Your “Last Call” to get a V8 powered Dodge Challenger is nigh. Come 2025, the Challenger will be an “electric muscle car”. While EVs are undeniably fast, they don’t have the character of a big, burbling V8. To commemorate the V8 engine, Dodge is producing 6 limited editions of the Challenger. This one is called the Swinger which harkens back to the “swinging” muscle car lineup of the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Performance
Engine – Under the shaker hood of this limited edition Challenger is a 6.4L V8 engine. It’s a purebred naturally aspirated V8 that produces 485 hp & 475 lb-ft of torque (361 kW & 644 Nm). With this Challenger widebody tipping the scales at 1,983 kg (4,373 lbs), it can complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in around 4.5 seconds. Perhaps even faster if you can change gears quickly enough. More on that later.
Like many other pushrod V8 American engines, this one has gobs of torque in the low rpm range. In everyday city driving, you never have to bring the rpms past 2,000. But when you do, the glorious machine gun noise gets blasted through the exhaust pipes. The engine pulls hard and unlike the last SRT powered Dodge muscle car that I drove, this engine’s power is quite manageable in a straight line. Of course, the 305 wide tires have a lot to do with that.
The Challenger has different drive modes but none allow you to adjust the power output unlike in the SRT Hellcat Charger. Instead the drive modes alter the suspension, steering, and traction control. The latter of which has three different settings. The Challenger Swinger also has launch control and line lock to warm up the rear tires.
Fuel Economy – If you’re worried about the fuel economy of this car, you should not be buying this car in the first place. Officially, it is rated for 16.7 L/100km (14.1 MPG) in a city and 10.4 L/100km (22.6 MPG) on a highway. During my week with the car, I averaged 17.1 L/100km (13.8 MPG) which, in all honesty, was better than I expected. It’s hard to be gentle on the throttle pedal when pushing it makes so much glorious noise.
Transmission – You can have the 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger with an 8-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual. This car had the latter and it’s all better for it in my opinion. The clutch is heavy and the shifter requires some muscle to slot it into the next gear but that’s what makes this car fun. Sure, it’s slower than the automatic but it’s engaging and you feel like you’re actually doing something in the car.
Braking – Helping stop this big car are massive, 15.4-inch Brembo 2-piece rotors with 6-piston calipers in the front which scrub off most of the speed. The rear has 13.8-inch rotors with 4-piston calipers. It barely takes any effort from your foot to bring this car to a stop. The brake pedal is firm with a strong initial bite from the brakes.
Handling – Around city streets, the 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger is a surprisingly easy car to drive. Sure, it’s wide, the clutch is heavy, the shifter requires some muscle and the steering is slow compared to other sports cars. But it doesn’t feel twitchy or try to follow the crown of the road like the Charger Hellcat, the ride is compliant, and if you leave it in 6th gear on highways, it’s pretty quiet too.
But when the roads get interesting, that’s when you realize that this car is a bit more comfortable being on straight roads. The Challenger does not have a quick steering rack like the one in the BMW M4 for example. So it requires a bit more steering input to get this big girl turning. There’s also quite a bit of body roll and weight transfer from corner to corner despite the adaptive dampers being switched to Track mode (their stiffest setting). However, while it may not have the agility of a sports car, the widebody treatment increases the grip levels over the standard Challenger. The track is roughly 2-inches wider and under the bigger fenders are 305 wide tires wrapped around 11-inch wide wheels on all four corners. The wheel diameter is 20-inches.
Related Articles
Comfort
Ride Comfort – With the adaptive dampers in the Street setting, the Challenger Swinger is actually a reasonably comfortable muscle car. Of course, it doesn’t have the ride quality of something like a Mercedes C300 but it’s nowhere near as rough as the ride of a BMW M2.
Additionally, the front seats are like big sofas. They have a lot of padding for your bum and although the bolsters are quite large, they don’t squish your waist like some other seats. You can comfortably take this muscle car for long road trips.
Interior Space – With the Dodge Challenger having its own zip code because of its size, interior space for the front occupants is very good. At 6’4”, I had plenty of legroom and I particularly liked how far back the steering wheel was able to move. Headroom is equally impressive with enough excess space for a helmet during track days. The back seats, however, are for emergencies only. This is essentially a 2-seater muscle car. The trunk can accommodate 458 L (16.2 cu-ft) with the back seats being able to fold 60/40 for a bit more space.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – There is no escaping the raw, V8 rumble of the engine. Unlike many modern sports cars, the 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger does not have an active exhaust. That means that the V8 makes noise every time that it starts, whenever you press the throttle pedal, and when you lift your foot off the throttle pedal. It is loud and it is a sound that is slowly dying as big engines are being outlawed by governments.
But when you just want to get to work or do some errands around town, the engine can be relatively subdued. On highways, you hear the deep rumble as the rpms hover around 1,200 but it’s no louder than a Nissan Sentra. Furthermore, the tires are not that loud at highway speeds. So this can be a civil muscle car.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody starts at $73,790 CAD ($54,260 USD). The Swinger package is essentially an appearance package with unique wheels, unique graphics, and unique badges. This demo vehicle also had a few extras that raised the price to $82,975 CAD ($65,215 USD).
Gadgets – Some of those extras include heated & ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel and exterior mirrors, built-in navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, HID headlamps, blind spot sensors, rear parking sensors, and keyless entry with push button start.
The 8.4” touchscreen displays the old Uconnect 4 infotainment system. It’s not the latest version and it’s not as quick to respond to inputs but it’s robust and fairly customizable.
Interior Design – This Swinger version of the Challenger doesn’t give you much in the way of unique designs. The interior is identical to a normal Challenger R/T. The only exception is a little plaque on the passenger side vent with the Swinger logo. But otherwise, the interior is slightly cantered towards the driver including the shifter which may feel weird at first. But after using it for a while, it becomes second nature. It’s a straightforward interior with plenty of buttons for the most used functions such as the launch control, drive modes, and climate control.
Exterior Design – If you want a car that you can’t lose in a parking lot, this is the right car for you. The sublime green paint is eye-catching, no matter how hard you try to ignore it. The big fenders and wide stance of the Challenger give it a mean and sinister look from head-on. Plus, you will always have the air intake to look at as it sticks through the shaker hood. There are also a few cool details like the checkered flag design inside the inner DRLs or the superbee badge on the front fender and “fuel” written over the fuel filler cap. There’s also a plaque under the hood that affirms this as one of the Last Call models and shows where it was put together. This car is made in Canada.
Safety – The 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger does not have many advanced safety features. It has 6 airbags, primarily for the front occupants, and it has traction & stability control along with the aforementioned blind spot sensors with rear cross traffic alert. But you can say that this is an analog car because it doesn’t have features such as automatic emergency braking or lane keeping system.
Warranty – The 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger is covered by a 3 year / 60,000 km new vehicle warranty and a 5 year / 100,000 km powertrain warranty. Anti-corrosion warranty is also 5 years but 160,000 km, whichever comes first. For more Canadian warranty information, click here. For USA warranty, click here.
Speaking of warranty & reliability, I did not experience any issues with this car during my week with it. It performed flawlessly.
Conclusion – Technically, the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat pack Widebody Swinger is not a particularly good sports or muscle car. If you want to go fast around a track, there are better, faster, and less expensive options out there. But this car has character and it will always put a smile on your face. From the sublime green paint, to the noise the V8 engine produces, to the ludicrous width of the car, it has a charm that few other cars have. This car is stupid fun and it will be missed by a lot of people once it does get retired.
Thank you to Dodge Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Dodge.ca
2023 Dodge Challenger 392 R/T Scat Pack Widebody Swinger Gallery
