Edmunds Comparison: 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs. 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe

[CAPSGOD]

I thought it was an interesting comparison. Doesn't change my opinion, but interesting nonetheless.

1st Place: 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392
Stupidly American, the Challenger is an exercise in gratuity — all passion and no poise. And sometimes that's better than raw numbers.

2nd Place: 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
The M Coupe is capable of wicked speed and is superbly calculated and precise. It is why we put words between the numbers.

This comparison test between the 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 335-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is intentionally not apples to apples. And so what?

When was the last time you stood, bleary-eyed and groggy, drinking a watery coffee at some breakfast buffet deciding between a Red Delicious and a Granny Smith? In real-world breakfast decisions the hand wanders between what you should eat — the apples — and doughnuts. Warm, frosted, delicious doughnuts.

Challenger versus 1 Series M Coupe is not a comparison that can be solved by rubric, pyramid or with beans on a scale. For this comparison test we've abandoned the normal battery of charts and forms and taken a breakfast buffet approach to the dilemma. This time we drive, test and debate the cars with one question in mind: If our uncle Harold died and left us $50,000 with the specific instructions to buy something fun, which car would end up in our garage?

M Coupe vs. Challenger? What?
Whatever we'd buy with our windfall, it would have to be special. It would have to be limited edition (both of these cars are, with only 1,000 M Coupes and 1,100 Inaugural Edition 392s available). It would have to be fast, have a manual transmission, drive the rear wheels and it damned well better be a coupe.

The $49,585 as-equipped 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe was the obvious first pick. It's all-new: a shorter, lighter, smaller more nimble M car in the vein of the E30 M3 that lured many of us to the Bavarian brand.




Its 335-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 sends power to the ground through a slick six-speed manual transmission and a pair of 265/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. Gearchanges don't happen with the rifle quickness of some straight-line-specific cars, but the feel and precision is there. Get everything just right and the 1 Series M Coupe blows past 60 in 4.5 seconds (4.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like at a drag strip) and powers through the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 107.7 mph. You don't need all the power in the world when you weigh 3,346 pounds.

Speaking of All the Power in the World...
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 has it. We're talking about 470 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter pushrod V8. Four-hundred-and-seventy horsepower! Do you remember when the Viper didn't even have 470 hp? Or when the Corvette didn't? Oh...wait.

So it has a 135-hp advantage over the 1M, but the Challenger also weighs 4,257 pounds. No surprise then that it produces remarkably similar numbers at the drag strip: 4.7 seconds to 60 (4.4 seconds with rollout) and 12.9 seconds to the 1,320-foot mark with a trap speed of 111.0 mph. Wheelspin, unsurprisingly, is a problem when trying to twist 255/45ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. So is wheel hop.

If the Road's A-Windin'...Just Give It Up
Features, feel, looks and personal preferences on these two can be debated eternally, but there's one area where a clear winner emerges: Handling.

It's hardly surprising, then, that the smallest U.S.-market BMW wearing M3 shoes and suspension and packing a power upgrade by M is the standout on mountain roads. It responds to every input instantly and predictably. The biggest challenge is trying to stay below double the posted speed limit.

Traditionally when running the canyons of Southern California the faster car is the one with the faster driver. That theory doesn't apply here. Put your mom in the 1 Series M Coupe and she'll be at the lookout on Mulholland so far ahead of you and the Challenger that she'll have time for tea and her arthritis medicine. With M Dynamic Mode enabled, wheelspin and slip angle are expertly controlled, and driving fast — insanely, stupid fast — is an exercise in precision only available in a carefully metered instrument like an M car.

The 2011 Dodge Challenger's steering, quickened for 2011, is still too slow for roads with actual corners, and the big boat feels a full 3 feet wider than the 1. Count on sawing at the wheel like a ship's captain as the M Coupe disappears into the mountains.

These observations were validated by our track testing, which saw the M Coupe and its wider Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s sneak through our slalom at 71.3 mph. The Challenger leaned and clawed its way to a 66.6-mph run on Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. The drubbing continued on the skid pad, where the M circled at 0.96g vs. the Challenger's otherwise respectable 0.91g performance.

Its size and power mean the M Coupe is built for carving corners and shaving apexes while the larger, heavier Challenger fishtails heroically a quarter-mile behind. But hey, powerslides are fun. Really fun.

No Regrets
It's easy to get lost in the minutiae of the data when fast cars are involved. The passionless results of weather-corrected track testing and the calculated weighing of feature against feature are a slap in the face to car guys everywhere. Some cars are just special even if the spec sheet doesn't tally up. And it doesn't add up in favor of the Dodge in this case.

But the unmeasurables do.

You're hooked to the Dodge from the second the start button is pressed. It erupts with a rock and a wobble from 6.4 liters of American iron. The whole car twitches and dips in response to a stab at the throttle. In that respect it's not unlike the utterly raw Challenger Super Stock drag car we raced a few years ago, except with this one you can terrorize the drag strip and your daily commute.

The 1 Series M Coupe is like an expensive, exacting vacuum built by a team of engineers who fully understand sucking.

Maybe it's the size or the bright white paint and blue stripes, maybe it's that the 392 is an American car in Santa Monica, or maybe it's that we'd been revving the engine without moving for 9 minutes. Whatever the cause, any time a Prius driver flips you off, it's a win in our book. And it's the kind of win you'll never get in an M car.

Livability also goes to the Dodge. Its seats blend long-haul comfort with competent bolstering. The new dampers erase the old car's floaty ride and replace it with well-balanced firmness and compliance. Sixth gear at 70 works out to only 1,600 rpm in the Challenger, while the M Coupe churns at 2,250. There's also the twitchy ride and droning tire howl at speeds above 50. Don't forget, you're going to drive the M Coupe to those racetracks where it is so dominant.

These inconveniences are the price you pay for track focus.

Six vs. Eight
The new 6.4-liter doesn't rest on a baritone idle, though. This engine sings through the entire rev range. We remember the days when overhead-valve V8s would begin to choke at 5,000 rpm and demand a shift shortly thereafter. Those days are long gone and it's easy to let the siren song of 470 hp crash into the 392's 6,250-rpm rev limiter, tires ablaze. And every time you do, you giggle just a little bit.



The 2011 BMW M Coupe? It starts, runs, accelerates and idles like a vacuum. Sure, it's an expensive, exacting vacuum built by a team of engineers who fully understand sucking. And in the end it's a masterful machine carefully calibrated for sucking precision. But it's so focused on sucking that it's virtually emotionless. Even its burnouts are antiseptic.

A casual conversation between editors sealed its fate:

"You should drive the M Coupe before it goes away. It's good. Really good."

"I've got meetings all day and something for the kid tonight. Will I have any fun driving it home? I don't have time for Mulholland."

"Nah. Unless you drive it hard on the right road it's no different than a 135."

"OK, I'll take the Challenger."

Eat up, Fatty
At the end of the breakfast buffet, you don't have to explain to anyone why you took the apple. Nobody cares about apples. The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is like that. It's the safe answer to a singular problem. It's extremely fast and immensely effective as a driving tool. And when you appreciate it on those terms, there are precious few cars as good.

And that's precisely the problem. You'll need no terms to appreciate the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8. No racetrack, no mountain road, no measuring instruments, nothing but a heavy right foot. It's as far from a sterile expression of speed as can be created. It's loud, raw, unapologetically American and as quick as the M Coupe in the quarter-mile. It is speed and charisma.

And the explanation for why you bought it? Well, which do you prefer...apples or doughnuts?

http://www.insideline.com/dodge/chal...s-m-coupe.html

[Artemis]

See also:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=545823

[mPlasticDesign]

Of all the American muscle cars I like the Challenger more than the Mustang or Camaro. I still prefer the 1M or M3 though.

[HBspeed]

It's funny how the Challenger 392 keeps getting compared to M cars, the M3 previously and now the 1M. http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...d-test-drive-3

Apparently Insideline stole the story line for that article right out of my head because I ended up making the same decision as them along the same lines of logic a few months ago.

I was really into the 1M for obvious reasons until the non M engine was announced. That was enough to take me from 100-0 in no time flat. BMW needs to remember how important having a special engine is to a performance car, and their next attempt at a small sporty M car needs to offer more than a slightly tuned bread and butter AG engine. I mean has anyone ever heard of an M engine being compared to a precision vacuum cleaner before? That can't be a good sign. If they follow the same strategy again in the next 1M/M2 and M3, I'll likely go elsewhere once again.

[MrRoboto]

Exactly! I am sure most of us would have went for a Dodge if we couldn't get our hands on a BMW 1M.

[My135]

The better comparison should be 1M and the Boss for virtually the same price range, performance and more important this day is the gas milage, both were rated roughly between 17/26. The Dodge's gas milage is 14/24 which is pretty bad for todays' fuel price. IMO.

[b33g33]

I'm looking forward to the review where Edmunds compares Spaten Maerzen to Bud Light and declares the American beer the winner even though the Spaten is better in every possible way.



This reminds me of the time when American Auto-Journos all used to be Shills for Detroit in the 90's and kept telling the world that US cars were still top in quality even though every Ford/Chevy/Chrysler was falling apart a couple year's out of the factory.

Detroit is making good cars now and I, for one, am glad that we can compete against the European and the Japanese, but these kind of silly comparisons are just making me question the credibility of these people.

[rad doc]

Originally Posted by HBspeed

It's funny how the Challenger 392 keeps getting compared to M cars, the M3 previously and now the 1M. http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...d-test-drive-3

Apparently Insideline stole the story line for that article right out of my head because I ended up making the same decision as them along the same lines of logic a few months ago.

I was really into the 1M for obvious reasons until the non M engine was announced. That was enough to take me from 100-0 in no time flat. BMW needs to remember how important having a special engine is to a performance car, and their next attempt at a small sporty M car needs to offer more than a slightly tuned bread and butter AG engine. I mean has anyone ever heard of an M engine being compared to a precision vacuum cleaner before? That can't be a good sign. If they follow the same strategy again in the next 1M/M2 and M3, I'll likely go elsewhere once again.

Ha ha! "BMW needs to remember". Please!! I think they know what there doing considering most of the reviews are glowing and the car is basically sold out. And remember, one of the very best american mass produced sports cars, the z06 and zr1 are by no means motor built frim ground up. Go elsewhere and the rest of us will keep enjoying these great cars

[1seriestoosick]

You are forgetting, that a 1m for all that money, will never ever come close to hanging with even a z06, especially through the turns. The 1m handles awesome, but lets face it.

8:15 on the ring!!

A bone stock STi Will do a 7:55, 20 seconds is HUGE.


1m is a cool neat car, but for sheer performance it really doesn't seem to corner that fast.


Overrated, anyone who payed 60 for this is a moron and buying into the hype.

Bmw owners are all about Hype, so it's easy to see how this car has gone afoul. Of course if you are one of these people you will say rude things to other people, and tell them to move on when in reality you don't want to address the fact you got a sweet car, but not that sweet for the price.


Also please remember bmw didn't make this car for some greed monster to ask 40k mark up. 1 series for 60 grand, bahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaahaaaaaa Honestly the guy who set that @Glendale deserves to die in a fiery Ryan Dunn like accident.

[!mspinster]

Originally Posted by 1seriestoosick

You are forgetting, that a 1m for all that money, will never ever come close to hanging with even a z06, especially through the turns. The 1m handles awesome, but lets face it.

8:15 on the ring!!

A bone stock STi Will do a 7:55, 20 seconds is HUGE.


1m is a cool neat car, but for sheer performance it really doesn't seem to corner that fast.


Overrated, anyone who payed 60 for this is a moron and buying into the hype.

Bmw owners are all about Hype, so it's easy to see how this car has gone afoul. Of course if you are one of these people you will say rude things to other people, and tell them to move on when in reality you don't want to address the fact you got a sweet car, but not that sweet for the price.

Also please remember bmw didn't make this car for some greed monster to ask 40k mark up. 1 series for 60 grand, bahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaahaaaaaa Honestly the guy who set that @Glendale deserves to die in a fiery Ryan Dunn like accident.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...record-feature

"The stickler is that the Subaru in question wasn’t a production car. It was, in the words of the company, a 2011 Impreza WRX STI prototype"

Seem like you have some beef with BMW and BMW owners.

[rad doc]

Wow, you are a complete tool! First, nobody deserves to die so that comment was completely uncalled for.

Second, no the 1m may not match the z06 in performance. However, the corvette doesnt compare in build quality. Z06 is great track car but for a dd, i prefer not to drive a rattle bucket with poor seats and interior that feels like it is comparable to the 93 trans am i had 20 years ago!!

Say what you want but the vast majority of auto journalist who have tons of seat time in all types, love it. And so do I. I looked all around from cts-v, m3, 997, vette, gt-r. It may not be the top in performance categories but for me it is the best dd.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by 1seriestoosick

You are forgetting, that a 1m for all that money, will never ever come close to hanging with even a z06, especially through the turns. The 1m handles awesome, but lets face it.

8:15 on the ring!!

A bone stock STi Will do a 7:55, 20 seconds is HUGE.


1m is a cool neat car, but for sheer performance it really doesn't seem to corner that fast.


Overrated, anyone who payed 60 for this is a moron and buying into the hype.

Bmw owners are all about Hype, so it's easy to see how this car has gone afoul. Of course if you are one of these people you will say rude things to other people, and tell them to move on when in reality you don't want to address the fact you got a sweet car, but not that sweet for the price.


Also please remember bmw didn't make this car for some greed monster to ask 40k mark up. 1 series for 60 grand, bahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaahaaaaaa Honestly the guy who set that @Glendale deserves to die in a fiery Ryan Dunn like accident.

You paid ~35kUSD for an Impreza.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by 1seriestoosick

Honestly the guy who set that @Glendale deserves to die in a fiery Ryan Dunn like accident.

Take that back, kiddo. No-one "deserves" to die behind the wheel. No-one. Period.
Next time, engage brain before speech.

[FIRSTM]

really don't know where to begin to comment about this bias review...by the way this will be my first M car which happens to be my first bimmer...I have read/seen/heard many many many reviews and this is by far the worst one...I am holding myself back right now from blasting this thread with profanity...whats next, 1m vs zr1, how about vs a ford focus, camaro zl1, betcha thats next, don't forget cts-v, did I forget anything else, is there any sport compact sedan that is supposedly made in america that I left out? because last I know the 1 series M is a sport compact sedan.

If I want a sporty,high revving V8, the srt8 will be last on the list...really? really? Like Seth Myers from SNL would say REALLY! American iron Really! 4257 lbs Really!?!?!?!?
"Livability also goes to the Dodge" f... REALLY!?!?!?!? A f.... TANK is livable? only if your in ww2 and live in Germany.
ok rant is over..flame on

by the way I love reading reviews, this is my first response ever to any comparison review.

[lhsa]

get your facts straight before you start spouting like a fool. stock sti *LOL*

when does a stock sti match a GT-R for performance?

Originally Posted by 1seriestoosick

You are forgetting, that a 1m for all that money, will never ever come close to hanging with even a z06, especially through the turns. The 1m handles awesome, but lets face it.

8:15 on the ring!!

A bone stock STi Will do a 7:55, 20 seconds is HUGE.


1m is a cool neat car, but for sheer performance it really doesn't seem to corner that fast.


Overrated, anyone who payed 60 for this is a moron and buying into the hype.

Bmw owners are all about Hype, so it's easy to see how this car has gone afoul. Of course if you are one of these people you will say rude things to other people, and tell them to move on when in reality you don't want to address the fact you got a sweet car, but not that sweet for the price.


Also please remember bmw didn't make this car for some greed monster to ask 40k mark up. 1 series for 60 grand, bahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaahaaaaaa Honestly the guy who set that @Glendale deserves to die in a fiery Ryan Dunn like accident.

[HBspeed]

Originally Posted by rad doc

Ha ha! "BMW needs to remember". Please!! I think they know what there doing considering most of the reviews are glowing and the car is basically sold out. And remember, one of the very best american mass produced sports cars, the z06 and zr1 are by no means motor built frim ground up. Go elsewhere and the rest of us will keep enjoying these great cars

The LS7 and LS9 engines are significantly and more advanced/capable than the LS3 engine, sorry. And no one ever said an M engine has to build totally from the ground up; the S54 wasn't and I've never heard anyone claim it's soulless or compared it to an "exacting vacuum." The N54 in the 1M has only additional cooling and a slight boost in tune.

I guess when you say go elsewhere while you guys enjoy your great cars, the E46 M3 in my avatar/garage apparently doesn't qualify as a great car for you and I am clearly biased against BMW.

No one is saying the 1M isn't an awesome little car. It's just not up to the standards many of us here hold BMW to for its focused M products, primarily in the engine department or the intangibles (emotion, occasion) which have been such a point of excellence in cars like the M3 or past M coupes.

[lavaletta]

"...virtually emotionless"??? The one absolutely consistent comment by reviewers elsewhere is that this car's defining feature is FUN! Having owned one for a few weeks I can say that it is anything BUT emotionless. Every time you get out of it you have a wild grin on your face. To me that comment demonstrates this review to be the usual one eyed American rubbish comparo. As usual American Muscle beats euro sophistication, even if the home brand goes around a corner like a coal barge. The whole POINT of the 1M is corners. That's why its best times are on tight tracks, not big straightaways.

As for wishing people dead is a car accident, I've never heard such offensive imbecility on this forum before.

[lavaletta]

Originally Posted by HBspeed

The LS7 and LS9 engines are significantly and more advanced/capable than the LS3 engine, sorry. And no one ever said an M engine has to build totally from the ground up; the S54 wasn't and I've never heard anyone claim it's soulless or compared it to an "exacting vacuum." The N54 in the 1M has only additional cooling and a slight boost in tune.

I guess when you say go elsewhere while you guys enjoy your great cars, the E46 M3 in my avatar/garage apparently doesn't qualify as a great car for you and I am clearly biased against BMW.

No one is saying the 1M isn't an awesome little car. It's just not up to the standards many of us here hold BMW to for its focused M products, primarily in the engine department or the intangibles (emotion, occasion) which have been such a point of excellence in cars like the M3 or past M coupes.

Have you driven one?

[IZAGLO]

Indeed there is something special in hearing,feeling, and driving a American LARGE V8 from Dodge..they are good looking cars, nice comfy interiors, bad ass stereos and all around nice cars...But the build and especially the SIZE and handling get old real fast and in no time you will yearn to get back into your BMW...135i. 1M or the M3..i no, my son has a 370hp/396tq Challenger R/T all blacked out, aftermarket loud exhaust etcetc.....Nice looking car but ohhhhhhh so large..Give me the refined BMW any day, but the big V8's from Dodge, Ford, and Chevy are pretty special as well...
Lastly, the author can take his "vacuum" thoughts and i no a good place he can put the hose" what a bizarre way to describe a BMW.....

[HBspeed]

Originally Posted by lavaletta

Have you driven one?

No, how many people have? How many 1M's do you think are in this country right now that are available for a test drive? Isn't the point of such publications as Edmunds to give opinions on new cars that maybe no one has had the opportunity to try?

But if you insist, I've driven a 135, and according to the review:

"Unless you drive it hard on the right road it's no different than a 135."



You guys need to chill out on the defensiveness/insecurity. No one is saying you bought a lame car. It is an awesome car that many such as myself feel BMW compromised on in the wrong areas, namely the engine.

How can we have an adult discussion about a review by a respected major publisher if so many of the replies from owners consist of "Go elsewhere" or "Have you driven one?"

I've driven a 135 and E92 M3 several times and I own a Challenger 392, E46 M3, and previously a Z4M coupe. Doesn't that make me highly qualified to comment in this thread? Or should I just "Go elsewhere" and not contribute as some 1M owners here have suggested?

[FIRSTM]

hmm $50k sport sedan, comparing to god knows what..
here is what I..(just me) thought is value to me in the 1 series M
limited production
haul my boys around all 4 of them if I can heheh
daily driver...yessss 5 days a wk GTR gets 2 days
4yr warranty including maintenance...
performance without sacrificing much $$ in the long run (MPG)
will hold its value better than most
my first M CAR finally!!!
last but not least to me its a "sports luxury compact sedan" with a manual

[Redadair]

Wow let's compare a Muscle Car to a Sports car and see who win's. Bunch of Hillbillies anyway.

I love this part.

"unapologetically American and as quick as the M Coupe in the quarter-mile"

Wait a minute, I thought that big PIG of an American V8's forte was drag racing, while the M cars forte is race tracks. You mean that little 3 liter 6 is as fast as that Bloated Boat both 0 - 60 and in the Qtr Mile? I am more surprised about this than the morons choosing the Challenger over the 1M.

From the people who would test these two cars together what else would you expect.