AstroVic
11-21-2006, 08:29 PM
Well, I wasn't really all that impressed. It was a disappointment for me, too, because I really had high hopes for the Charger (even though I'm a Ford Crown Vic loyalist). In fact, I've been secretly lusting after them ever since they hit the market. What a bummer the Charger turned out to be. :(
The Charger was left at our department as a "test" vehicle by the local Dodge dealership. Needless to say, I grabbed the keys and took it out for a serious workout. Here are my impressions.
Pros:
1. The Charger *looks* awesome! It's a mean, sexy looking car. Especially in black, which my department uses.
2. It's got PLENTY of muscle with the Hemi V8 under the hood. Push the pedal and it gets up to speed in a hurry.
Cons:
3. The car has some goofy and downright awkward instrumentation. WTF is up with the cruise control lever anyhow? And the shift lever? The damn thing takes a rocket scientist to get it in gear! Total PITA.
4. The interior just felt cheap - Chrysler standard-issue cheap, if you know what I mean. The first plastic panel I touched fell off and had to be re-snapped into place. Sadly, this is what I've come to expect from Daimler-Chrysler. Cheap, crappy interiors. What else is cheap on the car?
5. The seats were halfway decent, but nowhere near as comfortable as the Crown Vic (or even the Impala) seats. The fabric felt cheap and looked cheap. I suppose the Charger seats would be okay once you got used to them, but the truth is the CVPIs are leagues ahead in seat comfort and ergonomics.
6. The Charger has poor visibility (particularly compared to the Crown Vics). I had to lean forward and strain upward to see the traffic signal lights. It was VERY annoying! Also, the "C" pillar created a pretty nasty blind spot, and the view out the rear window was pretty sad, too.
7. The center console area doesn't appear well-suited for police equipment. It's not very deep (for radios, siren boxes, computer mounting brackets, switch panels, etc.) and it just seems poorly designed overall.
8. If you opt for the full-size spare, you've basically given up the entire trunk. They mount the spare on some kind of goofy bracket which essentially destroys any functionality the trunk might have once had. What a total waste! Particularly in a police car! Note to Chrysler execs: Cops carry LOTS of gear and actually *NEED* the trunk space! This design was so poor, I wanted to take a picture of it and post it for all to see. Just un-friggin'-believable!
9. The car is too expensive. The Hemi version runs about $26,000. New CVPIs and Impala 9C1s cost about two or three grand less. And, heck, for that price, I could buy *TWO* clean, used 50,000-mile 2004 Crown Vic Police Interceptors and drop AED or Vortech superchargers on them and have just as much power as the Hemi Charger without sacrificing the comfort and quality that comes with the Crown Vics.
At the end of the day, my test of the Charger left me high and dry on expectations. Thank God for the Crown Vic (and Marauder)! :)
Just thought I'd share....
The Charger was left at our department as a "test" vehicle by the local Dodge dealership. Needless to say, I grabbed the keys and took it out for a serious workout. Here are my impressions.
Pros:
1. The Charger *looks* awesome! It's a mean, sexy looking car. Especially in black, which my department uses.
2. It's got PLENTY of muscle with the Hemi V8 under the hood. Push the pedal and it gets up to speed in a hurry.
Cons:
3. The car has some goofy and downright awkward instrumentation. WTF is up with the cruise control lever anyhow? And the shift lever? The damn thing takes a rocket scientist to get it in gear! Total PITA.
4. The interior just felt cheap - Chrysler standard-issue cheap, if you know what I mean. The first plastic panel I touched fell off and had to be re-snapped into place. Sadly, this is what I've come to expect from Daimler-Chrysler. Cheap, crappy interiors. What else is cheap on the car?
5. The seats were halfway decent, but nowhere near as comfortable as the Crown Vic (or even the Impala) seats. The fabric felt cheap and looked cheap. I suppose the Charger seats would be okay once you got used to them, but the truth is the CVPIs are leagues ahead in seat comfort and ergonomics.
6. The Charger has poor visibility (particularly compared to the Crown Vics). I had to lean forward and strain upward to see the traffic signal lights. It was VERY annoying! Also, the "C" pillar created a pretty nasty blind spot, and the view out the rear window was pretty sad, too.
7. The center console area doesn't appear well-suited for police equipment. It's not very deep (for radios, siren boxes, computer mounting brackets, switch panels, etc.) and it just seems poorly designed overall.
8. If you opt for the full-size spare, you've basically given up the entire trunk. They mount the spare on some kind of goofy bracket which essentially destroys any functionality the trunk might have once had. What a total waste! Particularly in a police car! Note to Chrysler execs: Cops carry LOTS of gear and actually *NEED* the trunk space! This design was so poor, I wanted to take a picture of it and post it for all to see. Just un-friggin'-believable!
9. The car is too expensive. The Hemi version runs about $26,000. New CVPIs and Impala 9C1s cost about two or three grand less. And, heck, for that price, I could buy *TWO* clean, used 50,000-mile 2004 Crown Vic Police Interceptors and drop AED or Vortech superchargers on them and have just as much power as the Hemi Charger without sacrificing the comfort and quality that comes with the Crown Vics.
At the end of the day, my test of the Charger left me high and dry on expectations. Thank God for the Crown Vic (and Marauder)! :)
Just thought I'd share....