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2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 – Comfort

The 2008 Dodge Challenger boasts an extremely comfortable interior, another area where modern technology and development overrides nostalgic hooliganism. Take the driver's seat for example. Wide and comfortable, it's perfect for long hauls behind the wheel, yet its heavy bolstering and suede insert is perfect for holding drivers in place during hard cornering maneuvers.

The tilting and telescoping steering wheel is big, but thick and covered in pleasant-feeling leather, and the interior's basic dimensions are large enough for even a tall driver's legs without adjusting the wheel to its uppermost setting. The rest of the interior is sensibly and conservatively laid out, with soft-touch surfaces on the door tops, arm rests and center console. There are no surprises here, except that it's much more comfortable than you expect.

The rear seat is a little hard to get to, but once there it's not too bad. Head room is decent for a coupe, as is leg room. However, even though Dodge says the Challenger is a five-person car, the fifth passenger won't enjoy the ride very much.

It would have been easy for Dodge to skimp on the sound management, saying that the exhaust boom, road and wind noise are just part of the experience. The reality is that no matter what the car, those things grate on you after a while, and considering that the target for the Challenger is mostly boomers and Gen Xers, the company wisely worked on keeping the Challenger quiet when the leash is tight. The upshot is that the only noise intrusion comes from the big tires, and even that's not too bad. Wind noise is managed well, with just a flutter around the mirrors, and the engine is virtually silent when it's not being flogged.