Road Strikers

With a dynamic design and spartan The Razor was a no-frills sports car with great styling interior, cutting the costs while maintaining stylistic appeal, the Dodge Razor was firmly targeted at the younger buyer within the sports car market. Dodge were assisted in the styling of the concept by the Scooter company, Razor, hence the name. If it had gone into production, Dodge intended to position the Razor against well established stiff competion, including both the Toyota MR2 and Maxda MX5. The proposed drivetrain for the concept was a 2.4 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. The Dodge Razor was designed to be sold for around $14,500 (around £10,000). As it turned out, Dodge had greater priorites at the time, and the project was unfortunately shelved.

The Dodge ZEO is a 2+2 sports car concept powered by an all-electric drivetrain. The powertrain consists of a 64 kilowatt-hour, lithium-ion battery pack driving a 200 kilowatt (268 horsepower) electric motor turning the rear wheels. This setup gives the Dodge ZEO a 0-60 mph time of just 5.7 seconds, while also allowing for a 250 mile range. The exterior design of the ZEO was Inspired in part by the architecture of a Möbius strip. The rakish A-pillars curve into extended roof rails that twist and converge as they move rearward. The windshield glass continues in an unbroken, curving plane nearly to the rear of the car, giving both front and rear passengers an unimpeded, all-around view while simultaneously showcasing the ZEO's stylish interior. Access to the Dodge ZEO is via scissor doors both front and rear. Inside Dodge have designed the interior to appeal to younger, gadget-aware buyers. "The Dodge ZEO concept is an example of designing for people who are used to a dynamic ...

The new Dodge Charger R/T is like the high-school athlete whose brothers have gone on to star in college and pro ranks. Indeed, with the formidable Hellcat V-8 and the SRT 392 hogging the spotlight, the kid brother’s credentials pale. After all, the 392 packs 485 horsepower and the Hellcat lays a 707-horse smackdown, heady numbers that could make one perceive the R/T’s 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 as a little tame. Do not be deceived. Unless you have an insatiable appetite for shredding tires, the 5.7’s output—370 horsepower, 395 lb-ft of torque—will satisfy most needs for speed. Okay, the R/T is governed to a mere 145 mph versus the Hellcat’s 204, but you’ll still reach the Chinese takeout place before they pack up your food, and 5.1 seconds to 60 mph will leave most sedans gasping for breath. TRACK PACK PLUS Surprisingly, given its mass, the R/T has a good dynamic résumé. The driver is aware of the substantial, two-plus-ton curb weight, but...

If you find this notion depressing, take solace in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat’s ability to binge-drink premium fuel. Stomp the throttle as if you own a private pipeline and this hellion can burn 1.5 gallons of high test in a minute flat. Texans with the pumps and space to indulge such ­pleasures can suck this car’s tank dry in the time it takes to read this article. Other Hellcat stats are equally astonishing. This is the first American sedan armed with 707 horsepower [see “The Maddest Motor” on page 2]. The one German four-door capable of beating it to 60 mph, the Porsche Panamera Turbo S, costs nearly three times the Charger’s $64,990 base price and falls shy of the Dodge’s claimed 204-mph top speed. Massive Brembo brakes and 20-inch Pirelli gumballs make this family hauler much more than a straight-line special. With pump prices dipping below three bucks a gallon and the Saudis discounting crude to thwart the fracking tide, the super Char...

Le Mans Viper driver Tommy Kendall summed up the SRT Viper TA perfectly in two sentences: “The best thing about this car is that it will do exactly what you tell it to do. And the worst thing about this car is that it will do exactly what you tell it.” He’s not kidding. Turn it too quickly, or get too deep into the 8.4-liter V-10 in the middle of a corner—in just about any gear—and the rear end will break loose, putting up a serious fight against the driver’s control of the beast. This track-focused model is obedient, but it demands deference. It’s the automotive equivalent of a circus tiger; one wrong move and you’re going to be in a world of hurt. A TA—it stands for “Track Attack,” so you can get your mind out of the gutter—starts life as a base Viper and gets a host of alterations made with a single focus: lowering lap times. These include Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, two small carbon-fiber splitters with a repla...

So you say you’re in the market for a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat? Let us help steer you in the right direction. Because you have a big decision to make, one that could drive you right over the brink if you screw it up. Literally. Your midlife crisis is clearly already serious, so let’s treat the question with appropriate seriousness: Automatic or manual? Now you’re probably thinking you’ll just go to the dealership and demand to test-drive each of them. And then buy the six-speed manual, because that’s what able-bodied Car and Driver readers do. But we’re not so sure that’s the correct course of action this time. For starters, that first test-drive is bound to result in the dealer quickly canceling the second. Surely you will misbehave the instant you find yourself behind the wheel—that’s why Fiat-Chrysler builds this car. Even if the poor kid with the business card that only has the dealer’s logo and main number on it...

There are two things we need to get straight before we embark on this review of the 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. 1. No, this is not the Hellcat, as half of the people we encountered thought (or hoped) it was. No, it is not the supercharged one. No, it doesn’t have 700 horsepower. 2. Mopar fans are not like the rest of us. That might just be because Mopars aren’t like other cars. A few bits of evidence: The Mod Top; the “meep, meep” horn on the Road Runner; and a general obsession with cartoon characters. Also, Dodge briefly produced a pickup named the Warlock. It’s certainly not news that the Challenger is unlike its presumed competition, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet’s Camaro. It’s a monstrous thing with a buns-up wide rear end; in the tested R/T Scat Pack form, it weighs 416 pounds more than a new Mustang GT. Get out of your head the idea that the Challenger should be as satisfying a sports coupe as the Mustang or Camaro, though, a...