Being a 2-door vehicle, it has plenty of room in the back for passengers. It’s a great car to have the whole family, or even a bunch of friends in. Not only is there a ton of room in the back for your legs, it is also very comfortable. There’s a lot of head space and the seats are nicely curved to support the back.

Appearance and comfort is a huge aspect of a car, but the performance is the other half of it. Being a race car driver, the first thing I always test are the brakes. I find that brakes are the most important component when driving on the road, because if there is a problem ahead, you need to be able to stop as quickly as possible. I was actually very surprised at how good the brakes were for it being the base model. It stops in a heartbeat!

Cornering-wise, it was also very solid. The SE model of the Challenger was not designed to have racing suspension or amazing brakes, but I felt it to be a very solid combination of both chassis and braking performance. The SE was designed for people with families or young guys that can’t afford insurance and want a good looking car. I know all about how the insurance companies work, only being 19 years old! It provides a very smooth and fairly quiet ride and is pretty good on gas.

These days, everyone is trying to find ways to save fuel. The SE is rated to deliver 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway which is reasonably good for the size of the vehicle. One thing that really stood out for me was the fact that when you let off the throttle, the car would not slow down unless you hit the brakes of course. It just kind of maintained the same speed. I think that could contribute to a better fuel consumption if driven correctly.

For me, the Dodge Challenger SE might lack a bit in the engine department, but I think it makes up for it in some of the other major aspects of the car. The styling of the Challenger is definitely a stand out vehicle.  The braking and handling are fairly solid, and the price is very affordable, especially with the economy the way it is… but that’s a whole other story.

The best part of this car is the fact that I finally figured out a way to turn heads… just drive down the street in the 2009 Dodge Challenger and you’ll be sure to catch a few rubber necking at you!

Daniel Morad is a 19 year old race car driver from Toronto, Ontario who has competed world wide in A1GP – The World Cup of Motorsport. Morad is a 10 time national karting champion, and was also the Formula BMW series champion in 2007.

Editor's note: Remember the name of this young man, because you're going to be hearing a lot more about him in the future!

Check out www.danielmorad.com