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Dodge Charger 2006+
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Comments
When I bought the Charger, wife was skeptical if we could make the payments. We just leased a Grand Caravan SXT the month before. But after driving the Charger, she quickly fell in love with it and drives it to work most of the time. She forgot all about her skeptism. I drive a company vehicle to work, so that is why she gets to drive it. My sons love the car, my 12 year old gives it 2 thumbs up and said its an 11 out of 10. To him, a Viper is the only car that is better. I have had nothing but compliments and double takes when driving the car. I think my Charger will be a long time keeper.
Folks, this is not the place to get into argu.., er discussions about Japanese and German vehicles quality. Let's stick to the Charger. Thanks.
And yes, they are 4 doors built on the LX platform. It could have been done, must be "too outisde of the box" thinking for Dieter and the gang.
But remember, stating a person's opinion as facts, is not always relevant.
Japanese cars, have been winning most of the quality awards, not German vehicles. That's a fact! So when I see a statement that is obviously wrong, I agree to disagree.
Not to cause arguments.
So as not to beat a dead horse here, Most of the Charger is MB anyway.
Which could be good or bad depending on your point of view.
I think it is a good combo of American and German partnering.
Charger RT looks like more fun than most Honda's or Toyotas, until the new Lexus IS comes out.
I will make a decision after driving the new IS, and the Mazdaspeed 6. Like to drive the SRT version when that comes out. Sure that will handle better than RT does right now.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Hemi power is sweet !!
I agree with you 100% of what the combination of Chrysler/Mercedes have done, and that the cars look a lot more fun that the Japanese counterparts. I will be curious to see how the Charger stacks up to the new IS!!! FYI ... there was an article in AutoWeek.com that had an interview with the guy that helped create the new IS. He said that they had left out some, of what he thought, was some vital things on the IS ... about 1000 things! Interesting read ... doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy about the car. So I think the Charger will be the one in the long run ...
I was looking at the 5.7 Hemi Charger R/T this weekend and it had good points and bad points:
Good:
very good acceleration, good mileage rating for the horsepower. Large trunk, good space inside.
Boston Accoutics excellent sound.
Good Pricing $2,000 under MSRP ( almost invoice)
Bad:
The interiror is pretty cheap feeling hard plastic, not on the level I would expect of a $30 car. Honda Accord , Toyota Camry and Toyota Avalon , much better executions. Make the interior better like the 300C
Air conditioning is not good enough for Texas summers. Front on max recirculate wouldn't get cold. Back seat was hot; not a lot of air flow out of the back vents and air coming out front and back was only mildy cold, not ice cold.
Navigation system is terrible! No touch screen! Only a single rotary dial ( not even multidirection) and comeo n white highlight on yellow letter; extremely hard to see.
Not clear how you get from manual shift back into auto drive; cart salesman didn't know, but then there wasn't much he did know.
No sunroof!
Car felt a little heavy and not nimble; but I guess that is reality.
=====
All it all is was a good car, not a great car. But for 30K+ there is a lot of competition. Make xexons avaialble. Make 20 inch rims standard or at least a supported option.
Cheers,
MidCow
Cruis'n in 6th :shades: ,
MidCow
Hmm, let me see what did I say about the A/C?
#417 of 539 Charger SXT Test Drive by frasierdog
The day was 96 degrees and after a 20 minute test drive the car never cooled off and the air blowing was not that cool. (Yes, it was on MAX recirc)
Seems to be a pattern here.
I have seen those pictures before. The engineering team that worked on the 2006 Dodge Charger wanted to go for something more modern, retro wasn’t what they were going for. They wanted to pay homage to the muscle cars of the 60’s without retro styling. I can’t comment of the 2009 Challenger as there has been no official word in regards to it at this point.
John B.
Not too many people are familiar with the subtle intricacies that make the 5-speed automatic with Autostick shine. To change back to the normal Drive gear you have to press and hold the selector lever in the “D +” direction. The transmission will shift from the current gear directly to gear “D”. I can’t say for certain whether or not you’ll find xenons and 20 inch rims as available options. You can find 20 inch rims for the 2006 Dodge Charger though. The SRT-8 vehicles come standard with 20 inch rims, so I would recommend talking to your local Dodge dealership about putting some 20’s on a new Charger. Well that’s all I got!
Thanks,
John B.
I agree the quality of German cars, which includes the suspension and transmission, of the Charger, is not on par with the Japanese.
The interior of a Toyota Avalon, even a Ford Five Hundred is better than the Charger. Ford needs a Hemi though.
A loaded RT is in the mid 30's, so you are now approaching LEXUS IS, BMW 330 territory, although smaller than the Charger, much better handling, and execution.
Much better quality materials.
The Avalon loaded is in same price range, Mid 30’s, and is much better quality than The Charger.
If you really want a lot of room, and the quality, and handling is not as important,
and price is an issue, then Charger would be your cup of tea. With the Hemi, it is fun going from stop light to stop light, but throw it into a S curve, and the BMW runs circles around it.
Uh-huh, I suppose that explains why the Saltillo engine plant is running three shifts and why DC is investing another $70 million to boost production from 480,000 units per year to 520,000 by next year.
As I see things, one does not have to be a "diehard Mopar" fan to appreciate the power and efficiency of the modern Hemi. Correct me if I'm wrong, however, I don't think there is a single engine built anywhere in the world at any price that can yield the kind of specific power output of the Hemi AND return the fuel efficiency that the Hemi does when not being flogged.
Best Regards,
Shipo
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Well I wouldn't necessarily say they were better buys, but more like less expensive. The Charger is being targeted and marketed as a family sedan. In that class, I would expect it to be priced in the mid to upper 20's price range. The fact that it has a Hemi with RWD makes no difference to me as a consumer looking to buy a new family car. I am shopping based on interior design, comfort, and how well the car handles under open road travel conditions. Oh I forgot, how well the AC works too! :shades:
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I am trying to compare this to a BMW 330i, and that of course is an unfair comparison. Even the New Lexus IS 350 won’t compare.
Couldn’t really tell the difference with the added 10 HP, and both the RT and the Road Track Do sound “sweet”.
But as you can surmise, I am really impressed with the whole package of the new 330i.
Waiting to test drive the Lexus, and Charger SRT before I make my final decision.
Since the Charger looks cheap inside already, it reminded me of a cop car interior.
So if anybody has heard the same thing about the Charger, give a shout!
I had to order it because there are none to be found anywhere with the Protection Group option which includes side airbags. I may have the only one in the country!
By the way ... I watched a test drive of the Charger on Speed Channel yesterday evening! Looked fantastic!!! They had a red R/T and a Daytona racing around. The blacked out grill on the Daytona is my "cup of tea"! Both drivers went at it on the straightaways and you can see the "jump" that the Daytona version had in it's extra 10hp power over the RT version. They normally repeat the programs on that channel ...
Heinz
I am surprised to here about your AC problem. I have a Black Magnum RT in Houston and my AC is iceberg cold.
Tex
Are you saying that you actually already have a Charger RT with Protection Group? Everything I've heard so far says they aren't building any until September. I've had one on order since mid-May and it's still on hold waiting to be scheduled.
I placed my order in mid-May and I'm still waiting. So far, I've been told "not available for June," "not available for July," and "not available for August." This is the first time anyone has said that they actually DO expect to make them in a given month. I guess the good news is that there's a little more confirmation now that the option should be able to get built.
August's production schedule was written in early July. This week they'll be scheduling out all of the September builds. I think that anyone who gets scheduled for build in September will be able to know that by the end of this week.
Don't find the Daytona attractive, can't stand the colors, but that's me.
Road/Track Performance brings RT to same HP, extra 10, with slightly better handling of the Daytona.
For those into numbers, the Ram, has 350HP and the Jeep Grand Cherokees, Durangos, Dakotas, Magnum/C have 330-340 HP? The new generation crate HEMI is advertised as having 360HP! (Look it up on the Mopar website) Seems like some under-rating going on here folks to avoid liability issues. Does any one remember the class action lawsuit that Cobra Mustang owners brought on a few years ago for HP numbers not being what they where advertised to be? For those that want to understand this, the Viper makes 500HP. All engines are hand built and some make more then 500HP. To avoid an issue like Ford had, Dodge simply says it makes 500HP and if you got the one that make a little more then grin, smile and burn some rubber.
Now salespeople, only want you to buy what they have in the lot, but, hey, color
is important!!!!
Yellow or Orange don't do it for me.
So RT with Road/Track option looks like the way to go.
handling!!!!
This from Edmunds review:
For about $1,500 you can add the Road/Track Performance Group to a Charger R/T and you'll save about $1,000 versus the Daytona. Essentially, you get the Daytona's 10 extra hp, its firmer suspension, self-leveling shocks and larger performance tires without its crazy colors, decals and spoiler.
On the twists and turns of the Virginia International Raceway, the Dodge Charger Daytona wasn't as rewarding a drive as we predicted. In that very demanding environment, the Daytona felt soft and simply oversized. Fling the Charger Daytona through an "S" turn at speed and its weight is obvious. It handles well enough, but at over 4,000 pounds, the Charger R/T doesn't come off as a nimble sport sedan.
The only problem I have is the Charger is big and heavy, and after test driving the new BMW 330i, well the Charger is not in same league.
The Road/Teack package helps, but only a little. Wonder how much better the SRT will be?
Not very many cars do!!!!!
Plus try getting one, you can probably get new 5 series for same price.
I am not that impressed with the handling of the Charger or 300 or Magnum.
Too big, too heavy, translate into American handling versus German.
Great in straight line, but you can’t get on it in curves.
Too much of a family car, not enough of sport car in my humble opinion.