2015 Dodge Charger R/T

The aboriginal car I bought new was a 2000 Chrysler LHS. (I individual handedly bargain the model’s boilerplate age demographic.) It was the actual acme of Chrysler’s Iacocca turn-around. It was large, aggressive and fabricated from Chrysler’s accepted locations bin Used Cars Dealer Dubai. Then Mercedes came on the arena able to “synergize” artefact development with their affluence brand. The plan had a able alpha with the 300 HEMI C concept, but the assembly absoluteness was a big auto with a plastacular autogenous and Mercedes hand-me-down parts.
Now that Mercedes and Chrysler accept divorced, we’re starting to see what a absolute German-American synergy looks like. For 2015, the Dodge Charger has gone beneath the knife to attending bacteria and meaner with a new German transmission. Like my 2000 LHS, this may just be the acme of the Marchionne about-face around. It’s big, it’s adventurous and it’ll accomplish you overlook why you chock-full to attending at that Toyota Avalon endure week.
Identify the Competition
The Charger is a articulation anomaly because it’ll be the abandoned four-door beef car afterwards the Chevrolet SS drives into the sunset. No, the Hyundai Genesis doesn’t absolutely calculation – that’s a affluence access and it’s American cross-shop would be the Chrysler 300. That leaves the Charger to action the Avalon, Taurus, Impala, Cadenza, Maxima and Azera. (Or, if you buy the Hellcat, a ballistic missile.) Sure, you can analyze annihilation to anything, but the Charger is boxy to categorize, so I’ll just focus on this capital segment.
Exterior
As the abandoned RWD access in this segment, the Charger has actual adapted accommodation than the blow of the army with its ever-so-long hood. Since 2015 is a brace rather than a redesign, the harder credibility abide the aforementioned as afore but the appearance has been absolutely adapted and about every console has been changed. I’m not absolutely abiding that the “Daddy Dart” attending up foreground is the appearance I would accept chosen, but it looks far added developed up than the 2014 model. Out aback we get bigger chip bankrupt tips and a clarification of the Dodge “race track” ablaze strip.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue Interior-003
Interior
While the engineers affected every console on the outside, autogenous changes are minor. The aforementioned 8.4-inch uConnect touchscreen is still nestled in the birr (SE models get a 5-inch screen) and the appearance is still absolutely retro. On the driver’s ancillary we get a new 7-inch blush LCD amid the speedometer and tachometer in all models. There are still some harder plastics to be begin and the dashboard is a little rubbery, but that places the Charger on according basement with the Impala while the Avalon and Cadenza accept hardly nicer interiors.
FCA reps said that no changes were fabricated to the bench beanbag architecture for 2015, but our tester lacked the arresting bulge begin in the 2012 archetypal we endure tested, an affair that accomplish me feel like I was sitting on a actual ample gumdrop.
In a car this big, you’d apprehend a big booty, but the babyish block lid foreshadows the absolutely mid-size block at 15.4 cu-ft, 7 percent abate than a Ford Fusion’s burden atom and abandoned 15 percent bigger than that of the bunched Ford Focus. In general, the full-size car characterization no best guarantees ample baggage capacity. So, on paper, the Charger’s babyish block is adequately aggressive with the brand of the Toyota Avalon (14.4) but the Taurus’ ginormous anatomy will cull 25 percent added barn abundance bagels. The rear seats bend down to acknowledge a ample pass-thru and the advanced and adequately collapsed rear seats accomplish three babyish seats beyond a bound but absolutely achievable adventure.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue Engine
Drivetrain
SE and SXT models use the accustomed 3.6L Pentastar V6 acquainted to 292 application and 260 lb-ft of torque. Adding the $1,495 Rallye Group on the SXT adds eight ponies and four lb-ft. This puts the Dodge appropriate in band with the foreground caster drive antagonism in agreement of power.
Unlike the competition, the Charger offers some added able engines to accept from. Scroll down the blueprint area and you acquisition not one, not two, but three adapted V8s on offer. R/T and R/T Alley and Clue trims get the accepted 5.7L V8 acceptable for 370 hp / 395 lb-ft, R/T Scat Backpack and SRT 392 models accomplish do with a 485 hp / 475 lb-ft 6.4L V8, and if you wish to bandy attention to the wind there’s a 6.2L supercharged V8 authoritative a whopping 707 horsepower.
8HP
Last year a lot of models had the old Mercedes 5-speed automated with just some trims accepting the new ZF-sourced 8-speed. This year every Charger gets the 8-speed and the aberration is eye-opening.
For those of you alien with the manual world, ZF is a German aggregation that makes transmissions and licenses manual designs for a advanced array of achievement and affluence cars. You’ll acquisition ZF transmissions ambuscade beneath the hoods of twin-turbo V12 Rolls Royces, inline-6 BMWs and AWD Audis, so the Charger is abrading elbows with some chic company.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue uConnect 8.4.CR2-001
Performance
Not abandoned does the new 8-speed accept a lower aboriginal accessory for bigger acceleration, it aswell has a taller top accessory for bigger artery economy Suzuki used car. If you anytime wondered how abundant aberration a manual abandoned can make, the Charger is a absolute analysis case. Endure year, the V6 with the 5-speed bare 8.5 abnormal to run to 60, this year it’s 7.0 flat, authoritative the V6 Charger aggressive with the pack. The 5.7L V8 archetypal was about as fast as the endure Maxima at 6.1 seconds. This year, the aforementioned engine will do it in 5.0 abnormal with the Alley and Clue rear arbor arrangement and 5.1 abnormal afterwards it. That agency the Taurus SHO adversary is no best the 6.4L V8 but the 5.7L archetypal we’re testing.
Let’s account this up so we accumulate this in perspective. The V6 is now aggressive with the antagonism and the 5.7L V8 is now a hair faster than the SHO. What makes the Charger crazy is we still accept two engines left. Add the Scat Backpack to the R/T, or accept the SRT 392 and dispatch drops to 4.2-4.3 abnormal as continued as the tires can acquisition grip. The Hellcat, as I’m abiding you’ve heard, is the fastest assembly auto with a baking 2.9 abnormal to 60 if you are all-around to abrasion antagonism slicks and put your activity on the line.
An absorbing agenda of trivia is that Charger Pursuit badge cars still get ye olde 5-speed with both the 3.6L and 5.7L engines. The acumen acceptable has added to do with the 5-speed automatic’s cavalcade army shifter in Pursuit guise than any backbone benefit.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue Exterior-001
Drive
In abounding of the trims the Charger comes beyond as “under-tired.” Afore you get your flamethrowers out, acquiesce me to explain. The Charger SE is a 4,000lb car benumbed on low rolling attrition 215/65R17 tires; administration isn’t its forte. The SXT gets 235/55R18 all-season achievement tires with a 245-width option. Administration is calmly according to the Avalon admitting belief 500lbs added due to the Charger’s abreast absolute weight balance. The R/T gets 245/45R20 rubber, which candidly feels a little angular for 370 hp, abnormally if you get the Alley and Track. On the cast side, it’s simple to smoke your tires if you’re into that. The Scat Backpack feels as under-tired as the SE because it adds 115 horsepower, some barrier weight and changes about annihilation else. If you like a car that has a actual active rear end, this is your car. The SRT 392 absolutely upgrades the brakes, tires (275/40R20), and abeyance and I begin it to be able-bodied counterbalanced in agreement of ability vs grip. Then the Hellcat comes forth with 222 added horses and no added grip. You get the picture.
Under-tired doesn’t construe to beneath fun – absolutely the adverse in my book. In fact, the Charger reminded me of the abject Mustang and FR-S. Confused? Toyota’s mission with the FR-S was declared to be a car to analyze RWD dynamics afterwards breaking the bank. Apperceive what? That’s in fact the Charger. Starting at $27,995, it’s abandoned $1,000 added than an automated FR-S and $2,000 added than a V6 Mustang with the auto. Unlike the FR-S, you get a ability seat, dual-zone altitude control, the 7-inch LCD in the barometer cluster, a abundant snazzier radio, three added apparatus in your manual and accessible aback seats. Will it ball about an autocross clue like an FR-S? No, but you accept about as abundant fun and still use the car on the academy run. Our R/T Alley and Clue tester was the aforementioned array of affair taken to the next level.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue Exterior-003
All versions of the Charger bear a affable ride acknowledgment to the able-bodied advised abeyance and a continued wheelbase as abundant as the admeasurement and weight of the vehicle. As with all avant-garde cars, electric ability council sucks some of the fun out of the RWD platform, but the addition is adjustable. And because the foreground auto are abandoned amenable for steering, you get appreciably added acknowledgment than in the FWD or AWD competition. Admitting the heft, braking achromatize was able-bodied controlled, although distances are a little best than I’d like due mostly to the annoy sizes involved.
Compared to the SHO, the Charger has a added able ride. The SHO has an astronomic block and a added all-around aback seat. The SHO is all-wheel-drive which gives you bigger traction, but the Charger has bigger weight antithesis and added authentic feel on the road. Compared to the FWD competition, the Charger feels added abundant out on the road, added absolute and absolutely handles the corners with beneath drama. There’s no torque beacon and decidedly aloof administration even in the added 6.4L models.
21015 Dodge Charger RT Alley and Clue Exterior.CR2-005
At $42,265, our archetypal as activated managed to be $1,000 beneath than a commensurable Avalon Limited, $2,000 beneath than a Cadenza Limited and, although it was hardly added big-ticket than the Taurus SHO, it had about $1,800 added equipment. The Charger’s abatement amount tag candidly afraid me. I had accepted our tester to be a few admirable added than the SHO.
What should you buy?
I’m animated you asked. Skip the V6. What’s the point of traveling RWD if you’re traveling to get the V6? I wouldn’t get the 5.7L V8 either. If you like the 5.7, buy the Chrysler 300. It has a nicer interior, a few added accessible appearance and I anticipate the foreground end is added attractive. I wouldn’t buy the Hellcat either, because I apperceive I’d be “that guy” who captivated it about a timberline 5 account afterwards active it off the banker lot. I am, however, always beholden the engineers created the bat-shit-crazy 6.2L engine because it makes the 485 hp 6.4L HEMI assume like a rational and applied engine choice. When apprenticed actual acclaim on akin artery at 65 mph, the 6.4L V8 can bear 28 mpg acknowledgment to butt deactivation. My ammunition abridgement in the 6.4L engine hovered about 18, just 2 mpg shy of the endure Avalon I activated (the 5.7L denticulate 19.5 over about 700 miles). When apprenticed like you blanket it, massive caster spin, effortless donuts and 4.1 additional runs to 60 with one of the best soundtracks money can buy are the adjustment of the day. When your beginning aunt asks why you bare about 500 horsepower, you can cautiously say you didn’t get the a lot of able one. With argumentation like that, how can you go wrong?