British man drives a Dodge Challenger R/T to find out why Europeans don’t buy American cars

The Dodge Challenger is the perennial American muscle car.

With its snarling Hemi V8 engine and its menacing, wide-body looks, the car is as iconic as it gets.

However, if you’re from Ireland, the UK, or Europe, you never really see them at all… ever, in fact.

Today, one motoring YouTuber has decided to try and explain why.

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The Dodge Challenger is – ironically – a big challenge

James, who runs the YouTube channel JayEmm on Cars, has decided to answer this question.

He starts off by correctly pointing out that many Americans are… unhappy that Europeans don’t buy their cars.

He explains that today, he is driving the 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T.

James starts his Dodge deep-dive by offering a comprehensive history of the Challenger range itself.

So, according to James, the Challenger actually had a 25-year gap in production, having previously ended in 1983.

The YouTuber further explains that, upon its re-release in 2008, all Challengers were built to the SRT8 specification.

James further delves into the various options and specs you could choose when purchasing a Challenger.

And then we get into answering the difficult Dodge questions.

Why aren’t American cars loved across the pond?

The first reason is very simple – there are very few (if any) dealerships.

James points out that, in the midst of filming his video, he had already spotted two Ferraris.

On the other hand, his Dodge Challenger was very likely to be the only one that he would see.

According to him, cars such as the Porsche 911 are far more popular options.

A problem with American cars is that they come as standard in left-hand drive.

James offers his opinion that, if American cars came in right-hand drive, they would be better options than some BMW M3s.

Another problem with the Challenger is the tyres – specifically, how narrow they are.

The standard tyres are just 245mm – which, as James points out – is far too narrow for a car of that power.

That being said, you can choose the option to upgrade the tyres to 275mm, which is much recommended.

Does the Dodge Challenger fall short in other areas?

Despite the very common gas-guzzling image the Dodge Challenger has, this is not quite the case.

James explains that the Challenger can average around 23 Miles per Gallon (MPG), and even up to 40 MPG when cruising on the highway.

This is due to the Challenger’s ability to deactivate cylinders that aren’t necessary at that moment.

Unfortunately, there is another problem with the Challenger, albeit one that is not its fault.

Cost and import tariffs.

Most people look at the dollar price of the Challenger, then simply run it through a currency converter.

For a car that costs around $50,000 brand new, one would expect to pay around the £40-45,000 range in the UK.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case.

In the United Kingdom, you have to add on 20 percent VAT, as well as a 10 percent import duty.

All those fun hidden costs leave you with a car that now costs north of $70,000.

Naturally then, as James explains, other used options become much more appealing at that point.

Conclusions: Does the Dodge deliver?

In many ways, a lot more than you might think.

James explains that the car is driving is actually owned by a friend of his.

Because of the rarity of US-imported cars, they hold their value exceptionally well.

Despite its massive size (even for places in the US), as well as some of its build quality, James likes it.

Despite not being built for British roads, James praises how interesting the Dodge actually is.

They also offer a lot of fun and affordability – James certainly believes the car to have been more than worth his time.

Check out the full vid on JayEmm’s YouTube channel here.

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