1 best of : 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 Review: A Singular Mission

If beating a Mustang or Camaro down the drag strip is your sole muscle car objective, Dodge has just the Challenger for you. And to preview the new-for-2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, Dodge took us to where the new model belongs: the world-famous Pomona Raceway drag strip. There, we got our first few passes in a 2019 Dodge Challenger with the option package whose “1320” stands for the 1,320 feet in a quarter mile.

Starting with a 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack ($41,490) and its 392-cubic-inch 485-hp/475-lb-ft V-8, ticking the $3,995 box nets long list of go-fast features intended to make this version of the 2019 Challenger a reliable, consistent, and relatively low-cost quarter-miler for the enthusiast to race regularly. Topmost, the package includes: a robust ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (replacing the Tremec six-speed manual); an asymmetric limited-slip differential with a 3.09:1 ring gear; extreme-duty 41-spline rear-axle halfshafts (adopted from the 808-hp Challenger SRT Demon); 9.5 x 20–inch forged-aluminum wheels with knurled bead seats to minimize wheel rotation within the stationary rear tires; and street-legal 275/40R20 Nexen SUR4G drag-radial tires developed for the 1320. And to promote the best, most consistent launches, the package also adds: adaptive dampers with Drag mode (allowing more rear weight transfer); front-brake line lock for easy burnouts; a Torque Reserve system, which Dodge describes as “managing fuel flow to cylinders and controlling spark advance or retard to balance engine rpm and torque to maximize power delivery and launch performance”; and (also from the SRT Demon) a “TransBrake,” which locks the transmission’s output shaft to hold the car stationary with the engine revving before a standing start. The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 also comes with a pass-through headlamp cold-air intake and an 8.4-inch UConnect touchscreen (minus navigation) that enables the driver to engage all the drag-racing paraphernalia. What the 1320 package does not include are front passenger/rear seats and seatbelts, scavenging about 114 pounds. Those may be returned to the car for $1.00 each.

Rub Belly; Pat Head

To use the drag-related features, you have to access the Drag mode within the touchscreen’s Performance pages. You’ll also need a fair amount of two-footed, two-handed coordination and some practice. First line lock: With the transmission in drive and pressing the brake pedal with your left foot, tap the line lock icon on the screen. With your right foot, raise the engine speed to at least 1,000 rpm and keep it there. Press the OK steering wheel button with your left thumb and release the brake pedal (now only the front brakes are clamping the discs). Raise the rpm as needed to get the rear wheels spinning—about 4,000 rpm does a good job—and once satisfied with the amount of liquefied/vaporized rubber and tire heat, release the OK button and gradually pedal out.

The TransBrake is trickier still: Again, in drive with your left foot on the brake, pull both shift paddles, obey the instrument panel telling you to raise engine speed with your right foot until it’s satisfied (about 1,800 to 2,000 rpm is good), maintain that rpm, release the brake pedal, release one paddle (now the transmission’s output shaft is locked and the car remains stationary), then release the other paddle to launch, and roll into the throttle and “pedal it” to modulate wheelspin, if any. The rest is up to you. Do it right on a prepped drag strip, and Dodge claims the 1320 will run an 11.7-second 115-mph quarter mile—a 0.3-second improvement over a Challenger R/T Scat Pack without the optional equipment. At last year’s World’s Greatest Drag Race 8, on a bone-dry concrete runway, we managed a 12.1-second 115-mph pass in a prototype 1320 without an operable TransBrake, so Dodge’s claim sounds right.

Three Passes; No Time

It would’ve been nice if Dodge had turned on the timing tower at the end of Auto Club Speedway Pomona so we could see if we’d hit the car’s expected numbers, but automotive journalists (especially those who test cars regularly) are a competitive bunch, and Dodge chose to keep it fun and play it safe. Toss in a handful YouTube personalities and social media influencers, some of whom had never been on a drag strip before, and well, you get the idea. As it was, we were going to be running one lane at a time instead of side by side in one of five stock 1320s, further reducing the possibility of mayhem.

On my first pass, I tried to make the TransBrake reflexive and probed the surface to see what sort of grip was available. After I’d heated the rear drag radials with a proper burnout, I could hear the tires crackling on the sticky rubbered surface, which had been sprayed with TrackBite, a resin compound that enhances traction. It felt very odd to be standing on the throttle in a stationary car as if it were in park. The TransBrake is easy to get wrong (which I did at first); luckily, it simply reverts to off and you putter away from the starting line. Nothing breaks or explodes. Since this wasn’t an actual race, I paused, regrouped, backed up, and started the routine again. I got it right on the next attempt, and I could detect the rear of the car “sitting” down as the rear dampers went soft for the launch. Upshifts in Drag mode are right at the 6,000-rpm redline and very snappy without being harsh. The magnificent sound of the 6.4-liter Hemi should be part of our “Star Spangled Banner.” Unlike carburetors and car “keys,” that guttural V-8 roar is one of a handful of things that has remained nearly the same since the 1960s. It was a decent run, but I could tell the car and the track had more.

For the next pass, I raised the launch rpm from 1,800 to 2,000. That felt like a much better, less boggy launch, but there was still no tire spin—which would tell me I’d found the limit of what the track could offer in terms of grip. There was still more to be found. Finally, on the last pass, I increased my launch to 2,200 rpm, then rolled on the throttle even quicker. The Challenger squirmed for a couple hundred feet as I corrected its heading with minor steering input and throttle progression. Having been down a drag strip thousands of times, my experience told me that one was the run—it was right on the edge of grip, like threshold braking but in the opposite direction. I wish I knew what that time was. Of course, when I returned the car after my passes, those who had already made theirs asked, “What did you run?” I said, “I dunno. The board isn’t on.” “We know,” they said, “but what did the onboard quarter-mile timer say?” Somewhere between rubbing my belly and patting my head, I had forgotten to switch the Performance screen to the onboard timer page. According to online Challenger forums, the timer is fairly accurate; it’s sometimes 0.01 second slow or fast, but it’s close enough to be comparable to an actual drag strip timer. Most said they read low 12s.

Winner?

With that 11.7-second 115-mph quarter-mile claim, Dodge says the 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is “the fastest naturally aspirated, street-legal muscle car available.” Dodge is hoping to capture a younger, grassroots racer crowd with the latest iteration of the Challenger, which might be why it also includes a one-year NMCA/NHRA membership with the car’s purchase. Yet, with the current Camaro SS running solid 12.4s, a recent Mustang GT earning a 12.1, and various Shelby GT350/Rs with their 12.1- and 12.2-second performances (all on asphalt, not a prepped drag strip with California-spec 91-octane fuel), we say Dodge might be just barely safe in its assertion. I can tell you this, though: After it becomes muscle memory, using the TransBrake makes the Challenger’s performance more consistent and repeatable at the starting line than a two-pedal brake torque launch. After that, it would come down to the driver. We’ll have to wait until we can test one on a non-prepped surface to give you a definitive answer.