I Really Don’t Think The Cheap Charger Is Worth It, You Guys: COTD

On one hand, I don’t think this is that big of a deal. The R/T hasn’t been the fire breathing variant of a Mopar in a very long time. It’s always existed as the entry level to the full experience. With the last gen Charger/Challenger you had the rental spec version that gave you the look and nothing else, the RT version that gave you the look and the most basic and mass produced V8 on offer, and then you went up to the Scat Pack and Hellcat for increasingly more unhinged versions.

This isn’t really meant to give you the most this car can offer, it’s just meant to give you a more affordable entry point for what the car is supposed to be and like 80% of the experience. In that capacity I don’t think this is a huge deal because the prior gen R/Ts weren’t speed demons or track cars. They literally existed to make V8 noises loudly and give you a little spice when you wanted it.

Hell I’ve said for years that I thought the R/T was the sweet spot for the LX platform cars. It’s enough power and sound to have a great time with but not really enough to get you in too much trouble. You can flog one on public roads without losing your license, which is a lot harder to do with the Scat Packs and of course the Hellcats. So in a vacuum this seems fine to me.

…but we aren’t in a vacuum and to me this more or less looks like a ploy to upsell people the Scat Pack. It’s nerfed in several notable ways. The first is price…and this would basically be paying $50,000+ for similar performance to a GRC, GTI, Elantra N, etc. Hell you can get a lower spec Z or danger to yourself and others Mustang GT for nearly 10 grand less.

That’s a really poor value no matter how you slice it…and something else to note is Dodge is not offering the performance exhaust or some of the other go fast goodies the Scat Pack gets on the R/T. The Hurricane actually sounds pretty damn good with an exhaust, but in its stock set up? It doesn’t sound like much of anything. Obviously the aftermarket can fix that but a good exhaust system is practically going to put you in Scat Pack price range anyway.

I imagine the R/T will be discontinued within a year or two to be honest, especially with Stellantis’ fast and loose financing. The average Kyle trying to use his enlistment bonus to get a Charger might be fine with the R/T, but through the magic of the financing they totally don’t have specifically for guys like Kyle suddenly that Scat Pack is only another $40 per month, so why wouldn’t he go for it? The R/T is way slower and doesn’t sound very sporty anyway!

We see you, Dodge….

Such a shame that institutional self-loathing seems to have gimped an otherwise beautiful car.

Earlier today, I wrote about how it looks like Kia might be replacing the Stinger—the only truly fun gas-powered car it’s ever built—with a new electric sedan. It’s rumored to be called the EV7 or the EV8, which, according to NC Miata NA, is a hugely missed opportunity:

If Kia doesn’t name this car Stinger 2: Electric Boogaloo, then what are we even doing?

Finally, Thomas also asked the great nation of Autopia which cars they had plastered on their bedroom walls as kids. I had something boring and normal: A Lamborghini Murciélago (which is still sitting on my wall right next to my desk as I write this). Rippstik was way ahead of the game: