You all know about the Demon, the Hellcat Redeye, the Scat Packs... but have you thought about the good ol’ R/T? It may be the lowliest V8 among the Charger lineup, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your consideration.
(Full Disclosure: Dodge wanted me to drive this car so bad that I rented it from Avis for 2 days so I could write this review. Yeah. I don’t get press cars.)
What is it?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, this is the Dodge Charger R/T, a V8 rear wheel drive sedan based on FCA’s LX platform; a platform that’s old enough to vote. This particular R/T comes with the Super Track Pak, which gets you things like sport suspension, sport steering, stickier rubber and dodge’s performance pages, which allows you to look at things like lateral G’s, coolant and intake temperatures, as well as being able to engage launch control and change throttle and steering response.
What’s it like to drive?
Simply put: This car is possibly the closest you’re going to get to a modern day muscle car besides the Challenger. That is both a compliment and an insult. It is fast, it is loud, and it is cool. But it’s also heavy as hell, sketchy in corners, and abysmal on gas. And you can’t help but love it.
Powering this chonky sedan is a 5.7L Hemi V8 making 375 horsepower and 395 pound feet of torque. It’s got a classic pushrod design with port AND direct fuel injection. All of that gets this thing to 60 in 5 seconds flat.
However, despite the healthy amount of power, this Charger is only barely faster than a V6 Camaro. Why? Well it’s quite simple friend:
Weight.
This Charger weighs approximately 4200 pounds in this R/T trim. That’s quite a lot more than a comparable Camaro at 3500 pounds. And trust me, you feel it. Corners should be taken with caution.
Is it a good daily?
Yes! But also no.
On the plus side of things, it’s got generous interior space, with good headroom and legroom to spare. It’s the only muscle car you can buy with 4 doors, and that means you can actually take your friends places without them complaining about having to climb into the back.
Rear legroom is good for the class and headroom is adequate. So your tall friends might have to get friendly with the rear headliner if you decide to take them with you.
The trunk is also great for carrying loads of things. With the best cargo capacity of any muscle car on the market today, it makes it one of the best fun cars for families. Take a look:
The only downside: Gas mileage. Despite having a wonderful 8 speed transmission and cylinder deactivation, I was only able to eke out 17 mpg. And with only an 18 gallon tank, you’re going to be filling up fairly often. Luckily, this engine is rated for 89, an advantage over it’s premium guzzling brethren.
Okay, fine. It looks pretty good. What’s it cost?
To get behind the wheel of a Charger like this, you can expect to pay around $36,000 to start. However, depreciation is a bitch, so you can find a used model for under 30,000 pretty easily.
For the price, this Charger is a pretty good bargain, especially on the used market. If you’re looking to save some cash while also still having a V8 rumble, it’s hard to go wrong with the Charger R/T.