[scatpack392]

Hello fellow BHPians, I am Abhijit, currently based in Detroit, MI and I currently drive a 2019 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack. This is my first ownership report on TeamBHP so I will keep it short and simple.

I will begin with the Likes/Dislikes section followed by some history on why I chose this particular car and the review thereafter.

Likes:
• The 6.4L HEMI V8 (485 horses)
• Active exhaust provides a decent roar
• SRT Performance Pages and Drive modes
• Classic muscle car look
• Lots of space – Huge trunk in addition to near full-size roominess in both front and rear
• Uconnect 4C with 8.4 inch display – it’s a great infotainment system

Dislikes:
• Traction issues in snowy/icy conditions, better to own a beater for the winter
• Skinny tires offered on most of the packages (245/45/R20)
• Huge cop magnet - gets a lot of attention
• No power seats for passenger – limited seat functionality for driver side
• Huge blind spots (Blind spot monitoring available and it helps a lot!)
• Shift skip – skips from 1st to 4th gear if shifted between 18-22 mph (its irritating sometimes!)

[scatpack392]

Background:
I have lived in Midtown Detroit for most of my time in the US till now, this was a place where you could see a lot of cars, just being next to Woodward Avenue would give you a lot of chance of spotting different cars - one of the reasons being the Woodward Dream cruise happens on Woodward Avenue and also people like to cruise up and down the road and relive the history that happened here. Well there was only one car I used to take pictures of..



and I kept spotting some more of these beauties



and one more



This is from the 2019 North American Auto Show



For me, it was a straight choice to go to this car but I did research a bit about the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang before I decided to get this car. One of my friends owned a Camaro, I had seen how difficult it was to get out of the car and for a person like me, that was a big no-no. The Mustang on the other hand was a beautiful looking car too, a close friend bought it which did make me jealous for some time but then after all I was going to get something better than that . The Mustang had the same issue - space and roominess. Also another factor were the engines - I always wanted to own a big block V8 (Although the 392 is not considered a big block but it seemed a bit practical to a first time young buyer). By 2019, I had a fair idea that V8s would vanish soon enough and now is the chance to get one and experience one. I am still not over the idea of a electric muscle car (to be launched in 2024). I am glad to get one in time and enjoy it to the fullest!

Buying Experience:
Initially, my plan was to build a car on the website and order it according to my specifications - Manual transmission,B5 Blue, The 5.7L HEMI engine with the Shaker Hood and a few other bells and whistles. After building it everyday on the website, dreaming about owning one somehow some practicality hit me and one of my friends advised to check the local dealers for some offers. In the meanwhile I also joined some Facebook groups where I had read about people asking newbies to go for the 6.4L instead of the 35.7L because one day we always crave for more and the 6.4L is actually a sweet spot between the 5.7L and the Hellcat which is a supercharged 6.2L motor and churns around 717 HP for the regular version. Numbers ran day and night in my head and I wasn't sure if I would want to own a car putting out 485 HP as my first car. This does sound unbelievable but the mpg rating for the 6.4L Manual Challenger is just 1 mpg less than the smaller engined version. That along with the 485 horses pushed me to make this choice.

I started looking for a car, it was December and I looked around for a manual Challenger for starters and I always wanted the Driver Convenience package so that was a deciding factor. These manual cars are rare, I mean there are not enough customers who can drive them so dealers keep a skeleton inventory but luckily I found 2 cars with the exact same specifications in two different dealerships on the same road. I went to the first dealership and the salesperson there, a newbie he seemed, didn't take me and my friends seriously. He showed us the car in the lot, showed us the numbers but what he lacked was the confidence that some Indian guy would go for this car. From what I understand, he would have assumed we are here just for a joyride and hence he claimed that he didn't have keys to the car

Getting a price from there, we went down the road, met a very enthusiastic salesperson who actually took some interest and believed in us. He showed me the car, the battery was down, it wasn't driven much and was just sitting on the lot in a corner. He jumpstarted the car and agreed to change the battery for the sale and I was in the car, my hands on the steering wheel and feeling the vibrations through the gas pedal as I was gently tapping to just hear the awesome exhaust note . I took it for a drive, went around a block and brought it back, went in, my credit was ran, I got my options and the day being a Saturday, they just said that my loan is almost approved. I went back home and was asked to come back on Monday. After work on Monday, I went to the dealership and sat with the finance guy and signed the contract and everything but I asked the car to be delivered on Saturday as I was travelling down to Dayton, OH for work.

The car cost close to $40,500 after all the packages and discounts (Dodge offered Power dollars at this time - $10/HP so I got a discount of $4850 alongwith a similar amount from the dealer)

Below is the window sticker for my car:



I finally took delivery on the 14th of December 2019

[scatpack392]

Engine



The Scat-Pack is equipped with the 6.4L Chrysler Hemi Engine rated at 485 hp (362 kW) and 475 lb⋅ft (644 N⋅m) and is mated to a TREMEC six-speed manual transmission (TR6060).






This car has an excellent exhaust note which is definitely a head turner ( I still have a stock exhaust) and yet it gets a lot of attention on the road. One of the best feelings is being able to downshift and disappear

https://youtu.be/6nLBnY_V-as

https://youtu.be/9g1NCGndtTQ

Please note how the car literally shakes/twists due to the torque

Fuel



The recommended fuel is 93 Octane (strictly 93 for Manual transmission cars) and can be 91 Octane for Automatics. Gas tank capacity is 18 gallons or 70 litres.

Shell and BP are my top preferences when it comes to fueling up.




To answer the KITNA DETI HAI? question, I get around 14 mpg (close to 6 kmpl) in the city and close to 17/18 mpg (7.5 kmpl) on highways (depends on what gear I am in)

I managed to get a decent 20.2 mpg while cruising on I-94 between Detroit and Port Huron (I was in the 5th gear around 2500 rpm)

[scatpack392]

Interiors



The interiors are good for a muscle car, I personally am fine with what Dodge has offered here as they are perfect and spacious as compared to the rivals. I believe there is no point in having good interiors with no space to wiggle



There is huge legroom both in the front and back, I am 5’ 10” and I can sit comfortably. My friend is 6’ and sometimes sits in the backseat with no complaints in a 4–5-hour drive so for the average Indian guy this car is spacious than most. The seats are too comfortable, I have driven for almost 12 hours constantly and I wasn’t tired.



One of the dislikes is the position of the gear knob, it is smack in the middle and restricts access to the controls (volume/ race modes/ AC) and that sometimes is annoying as you cannot see the settings directly and have to move a bit forward to see.

This is a driver-oriented car hence the infotainment display and the controls are slightly positioned towards the driver. The passenger has some trouble looking at the screen or adjusting anything.

Instrument Cluster Display

The Instrument Cluster Display provides a lot of information apart from the current speed and miles such as coolant/air/oil temps and pressures, power, torque, error codes if any and speed warnings.



It also shows when the car asks for a burnout to even out the tire pressures



Infotainment system



Dodge provides the Uconnect 4C with a 8.4-inch display as standard on the Scat-Packs. The 8.4-inch touch display seems adequate - not too big nor too small. The other option on lower trims is the 7-inch display which doesn't seem too aesthetic and has a annoying border around the display.

It provides a host of options and information including CarPlay and Sirius XM radio and a navigation with 3D maps.

One of the highlights is the Performance Pages utility which shows all performance related information.















Valet mode limits vehicle top speed to 70mph, power and acceleration are limited to 25% of max, the glove box and frunk lock, access to certain vehicle settings is blocked, and access to personal information is restricted.



There are regular updates to the UConnect software and they can be scheduled. This one is updating itself at 12 AM.

Seats



I have cloth seats on my Challenger but one can upgrade to Alcantara/Nappa Performance seats. These cloth ones are really comfortable and are low maintenance and come standard with the car.

The Driver seat has 6 way power



The passenger seat does not have powered settings



and a few others from Interiors

Air vents



Door handles



Alpine speakers



Instrument control panel



The Challenger provides 16.2 cubic feet of cargo volume (almost double of any competitor)



The battery and the tire puncture kit is safely tucked under the trunk

[scatpack392]

Exteriors:



Size & Shape

The Challenger is a HUGE car, wider and longer than most of the cars at 197.5 inches. This makes it stick out of most of the covered parking lots (I hate that because my trunk and the rear part is always exposed to sun and I am afraid that might cause some paint and the plastic trims to fade out).











Length comparison with my friend's Nissan Altima



Width comparison with my friend's Audi S5



and one more with my neighbor's Ford Mustang



Some pictures with fellow BHPians' cars





With an excellent paint and build quality, it just shines whenever I get it out in the sun. I have never seen such paint quality on other cars, maybe never observed so much. I also got it ceramic coated recently and that has done wonders! I can see a lot of difference when it rains and the water just beads off and flows down.



Hood

My Challenger has the Hellcat or the Performance Hood with the Heat Extractors. These were offered on the initial Hellcat models in 2016 but they eventually offered them on the Scat-Packs from 2019 and offered the dual-snorkel hood on the Hellcat. I can literally see vapors coming out of those vents and this helps with better cooling as this engine heats up a lot.



Headlights

This probably is the most unique thing about a Challenger and its the headlights which give it a retro look. The Rhombi Illuminated Air Catcher Headlamps are offered as standard on Scat-Packs and Hellcats where the air intake is through the passenger side headlamp, the opening there is directly connected to the airbox



Wheels & Tires



It comes with 20-inch x 9-inch alloy wheels also known as the Black Noise wheels. The tires offered are GoodYear Eagle RS-A2 (P245/45R20) as standard, widebody and/or dynamic packages get a 275/45R20 tire set. The maximum width you can accommodate on these wheels is 295 which is generally put on the rear wheels. I have seen people use 315 with a 9.5 inch wheel




With this, my initial ownership review comes to an end although I would add more information and will share more and more pictures over time.

Conclusions

Overall experience over the last 20 or so months is that this is exactly what I had expected. The best thing is the compliments and appreciation you get from people wherever you go! I remember a lot of people rolling their windows down and giving a thumbs up or some compliment. The best part is when a Challenger owner driver comes towards you from the other side and you get that wave from a fellow muscle car lover. That has been the best feeling till date!

If asked about the downsides of owning one, I would say that I must be extra careful everywhere – being a Challenger owner isn’t easy, there Is always the fear of someone breaking in, stealing wheels or keying the car just for fun. Another downside is that most of the crime is associated with this car hence a lot of cop attention – I have literally seen cops follow me for about a mile just to run my plate and make sure my car isn’t stolen or I don’t panic maybe? That makes one extra conscious while driving but the thrill of driving a Challenger just makes everything disappear!
IMHO looking at the future, I am aware that these V8s are going away, but I think every car guy must get a chance of driving these incredible machines! If possible, get one because YOLO!

MOPAR or NO CAR

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

What a review, and what a spectacular car, dude . Thanks so much for sharing! Your Challenger is going to the top of our homepage today.

As much as I love muscle cars, I am able to resist the Mustang that is sold in India. But if the Challenger was available here, I don't think I would be able to (resist). Dodge absolutely & 100% nailed it with the styling which is a huge, huge draw of muscle cars. Perfect blend of classic muscle car styling matched to contemporariness. Then, there's the space & cruisability. I keep reading on Reddit & Jalopnik how so many owners use it as a daily without fuss. Dodge has continuously tweaked it over the years, but for an old model to still be so successful, it's really saying something. The brutal USA market is usually unforgiving to old car models & demands all-new generations every 4 - 6 years.

You bought the right engine too! Congrats again. Wishing you at least 150,000 happy miles with this beast of a machine.

P.S. We sure have some reviews from BHPians in the US. Here's Harshal's epic Tesla Model 3 dual-motor thread.

[FuelInjector]

Originally Posted by scatpack392

Exteriors:

IMHO looking at the future, I am aware that these V8s are going away, but I think every car guy must get a chance of driving these incredible machines! If possible, get one because YOLO!

MOPAR or NO CAR

Congratulations on your wonderful purchase, Abhijit. Wishing you millions of happy miles. and I wish V8 is not on its way out.

Would love to meet you sometime am in that part of the state.

[Phantom 510]

That is one beast of a car. Challenger is one of my favourite muscle cars. I think it's more of a thinking man's muscle car. It has loads of grunt under that long bonnet, has space for 4 with their luggages and that unmistakable macho square jawed design. What I have observed in the recent years that the modern muscle cars have lost all their old school brawny spirit of their predecessors for the sake of modernity. However, the Dodge Challenger challenges it's rivals by staying true to It's original roots and keeping the muscle car spirit alive. Btw, the mpg figures are pretty good for what it is. Lastly, congratulations and wishing you many many happy miles with the Challenger.

[scatpack392]

Thank you GTO. Yes, indeed its the best muscle car out there. Although it was absent for some 40 odd years, it has gained immense popularity amongst baby boomers as well as the Gen Z here. No wonder, the rival cars' sales are dropping over the years

Thank you FuelInjector! Yes, by all means I would love to meet you as well. Looking foward to it

[vaish9925]

One of the To-do things in life is to get behind the wheel of these brute Hemis. That exhaust note is to simply die for.
Wishing you happy mile munching and lots of drifting ahead.

Regards,
VaishaK MurugesaN

[51morris]

Fantastic review and WHAT A MACHINE! The presence, the engine, the noise and those headlights - can't find the right words! Totally agree with you - everyone who can must own/drive one of these muscle cars once in life. I've never even sat in one, but will one day at least drive one!

The Challenger and Charger are two of my favourite muscle cars and the Challenger in its modern avatar is on top of my list of modern American muscle. It looks spectacular and sounds like an angry beast. The two videos you posted - watched them many many times!

Thank you for sharing your passion through this thread, hope you have many years and thousands of miles of sheer motoring pleasure with the Challenger.

Cheers,
Praveen

[LTAutoMad]

Great choice! All too soon we will be missing the thunderous roar of these engines.
Most Indians in the west go for the default Toyota / Honda (mainstream) or Merc / BMW / Audi (if they can afford it) - good to see a true petrolhead! Well done and happy motoring!

[nikhilarni]

Beautifully written. Loved the story behind this car with the capture of exhaustive details as well.

Glad you picked that engine. After reading your review, I went over google / youtube to look up some details and comparisons.

The pics do justice to the write-up as well.

Wishing you many many miles of thrills driving that beautiful machine. Looking forward to the next meet-up.

[scatpack392]

Originally Posted by vaish9925

One of the To-do things in life is to get behind the wheel of these brute Hemis. That exhaust note is to simply die for.
Wishing you happy mile munching and lots of drifting ahead.

That's true! All this power and the exhaust note and actually everything in this car is addicting. I turn back once at least when I park it.

Originally Posted by Phantom 510

That is one beast of a car. Challenger is one of my favourite muscle cars. I think it's more of a thinking man's muscle car. It has loads of grunt under that long bonnet, has space for 4 with their luggages and that unmistakable macho square jawed design.

Yes, most of the other muscle cars have lost the touch. Sadly even the sister car Charger no longer looks like a muscle car but more of a sedan - although the Charger was even more famous in the 70's than the Challenger.

Originally Posted by 51morris

Fantastic review and WHAT A MACHINE! The presence, the engine, the noise and those headlights - can't find the right words! Totally agree with you - everyone who can must own/drive one of these muscle cars once in life. I've never even sat in one, but will one day at least drive one!

Thank you Praveen. Yes, a true muscle car with those looks and current gen gizmos . Its the right recipe for a car lover. I would add more videos over time, please stay tuned

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

Great choice! All too soon we will be missing the thunderous roar of these engines.
Most Indians in the west go for the default Toyota / Honda (mainstream) or Merc / BMW / Audi (if they can afford it) - good to see a true petrolhead! Well done and happy motoring!

@LTAutoMad - thanks a ton! Yes, unfortunately these engines would be going away soon. If you check the window sticker, you would notice I even paid a gas guzzler tax of $1000 which is applied to engines 5.7L and above. This actually is the start where these engines would be deemed too polluting in a few years.

Agreed on the second point - A lot of friends and colleagues were like " Are you crazy? Get something practical! ". Most of the people are content with a Camry or a Civic but that was a huge no-no for me. I would prefer one of those as a beater (I use a '05 Lancer currently for my winter needs).

Originally Posted by nikhilarni

Beautifully written. Loved the story behind this car with the capture of exhaustive details as well.

Glad you picked that engine. After reading your review, I went over google / Youtube to look up some details and comparisons.

The pics do justice to the write-up as well.

Wishing you many many miles of thrills driving that beautiful machine. Looking forward to the next meet-up.

Thank you Nikhil for the compliments Yes, the 392 makes perfect sense as I had heard a lot of people wanting more power and they regretted getting the 5.7L.

Yes, hoping to come down to Pittsburgh for the next meet.


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