The New Dodge Challenger T/A 392 drops at the Perfect Time

As we reported when the 2017 Dodge Challenger T/A was introduced, this new package will be offered in three trimlines – the standard T/A and the T/A Plus with the 5.7L Hemi and the T/A 392 with the 485hp, 6.4L Hemi. The T/A and T/A Plus with the 5.7L Hemi is a great package for those buyers who want more vintage styling and a little more performance from their Challenger R/T, but I find the Challenger T/A 392 to be a far more enticing package for muscle car shoppers.

You might be thinking that the Challenger T/A 392 is only the more enticing package because it has more power, but this is about more than just power. This is about Dodge looking at their two most popular Challenger models – the Scat Pack and the Hellcat – and applying aspects of those models to other models while also beefing up the Scat Pack based on customer input. At the same time, there are some folks online complaining that the Challenger T/A is just a buzz model with stripes and a new name, so I wanted to take a minute to break down why this car is far more than just a sticker package.

Why the Challenger T/A 392 is Perfect
Essentially, the Challenger T/A 392 is a Challenger Scat Pack with an elaborate upgrade package featuring a collection of cues from the Challenger SRT Hellcat. Like the Hellcat, the Scat Pack spent the first year of production practically sold out, as buyers lined up for the low-priced, 485 horsepower Mopar muscle car. While the Challenger Hellcat was a dream come true for those buyers who were looking to spend big money for the most powerful muscle car ever, the Challenger Scat Pack was a dream come true for those buyers who wanted SRT performance on a budget.

The Scat Pack was and still is an enormous success, but buyers still talk about ways to make the 485hp Challenger even better. Lighter wheels, bigger brakes, the air catcher headlight and a more unique hood from the standard Challenger R/T hood were among the most common requests online, so it comes as little surprise that the new Challenger T/A 392 features all of those changes and more.

The Challenger T/A 392 starts with the Scat Pack, but the T/A package adds dual air catcher headlights, a Hellcat-like satin black hood with a functional cold air intake system, huge six piston Brembo brakes from the Hellcat, lightweight 20 inch wheels similar to the Hellcat, the same high performance tires from the Hellcat, the new active performance exhaust system, a uniquely tuned suspension setup and the stunning T/A graphics – all of which make for a very different muscle car. Click here for a full breakdown on the differences for all three 2017 T/A packages.

While the majority of the interior remains the same, it is hard to say that the Challenger T/A 392 is a gussied up Scat Pack when you consider the fact that the T/A has different wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, headlights and a hood. Many items which make the Hellcat Challenger so impressive have been added to the new Challenger T/A, which in my opinion will make this package even more popular than the Scat Pack. The company is using the continued popularity of the Hellcat package to improve on one of their other most popular package in the Scat Pack, and they are doing this while both the Hellcat and the Scat Pack are still ultra hot.

Oh, on top of the fact that the Challenger T/A is so well thought out, considering the current success of the Challenger Scat Pack and the Challenger Hellcat, there is also the pricing of the new T/A to help it sell. The T/A 392 with destination starts at just $45,090. That is more than $5,000 less than the Challenger SRT 392, which isn’t all that different. With that pricing in mind, I really expect to see the new Challenger T/A 392 sell like crazy, but I also wonder if the success of the T/A package will kill off the SRT 392. Time will tell, but in the meantime, prospective Mopar muscle car buyers have several great new options.