Price (as tested) 💲: $64,635
Powertrain ⚙️: 6.4-liter HEMI V8
Output 💪: 485 hp/475 lb-ft of torque
Transmission 🕹: 8-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH 🚦: 4.3 seconds
Top Speed 💥: 175 mph
MPG (as tested) ⛽️: 15 city/24 hwy/18 combined
Curb weight ⚖️: 4,373 lbs
Sure, it’ll be sad for the enthusiast community when the Charger and Challenger end production this year, but think about poor Dodge!
For years, the company has printed money with minimal updates to its muscle cars. When their replacements do arrive, Dodge will have to start putting real money and effort into updating them to remain competitive. It’s not fair!
The only chance Dodge has to continue its minimum viable product strategy is for the Charger successor to be electric. Then, at least, it can just issue an annual software update to bump power another 20 horses (until other components finally break). Trouble is, everyone else can play that game, too. 😬
…Beneath my sarcastic criticism is a deep affinity for these cars. On a tired platform, with largely the same body work for the better part of a decade, these cars boast immense curb appeal, a sinister soundtrack, and – in the case of the Scat Pack – major mechanical grip.
The Charger Scat Pack Widebody is the sweet spot of the range, with a brutal 6.4-liter HEMI V8, just enough power (485hp) to get you into trouble, but not enough to overwhelm the platform or brakes when prodded. It’s not so much a precise instrument (like the CT5 Blackwing) as a well-balanced bludgeon, but what a riot.
Inside, the Charger Scat Pack is easy to pick on, with hard, scratchy plastics dominating any surface below the belt, a dated infotainment and analog gauges, less rear passenger room than its exterior dimensions would suggest. Still, the thick Laguna leather seats, matte carbon fiber trim, and user-friendly layout treat passengers to just enough comfort and intrigue.
If money were no object and parking spaces abound, I’d make room in the family for one. Then again, I’ve got my eye on a different Mopar monster to scratch the itch…stay tuned!