Autoblog

One of our readers pointed us to this page over at Dodge's website that contradicted our earlier post about the 2008 Challenger SRT-8's pricing, which was originally announced at $37,995 (including the $675 destination charge). We realize that inflation is a cruel mistress, but a bump in the sticker to $40,095 left us scratching our heads. A few emails back and forth between the people at Chrysler revealed that the SRT-8 was slapped with a $2100 gas-guzzler penalty that accounted for the discrepancy in price. Not a real surprise considering the 425 hp 6.1-liter HEMI V8. As a comparison, however, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 gets a $1300 consumption penalty, even with 75 more horses under the hood. A quick search over at fueleconomy.gov revealed that if Challenger SRT-8 owners are penalized $2100, that means that they'll also only be getting between 18.5 and 19.5 mpg in the combined cycle. We doubt that'll be a deterrent, but it's food for thought.