How are muscle cars going to survive the onset of increasingly draconian fuel economy standards and consumers who are more impressed by high MPGs than horsepower? That is the question both enthusiasts and automakers are facing. While Ford seems intent on making smaller engines, and GM is building high-tech small-block V8s, Chrysler has another solution: eight-speed transmissions.
Chrysler introduced its first eight-speed automatic transmission last year on the Chrysler 300 with the new Pentastar V6 engine. Now that transmission could soon be utilized in Dodge Chargers equipped with a HEMI V8, with highway fuel economy reaching as high was 29 MPG reports Torque News.
That would be almost a 20% improvement over the current rating of 25 MPG highway on a Dodge Charger R/T with rear-wheel drive. Currently, HEMI Chargers are saddled with an aging 5-speed automatic transmission; the addition of three extra gears would mean a huge improvement in highway fuel economy. City fuel economy is expected to jump from 16 to 18 MPG.
These eight-speed HEMI Chargers could go on sale as soon as this year, as part of the 2014 model year lineup. Chrysler has already begun offering the eight-speed auto in its RAM 1500 pickup with a V6 engine, but the eight-speed/HEMI combo is likely to first appear in either the Charger or Chrysler 300. With highway fuel economy rivaling that of many mid-size sedans, a HEMI Charger would be a hard car to turn down.
Who says you can’t have great fuel economy and a V8 engine in the same car?