If you've been lusting after the unabashedly retro brawn of the 2009 Dodge Challenger, but couldn't stomach its BMW-like price-tag or SUV-like mileage figures, salvation is near.  Dodge has announced pricing and mileage figures on lower-level trims of the muscle car, and it may be in your budget.

The Detroit News reports, "Chrysler LLC announced this morning that the base-model of its retro-styled muscle car, the Dodge Challenger, will start at $21,995."  That puts low-end Challengers within reach of the Ford Mustang's $19,650 starting price, renewing a 40-year rivalry between the two nameplates.

The Detroit Free Press notes that "the 2009 Challenger SE model will…get 25 mpg on the highway," compared with 18 mpg for the nearly $40,000 SRT8 model that sits in showrooms now.

The SE model is powered by a 250 horsepower V-6 and, according to Edmunds Inside Line, includes " 17-inch wheels and tires; power windows, locks and mirrors; air-conditioning; side airbags and a CD player with MP3 capability" as standard equipment.

Marketing the Challenger on price and fuel economy is a radical departure for Dodge, a brand that often uses firearm lingo to name cars and builds its image around giant hemi V8s.  It's a sign of the times.  A Detroit News report says Dodge "faces a struggle to redefine its image" in a world of $4/gallon gas.  "Our image can't be about monster Hemi engines and smoking tires," Mike Accavitti, director of the Dodge brand, told reporters on Monday.  "It's about knowing your car looks good, and that you look good driving in it."

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