I am not a professional reviewer but I drove a Scat Pack Plus model today and will share my impressions. I do not buy cars based on styling but, in my opinion, the Charger is beautiful and has a lot of road presence. It will never be mistaken for anything else. The car I drove did not have the carbon & suede package which I would order. However, the interior is excellent in my opinion. It really borders on luxury and is a big step up from previous Chargers. It is nicer than my BMW, too. Even though the seats were not the high back ones that come with the carbon & suede package, they were supremely comfortable. The floor is a bit higher than my BMW but you can easily compensate for that by raising the seat a bit. There is plenty of headroom. Fit and finish was very good, as good as my BMW. Panel gaps were tight and everything was solid. Overall, the build quality seemed to be very good.
On the road, I was impressed with the quietness of the ride. There was virtually no wind noise or road noise other than some impact noise over broken pavement. You can hear the engine but in comfort mode, but it is very subdued and not unpleasant at all. In sport mode, the engine/exhaust is pretty loud and I didn't care for the quality of the noise. It really was not in keeping with the character of the car in my opinion. It lacked the deep rumble of the Hemi or the refined purr of my BMW twin turbo V8. It was too harsh and coarse sounding to suit me. Ride quality was possibly slightly firmer than my BMW but not much. The difference could easily be attributed to the amount of tire pressure or the type of tire. It was certainly not harsh or uncomfortable in any way.
The 550 HP moves the car very well. It is probably quicker than the previous 392 scat packs so it should more than satisfy most people. Honestly the car cruises so quietly and effortlessly, it is probably quicker than it actually feels. I like performance and would love to see this car with the Hellcat supercharged Hemi. However, the straight six is strong. If one can live with the idea and sound of a six cylinder, they will not be disappointed in the performance. The road was slightly damp but there was no wheelspin from a hard standing start. I did not use launch control or brake torque it since it only had 23 miles on it.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the car. Comparing it to a Mustang or 3 series BMW makes no sense in my opinion. It is far more practical and comfortable than those. To call it a muscle car really doesn't do it justice, either. It really is more of a refined high performance cruiser. I am sure you can do hooligan things with it but that just doesn't seem to be what this car is meant for. It really reminds me of the personal cars of years ago, like the Thunderbird, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chrysler Cordoba, etc. I look forward to hearing other's thoughts.
On the road, I was impressed with the quietness of the ride. There was virtually no wind noise or road noise other than some impact noise over broken pavement. You can hear the engine but in comfort mode, but it is very subdued and not unpleasant at all. In sport mode, the engine/exhaust is pretty loud and I didn't care for the quality of the noise. It really was not in keeping with the character of the car in my opinion. It lacked the deep rumble of the Hemi or the refined purr of my BMW twin turbo V8. It was too harsh and coarse sounding to suit me. Ride quality was possibly slightly firmer than my BMW but not much. The difference could easily be attributed to the amount of tire pressure or the type of tire. It was certainly not harsh or uncomfortable in any way.
The 550 HP moves the car very well. It is probably quicker than the previous 392 scat packs so it should more than satisfy most people. Honestly the car cruises so quietly and effortlessly, it is probably quicker than it actually feels. I like performance and would love to see this car with the Hellcat supercharged Hemi. However, the straight six is strong. If one can live with the idea and sound of a six cylinder, they will not be disappointed in the performance. The road was slightly damp but there was no wheelspin from a hard standing start. I did not use launch control or brake torque it since it only had 23 miles on it.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the car. Comparing it to a Mustang or 3 series BMW makes no sense in my opinion. It is far more practical and comfortable than those. To call it a muscle car really doesn't do it justice, either. It really is more of a refined high performance cruiser. I am sure you can do hooligan things with it but that just doesn't seem to be what this car is meant for. It really reminds me of the personal cars of years ago, like the Thunderbird, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chrysler Cordoba, etc. I look forward to hearing other's thoughts.
