My Review: 2011 Dodge Charger R/T Classic

[SVT666]

I drove this car last Friday, but I couldn't get pictures until today, so here we go:



2011 Dodge Charger R/T Classic

My wife was fast asleep at 10:00 in the morning recovering from a concussion she had received the night before when a dog and a counter top conspired to try and kill her.  I had some time on my hands so I jumped in the SVT Focus to go out for a drive on the locally famous "Corkscrew Drive" which is lined with beautiful wineries on one side and a lake just 10 feet from the shoulder on the other.  

To get to this twisty ribbon of ecstasy I had to travel through the neighbouring city and right past their Dodge dealer.  I usually slow down when I go by to see if I can catch a glimpse of a new Challenger that I can drool over.  Only today, it wasn't a Challenger that caught my attention, for what was sitting out front on the grass was this sinister Charger R/T dressed all in black.  I hauled the Focus down damn near to a stop and almost jumped the curb pulling through the gates.



I jumped out of the Focus and went straight for the temptress in the black dress.  I wasn't there long enough to even catch my breath and this dorky salesman already had his hand in my pocket telling me that Fiat was the new owner and that the styling of the new Charger was heavily influenced by Maserati and Ferrari...because Fiat owns them too.

Me:  "Really?  You think this looks like a Maserati?"
Dorky:  "Well, that's what Dodge said at the launch."
Me:  "No offence, but this looks like badass American muscle to me."
Dorky:  "Indeed it does (nodding his head).  Wanna go for a drive?"
Me:  "Go get the keys junior, and I'll zip up."

Dorky came back with the keys and a plate, and we jumped in.  The interior is light years better than what Dodge cursed the previous car with.  The seats are phenomenal.  They fit like a glove.  The dash is a single piece and there is real metal on the dash around the gauges.  This was unheard of with Chrysler just 6 months ago. The interior is a very nice place to spend time, and I could tell that already.  The needles on the gauges have arrow heads and everything is logically laid out and easy to read.  I felt on the back of the steering wheel for what I consider to be the best steering wheel mounted radio controls in the business, and I was not disappointed.  The backseat has massive leg room and, despite the sloping roofline, pretty decent headroom as well.  The new steering wheel is top notch and it is thick and meaty.  We're off to a good start here.  I just want to fire this baby up.



I asked for the keys but Dorky just reached over pushed the start button.  All 370 horses under that long muscular hood came roaring to life like a great big......newborn kitten.  It was near silent.  No V8 rumble.  Not even a initial bark from the exhaust on startup.  Nothing.  The disappointment rushed over me like I was standing under a waterfall.  "It's been neutered", I thought to myself.  I just wanted to get out.  I knew this car was going to let me down.  I knew it.

I reluctantly dropped the AutoStick gear selector into Drive and pulled out onto the street.  Silent again.  I stopped at the red light and I looked out over the big hood and realized just how big this car is.  It's big.  It doesn't feel big in width, but damn that hood looks long.  I immediately thought back to the 1978 Chrysler Cordoba I had as a teenager and how I could lay my 6'-0" frame down on the hood with my feet on either side of the Pentastar hood ornament and my head would just touch the windshield.  The Infiniti G37 Sedan I drove just a couple weeks earlier felt like a compact car in comparison.

Luckily I was first in line at the light and when the light turned green I had the car accelerate at a medium pace.  Near silence.  This was not good.  What had Dodge done?

I asked Dorky if it was alright if we headed over to Corkscrew Drive.  "Hell yeah" was all he said.

As I made my way over to Corkscrew Drive, I had to make a few turns at intersections and noticed there was very little body roll.  In fact it was very similar to what I experience in my SVT Focus.  I started thinking this may not be too bad after all.  At the beginning of Corkscrew Drive you can see for a couple kilometers of the road along the lake, and today there was no one to be seen.  "How perfect", I thought.  



I leaned into the gas.  "SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS!!!  This badass mofo just came to life.  The exhaust roared and the car lunged forward as if I had just lit a rocket that was strapped to the roof, Dorky was laughing, I was grinning from ear to ear, and the Charger was making a believer out of me.

As we approached the first corner I crossed my fingers that she wouldn't let me down.  And she didn't.  She dove into that first corner and held it flat, she dove into the second corner and did the same.  I was over the moon with excitement.  I hit the next four corners with the utmost confidence with the adrenaline pumping and Dorky egging me on to go faster.  I forgot he was there.  In the next corner we hit a bump right at the apex and the car got wobbly.  Oops.  Dodge needs to work on the damping.  The spring rates are damned near perfect though, but after market shocks would be high on my very short list of mods.

Right then I got a call on my cell, so I pulled over and took the call since it was for work.  When I hung up, I backed the car back onto the asphalt.  I looked down to road and it looked deserted.

"Go for it", said Dorky.
"Are you still here?", I said.

I stomped on the gas and the giant 20" Cragars wrapped in 245/45 series rubber broke loose and stayed loose all the way through first gear.  Dorky and I blurted out "HOLY SHIT!" in unison as the transmission shifted into 2nd.  Before I knew it I was doing 145 km/h and coming up on a sharp corner.  I stood on the brakes and my face just about came off.  I felt like that poor guy landing his jet on the aircraft carrier at the beginning of 1991's Hot Shots with Charlie Sheen.  Them brakes are goooood.

From here back to the dealership I played with the Autostick and I am quite impressed, since it was much faster than the G37 at reacting to inputs.  The G37's transmission has much better programing though since it will hold gears when driving becomes spirited, where the Dodge doesn't really do it very well.  Fortunately, the Autostick works much better than the manumatic functions int he G37 and more than makes up for the poor programming.  Even faster reaction time and paddles are the only things that would make this transmission even better in my opinion.

Dodge has a winner on it's hands.  It's hard to imagine that this car even rides on the same platform as the previous generation.  It really is that much better.  Despite it's size, because it drives much smaller than it is, the Charger R/T has replaced the G37 Sedan as the top candidate for my next car.  

[68_427]

Holy wheels gap, skinny rims/tires/ and ugly rims.  Looks badass without the chrome on the grill.

[ifcar]

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Would you be looking at the RWD or AWD model, and which one did you drive?

[SVT666]

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Would you be looking at the RWD or AWD model, and which one did you drive?

RWD

[SVT666]

Holy wheels gap, skinny rims/tires/ and ugly rims.  Looks badass without the chrome on the grill.

Skinny wheels?  They're 245s.  They only look skinny because they're 20s.  The wheel gap is a little bigger than I like but it looks better in person, and personally, I think those wheels look badass.  I would rather they were painted though instead of polished aluminum.

[68_427]

I hope it looks better in person.  In the 2nd and 3rd pictures everything between the front and rear looks pretty bad.

[SVT666]

Pictures really don't do this car justice.  It's a slick looking car.

[Cookie Monster]

Nice review.

I hate the wheels though, as well.

[Payman]

Love the wheels. They look like classic Cragars, and are perfect for a muscle car. These kids don't know jack.

[Rich]

Needs bigger tire diameter in the back

Still looks great though

[Mustangfan2003]

Looks nice and black is a perfect color for this car. 

[hotrodalex]

Love the wheels. They look like classic Cragars, and are perfect for a muscle car. These kids don't know jack.

The giant gap has to go, though.

[rohan]

Needs bigger tire diameter in the back

Still looks great though

wut 

They're 20's how much bigger should they be? 

[Pommes-T]

Fucking awesome! 

[AutobahnSHO]

The taillight (trunk) fascia is totally unexpected but I like it.

[Payman]

If I were to order one, I'd delete the rear wing.

[cawimmer430]

Nice review. Badass car. 

[mzziaz]

Fucking awesome! 

Hey, thought you'd OD'd on laughing gas or something.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

The taillight (trunk) fascia is totally unexpected but I like it.

I agree! It's my favorite part of the redesign.

[68_427]

I think I'll miss this one.

[SVT666]

I think I'll miss this one.

There was a 2010 SRT-8 sitting one car over from it (other side of the Challenger) and it looks bloated and almost awkward next to the new one.

[68_427]

Strange, we think the exact opposite lol.

EDIT:  well not quite.  I dig the front and rear of the new one from dead on angles.  I just don't like the side of the new car I guess.

[rohan]

Strange, we think the exact opposite lol.

EDIT:  well not quite.  I dig the front and rear of the new one from dead on angles.  I just don't like the side of the new car I guess.

Pretty much everyone who's seen the new one disagrees with you.  I like the old one too but the new one just looks better and svt is right the pictures don't do it justice plus the new one is quite a bit stiffer and seems to put the power to the track better.  I drove one around track at Chelsea this new one is superior in pretty much everyway

[68_427]

I want to like the new one, I really do.  I shall get to see the new one in a couple of weeks I hope.  I just hope the the large indent on the side doesn't look as awkward in real life as I think it does in pictures.

[rohan]

It's a bit awkward but it grows on you.

[68_427]

Now the SRT8... I REALLY can't wait to see that.

[the Teuton]

Now the SRT8... I REALLY can't wait to see that.

If they follow suit from the Challenger, expect 470 hp.

CTS-V-like acceleration numbers aren't needed in a fullsize sedan that costs $20,000 less, but it sure would be fun. And 470 hp is still nothing to scoff at.

[68_427]

Supposed to be 465hp and 175mph top speed.  Pretty sure the Chally has been dynoing more than 470hp at the flywheel.

[omicron]

I'm thrilled to hear it's a good car - lack of exhaust sounds can easily be fixed, and the fundamentals seem right. I'm almost certain it will be LHD-only, too. Sigh.

[sportyaccordy]

I can't get past the looks of this, but I'm glad Chrysler sorted this thing out.

Hows the gas mileage of this compared to the G37? Also is there a difference in all in MSRPs?

I wonder if the 300C is just as much of a hoot. I def prefer the looks of that. Interesting though that they stepped their game up so much.