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“Defiance” Dodge Charger makes the apocalypse look cool

Stephen Edelstein
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Defiance Dodge Charger front three quarterThe upcoming SyFy show Defiance tells the story of a band of ragtag humans in what used to be St. Louis fighting off invading aliens. What’s the best vehicle for a post-apocalyptic scenario like that? Dodge thinks its Charger would be pretty good at fending off aliens, so it built a customized Defiance version, which made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show.

Like any car that’s been through a nine-year global war, this Charger looks a little worse for wear. The handmade roll cage and front bull bar seem to have protected the bodywork from any serious damage, though. The plastic Dodge crosshair grille looks remarkably intact.

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So do the headlights and taillights, despite not having any protection. That’s lucky for Defiance’s main characters, who probably don’t want to get a ticket while pursuing the alien invaders.

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The hood sports a massive scoop with its own power dome. It’s unclear what is under that hood, but hopefully the driver of this Charger will have an easier time finding gas than Mad Max did. The stock Charger comes with either a 292 horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 or a 363 hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V8. A performance SRT8 model has a 6.4-liter Hemi with 470 hp.

This isn’t the first time a car company has tried to win over nerd fans with a television tie-in. At last year’s San Diego Comic Con, Hyundai unveiled a “zombie survival machine” based on the Elantra Coupe, promoting both the Korean carmaker and AMC’s The Walking Dead.

The Charger seems like a more probable tool for fighting inhuman hordes. For starters, it’s bigger. That means for metal between the driver and whatever he or she hits in vehicular combat. Its low roofline also leaves driver and passenger less exposed, because there is less (easily breakable) window glass.

Defiance Dodge Charger rear three quarterThe Charger’s optional all-wheel drive system would also be helpful. Looking at the Chicago show car’s gnarly tires, we’re guessing that roads in the world of Defiance aren’t well maintained.

One thing the Charger does seem to be missing is a way to fight back. The driver will have to resort to ramming aliens demolition derby style, because there are no visible weapons. Even if the passengers are well-armed, those cages around the windows look hard to roll down.

You can see how well-adapted the Charger is on April 15 at 9:00 p.m. EST, when Defiance premieres on SyFy.

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Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
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