If I got on the throttle too hard, too soon, all of that grunt would spin the broad rear tires - even on a dry, straight road. I not only had to respect the laws of physics (and local speed limits), but the 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque in front of me, too. I had to re-learn one of the most important lessons you're taught as a child: respect. On the road, the further I pushed the throttle, the more the 392's delightfully scary roar filled the cabin and my ears. It made an equally enormous sound when it started. Instead of a V6 or small-displacement V8 with twin turbos, my tester had the largest naturally aspirated V8 available in a modern car: an unapologetically huge 6.4-liter Hemi V8. As fun as those were, they didn't have anything close to the amount of firepower that's under the Challenger Scat Pack Widebody's hood. We spent a lot of our summer afternoons setting off Roman candles and lighting strings of Black Cats. When I was young, my parents allowed me and my older brother to play with fireworks in the backyard. My test car had the optional, user-friendly Uconnect 4C infotainment system with navigation and an 8.4-inch display that quickly responded to my inputs.Ģ019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody Performance I may have been born before the touchscreen era, but I definitely appreciate the engineering behind it - especially FCA's. When I was in elementary school, our librarian introduced me and my classmates to the latest advancement in technology at the time: the CD-ROM. Kids these days seem to be able to operate a smart phone or tablet from the second they open their eyes. I grew up watching "The New Yogi Bear Show" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" so I immediately noticed the cartoonish Scat Pack logo embroidered on the front seat backs.
#WHAT IS A SCAT PACK PLUS#
As an adult who lives in Texas, I was grateful Dodge outfitted my press loaner with the Plus Package, which - true to its name - adds features such as a power tilting and telescoping steering column and Nappa leather and Alcantara seats that are ventilated in the front row. I had the best of both worlds behind the wheel.
Five-year-old Derek sure was.Ģ019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody Interior The prominent front splitter and optional SRT rear spoiler gave my Scat Pack Widebody media loaner some race-car style.
A massive scoop sits in the middle of the bulging hood, ready to devour the air that rushes into it. The rest of the Scat Pack Widebody is just as wonderfully over the top. Dodge stuffs the wheel wells with massive 20" X 11" forged aluminum wheels and stunningly wide 305/35 ZR20 Pirelli P Zero all-season tires. A regular Challenger is already a large car, but the Widebody treatment's fender flares give it even more presence by widening it 3.5 inches. Everything about it was big, bold, exaggerated. I loved playing with Hot Wheels cars back then and here I was, 30 years later, looking at one that was full-sized and ready to zoom away in. When I first saw my F8 Green test car, I immediately thought about my childhood playtime. The Challenger Scat Pack Widebody definitely appealed to the little kid in me, but it also had plenty of qualities that I appreciated as a grownup.Ģ019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody Exterior Otherwise, you might as well just buy a sensible, fuel-efficient, A-to-B commuter car. Signing on the dotted line for a high-performance American car should be inspired by your excited inner child, not rigidly controlled by just cold logic and math. You don't need to be completely practical when you buy a muscle car. It reminded me of what Julian had said and got me thinking about what a 5-year-old kid would like about Dodge's performance icon.
I'd get a Challenger because it's faster."Ī few weeks later, a 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody ($57,295 as tested) showed up in our driveway. It turns out he's more of a muscle car guy. Eli asked him if he would want to get a Wrangler when he's old enough to drive. We showed up at their house in a silver 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, which their 5-year-old son Julian immediately noticed. During my most recent trip to El Paso, Texas with my girlfriend Eli to visit her brother and our friends, we spent a night with our pals Dan and Roxann.