Drove a 2012 SRT8 392 Challenger Yesterday

[strych9]

I stopped by the local Dodge dealer yesterday and took out a new "Yellow Jacket" for a spin. It was an M6, like my Camaro.

We had them parked side by side, and the sizes are nearly equal. They had installed a factory aftermarket exhaust system on this car, and it was loud. I would compare it to a SW retro-chambered cat-back system.

The tires on the Challenger were Eagle F1. Same size as the the Camaro up front, but a narrower 255/45ZR20 in the back (ours are 275/45ZR20).

The factory "pistol-grip" shifter was nice. The seating was good, and even though the Challenger appears to be lower to the ground than our Camaros, the roofline is higher and you feel like you're sitting higher because of it.

I ran it hard, and it's a brute. Raw horsepower. It rode very stiffly just driving on the highway. We should really be thankful for the Camaro suspension, as ours has similar grip as the Challenger, but ours are much more "daily-use" friendly.

The Challenger was nicely equipped. As driven, $50,105 sticker + $2000 exhaust and $250 tint.

A very cool car, indeed. These cars are more overpriced than ours, and you pay dearly for the extra horsepower (+44). A $1000 or $1300 gas-guzzler tax applies, manual vs auto. My insurance would increase by $10 per month.

I'm sticking with the Camaro, but a 392 Challenger would be a great car to own.

[Bad70supreme]

My friend has a 392 and when we park next to each other that thing looks like a tank next to mine! The hood is also higher, I think that car looks allot bigger. But I agree it is very nice, I love the seats, don't like the dash. He put a flowmaster cat back on it and it sounds great too.

[jaysonstuart]

My brother has a 12 392 Challenger that I've driven a handful of times and TBH everytime I get back in my Camaro I'm thankful that I own it.

Don't get me wrong the 392 is a cool, fun car but it's definitely not worth the 50K+ price tag IMO. I feel the biggest failure in that car is the interior is just terrible and the nav looks like a garmon from 1998. For the price of that car the interior should be much nicer and user friendly.

Performance wise, the car is a blast to drive. Lots of pull and it feels like a hotrod.

[Stingray]

I also checked out a few 392 Challengers earlier in May. They are attractive & massive but it's not worth the 50K+ price tag for me. IMO it's 10K too much. I ended up getting the Boss 302 instead. Here's the 392 I was looking at...

[MBS]

Yes i drove one last year, Love the looks and all, But still not as cool as the Camaro,And the price tag is way out of wack, I will leave them for the people that want to pay too much for a car.

[alaskacamaro]

Definitely took a hard look at "the big three" for over seven months before I went with the camaro. While the Dodge has the best "reto" appeal to it, it is the way too expensive and heavy. Up here they wanted 55K for a 392 (not even fully loaded vs the 37K I paid for mine. Trying to understand Dodge's sale logic on this one....

[Nessal]

I orginally wanted the 392 but did not see 50k worth of car there. The Camaro was spot on at 32k. What can I say. I value bang for the buck.

[alaskacamaro]

Originally Posted by Stiffy

Heavy? What numbers do you have in mind?

The SRT weighs almost 4200 pounds as opposed to my car at 3800, as opposed to a mustang at 3600. 50hp more (stock) is not enough to overcome 400lb difference. My car is already too heavy to be a decent drag car and the mustang is just not a nice looking car IMO.

[VADER SS L99]

way over priced car for what you get. Hell you could get a gt500 or zl1 for 5k more. The more coparable car price wise is the RT and I think the SS is way better for the money between the RT and SS. I also don't understand Dodge's pricing for the cars when looking at the competition. I too shoped the big three in the fall of 09 and the SS was leaps and bonds better than the other 2 for the money.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by VADER SS L99

way over priced car for what you get. Hell you could get a gt500 or zl1 for 5k more. The more coparable car price wise is the RT and I think the SS is way better for the money between the RT and SS. I also don't understand Dodge's pricing for the cars when looking at the competition. I too shoped the big three in the fall of 09 and the SS was leaps and bonds better than the other 2 for the money.

Are you comparing a base GT500 to a loaded Challenger? the SRT starts at around 44k. For what you get it is priced correctly, putting performance and pricing right in the middle of the GT/SS and GT500/ZL1.

[newmoon]

You shouldn't be paying anywhere near 50k for a Challenger, I picked mine up for just under 45k for my fully loaded car months ago, it stickered for 51k. I imagine the price on the 12s have dipped even below that at this point with 13s hitting the lot soon.

Ran my car on the 1/4 for the first time Friday in less than ideal conditions and no cool-down time 3.5 hr ride to the track. Took a bit to figure out how to launch the car but it nailed a 12:76 at nearly 111-mph 100% stock. In comparison I raced a 5.0 stang 3 times and the best he could run was 13:40 at 107.

Weight was 4185 with me in the car.

[Coyotekiller]

The OP's $50k quote was for a YELLOWJACKET, not a base SRT car. I think you all missed that part. The YellowJacket is the baddest challenger you can get from the factory. Google it.

[C5RocksC5]

Originally Posted by Stiffy

haha 50hp is definitely enough to overcome the difference. The 392 has the SS man. You don't have to believe me, there are several testimonials from members on here.

his main point is it isn't as "pretty" as his camaro.

[strych9]

Originally Posted by Coyotekiller

The OP's $50k quote was for a YELLOWJACKET, not a base SRT car. I think you all missed that part. The YellowJacket is the baddest challenger you can get from the factory. Google it.

This is correct. A stripped-down SRT8 392 (no stripes even) sells for $46.5k. The MSRP on the Yellow Jacket is $50,105 and is fully-equipped.