The Widebody bundle is a $6,000 possibility on the Charger Scat Pack and Hellcat.
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You’ve acquired handy it to Fiat-Chrysler. The present Dodge Charger has been with us for 15 years, however due to quite a few styling updates, inside enhancements, energy boosts and limited-edition fashions, this full-size sedan is as related now because it’s ever been. Sales have not slowed, both, proving the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage definitely rings true with this huge boy.
LikeAvailable in Scat Pack and Hellcat fashionsWidebody pack presents dealing with improvementsA critical efficiency cut price
Don’t LikeInterior switchgear is outdatedHeadroom is a matter for taller folksMPG? LOL
The newest transfer to maintain the Charger contemporary is the addition of a Widebody bundle, much like what Dodge launched on the Challenger in 2017. It provides 3.5 inches of width to the Charger, however there’s extra to this updo than meets the attention. Wide stanceDodge did not simply stick some fender flares on the Charger and name it a day. The Widebody will get a novel entrance fascia to higher mix with the added width, and the result’s a design so good, you may want the Charger had at all times seemed like this from the get-go. The wider monitor means Dodge can match fats, 305-section Pirelli P-Zero tires for higher grip, wrapped round 20-inch deep-dish wheels that look rad as hell.
To complement the broader rolling inventory, the Widebody has stiffer entrance springs and beefier sway bars than a normal Charger. Revised tuning for the digital energy steering helps drivers preserve higher management, and there are totally different modes to select from, too, which provide various quantities of heft to the wheel’s motion.All of this makes the Charger loads higher to drive. Make no mistake, this can be a huge automobile, however the added width, meaty tires and up to date chassis pay dividends in stability whereas cornering. You now not really feel such as you’re simply chucking some huge honkin’ brute right into a bend. I imply, you continue to are, however at the least now there’s much more grip, with higher suggestions by way of the steering. The Widebody remedy provides the Charger some much-needed finesse whereas cornering.
A greater-balanced burnout machineDo you need loads of energy, or a ton of energy? Those are your two choices with the Charger Widebody.
The automobile I’ve acquired right here is the less-powerful R/T Scat Pack mannequin. It makes use of Dodge’s naturally aspirated, 6.4-liter V8, producing 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. That’s loads of energy for the Charger — at no level would I ever name this automobile sluggish or sluggish. The free-breathing V8 feels like absolutely the enterprise if you wind it up within the rev vary, and with no turbocharger or supercharger kicking in, you get robust, linear, predictable energy supply always. The eight-speed computerized transmission is completely comfortable to drop a gear or two if you stomp on the throttle, and the Charger will gladly mild up its tires in first and second gears, scooching the back-end out round a nook. It’s improbable.Of course, there’s at all times the Hellcat, with Dodge’s notorious 6.2-liter supercharged V8. You know these numbers: 707 hp and 650 lb-ft, despatched on to the rear wheels for max ridiculousness and a 3.6-second 0 to 60 mph time. Dodge’s Line Lock characteristic is readily available for large burnouts and a race cooldown setting retains air flowing by way of the engine even after the automobile is turned off, to assist the monstrous V8 quiet down after you have pushed the bejesus out of it.Personally, I am unable to ever think about needing greater than the Scat Pack’s 485 hp, however you do you. In my expertise, the Scat Pack is a bit more usable each day — you by no means really feel such as you’re continually making an attempt to rein in a raging bull if you’re sitting in site visitors. Plus, within the suspension’s Street setting, the Charger is lots snug for bombing down the freeway. No, I’m by no means going to kick 707 hp away from bed, particularly with the Widebody bundle providing dealing with upgrades to higher management that absurd quantity of energy. Besides, it is solely a matter of time earlier than Dodge introduces a Charger Widebody Redeye with practically 800 hp. What a time to be alive.The huge, soft seats are super-supportive, and the 8.4-inch touchscreen runs Fiat-Chrysler’s glorious Uconnect tech.
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Same cabin, identical techFresh and enticing because the Charger Widebody is exterior, the inside is the place you may be reminded that this factor is greater than a decade previous. Sure, the gauge cluster seems trendy and shiny, and the 8.4-inch touchscreen within the sprint runs Chrysler’s glorious Uconnect tech. But take a look at the door playing cards, middle console and the buttons and knobs on the middle stack, and you will not neglect the Charger is lengthy overdue for an overhaul.That mentioned, there are a variety of redeeming qualities to the Charger’s inside. The seats are extensive, thickly bolstered and super-comfortable — go determine, it is like they’re designed particularly to hug fats Americans. Headroom is in brief provide, however shoulder- and hip-room are beneficiant. The rear seats are snug sufficient for 2 adults, assuming they don’t seem to be too tall, and there are myriad USB and 12-volt shops scattered all through the cabin to maintain everybody’s devices charged. The trunk is good and massive, with 16.5 cubic ft of area for suitcases, golf golf equipment, no matter.The aforementioned 8.4-inch Uconnect show comes commonplace on the Widebody trims, and whereas it isn’t the newest and biggest system to hit the market, the software program inside is stable. The touchscreen responds instantly to inputs, the menus are simple, inputting a vacation spot into the navigation system is straightforward and hey, if the entire system is not for you, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are commonplace. If there is a fault to the Charger’s tech recreation it is on the driver-assistance entrance. Things like adaptive cruise management, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning can be found as choices on the Scat Pack. But on the Hellcat, solely blind-spot monitoring is commonplace, and not one of the different options can be found. That’s type of a disgrace.Wider is best.
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Big efficiency on the cheapYes, you possibly can nitpick the Charger’s lack of ordinary driver-assistance options or its outdated switchgear, however to take action is to overlook the purpose utterly. The Charger Scat Pack and Hellcat Widebody are two of the perfect efficiency bargains obtainable immediately, priced at $47,490 and $73,240, respectively, together with $1,495 for vacation spot. (The Widebody pack is a $6,000 possibility on these fashions, and do not forget, the Hellcat can also be topic to the slap-on-the-wrist $2,100 gas-guzzler tax.)In the case of my Scat Pack take a look at automobile, it prices somewhat over $60,000 out the door, thanks to some pointless visible choices that hike up the value. My good spec retains the F8 Green paint seen right here, however removes the black hood ($1,995), roof ($1,500) and graphics ($3,495). I’ll preserve the two-tone black/caramel inside scheme, and I’ll skip the $1,295 energy sunroof. I’ll add the $1,995 Plus Group, largely for issues just like the heated second-row seats and blind-spot monitoring, and I’ll even add the $1,895 Technology Group to get the entire driver-assistance tech. That means my good Charger R/T Scat Pack Widebody prices $52,675. Where else are you going to get this a lot automobile for that little cash?Beyond the inherent worth proposition, the Charger Widebody has a head-turning cool issue that is arduous to disregard. And once I mash the throttle and lightweight up the rear tires in a blast of V8 fury, I could not care much less about its shortcomings. After all these years, the Charger nonetheless makes me smile. Old because it could be, the Charger is arguably extra gratifying now than it is ever been.