the rear wheels are given 100 percent of the torque. Air temperature, the use of the windshield wipers and aggressive highway passing can all engage the AWD system with a seamless transfer of torque from the rear wheels to all four. There are no disconcerting jolts or moments of hesitation. Couple that with the silky 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine making 305 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque and eight-speed transmission, and the entire powertrain might be almost too refined for the burly Challenger. 

Think of the Challenger's three-mode adjustable stability control system as a "sliding scale" -- as in, “How much do you want to slip and slide around town?” Granted, you can turn the system off completely, with the engine and transmission, paddle shifters, traction control and steering all dialed into Sport mode. The system allows full turn-to-lock drifts before the front wheels gain traction, pulling the car out of its slide.

However, someone used to an RWD car could still end up beached on a snow mound if he or she was expecting a more leisurely rotation of the vehicle out of the drift and was a little nervous about applying more throttle to slide the coupe the other way. Even with AWD engaged, only a maximum of 38 percent of torque can hit the front wheels. The AWD makes you correct the oversteer sooner than would be expected in your typical Challenger. If you’re not quick enough, the AWD will straighten the Challenger while you’re still sawing at the wheel. Granted, steering with your foot is still possible -- and quite fun for those experienced.

The verdict

The Challenger GT loses a bit of the regular Challenger's rough-around-the-edges persona that was due, in part, to its RWD setup. There is a burble of exhaust and a whoosh of the intake when accelerating, but when you look at the speedometer, you realize you won’t be getting the attention of the local authorities -- not a bad thing. The wide array of look-at-me colors is still available, but some firmer shifts or more exhaust and engine noise would turn the sportiness up a few notches -- as much fun as the Challenger GT is to drive, the last thing owners want is to be reminded it doesn't have a V8 engine.
 

The 2017 Dodge Challenger GT is good -- and inappropriately fun in the white stuff. Do we want a Hellcat version in our driveway right now? Yes, of course. But we’re ridiculous -- and there is a reason engineers don’t often ask for our opinion on future products.

Still, out of today’s crop of American muscle cars, the Challenger is in its own category. It’s the largest of the bunch, and with the addition of AWD, it further differentiates itself from its competition, even if those looking for a Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro might not have had the Challenger on their shopping list. The design has aged well, and the performance, while not offering huge amounts of horsepower and shocking 0-60 times, is there -- it just does it by powering all four wheels, which is fine with us.