We're seeing Dodge's 2015 Challengers a bit earlier than expected, and there's actually eight of them. They mostly differ based on engines, some suspension and brake tweaks, and their hood designs, which are clearly inspired by the '71 Challenger's hoods. The new looks include the famous twin nostril hood and the fun shaker hoods.
That's shaker as in a modern take on the Incredible Quivering Cold Air Grabber, and not a reference to the celibate Christian sect or those sweaters everyone wore in the '80s.
The new Challenger variants are as follows: SXT, SXT Plus, R/T, R/T Plus, R/T Shaker, R/T Plus Shaker, 6.4-liter Scat Pack and 392 Hemi Scat Pack Shaker. The SXTs get the base 305 HP Pentastar V6, the R/Ts get a 5.7L Hemi V8 making 375 HP/410 lb-ft, and the big boys get the 6.4L Hemi V8 making a healthy and very symmetrical 470 HP and 470 kb-ft of twisties.
A new 8-speed automatic is now available, which sounds nice and modern even if it's name, TorqueFlite, still sounds like it came right out of 1966, and speaking of 6s, happily the 6-speed manual is still standard.
The interior's been gussied up a bit, and the easiest way to tell the '15s at a glance is by the revised taillights, LED running lights up front, and a new split grille.
The most notable absence is a model with a supercharged Hemi, which has been expected for a while; it may still be announced before the show's over, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.