2016 Dodge Charger RT short review

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Hello BITOG. Rented a 2016 Dodge Charger RT with the 5.7 Hemi a few weeks ago. Thought I'd do a short review.
Some specs on the car:
5.7 liter V8, 16 valve OHV~370hp, 395 lb/ft torque
8 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
I believe the curb weight on the RT to be around 4,400 pounds (can't find exact number anymore)
20" wheels wrapped with BFG 245/45ZR20 all the way around

Those are just of the main details of the car. I rented this car from Hertz. I put exactly 1,945 miles on this vehicle while I had it over the course of 7 days. When I picked up the Charger, it had right around 10,000 miles on the clock. I traveled to Nashville, Atlanta, VA Beach, so quite a bunch of hills the whole trip. For the most part, I had a good experience with this car.

The Charger had many high points in my book. The engine, for me was the greatest part of the car. It sounded amazing, had plenty of power to move the boat it is strapped into, and when driven around conservatively, it achieved great fuel mileage for its size. The 5.7 liter V8 has plenty of low end grunt, and it makes power, seemingly, to redline. I will say that I did have to leave a set of 11s at my favorite little spot on some back roads. Traction control is fully defeatable, so that made it easy to light 'em up. I was surprised at the fuel economy, my best run on one tank of fuel was 31.7 MPG. Strictly interstate, cruise control set at 65 and with the help of the multi displacement system cutting out a few of the cylinders until all 8 are needed again. In 8th gear, at 65, the engine was only turning over roughly 1300rpm. I did notice that the MDS does not work in manual mode in top gear, or any gear or speed for that matter. Around town, fuel economy was relatively poor. I did not measure just around town mpg, but I suspect it to be very low. Maybe, low teens. Although, driving like a 16 year old from light to light didn't help! The 8 speed auto also was a positive for me. A little slow to shift in manual mode, and some hard shifts, but I wasn't too upset about it. Also, the cloth interior was large, and for the most part, pretty darn comfortable. The Sirius radio, and Uconnect Bluetooth worked well. The car also had plenty of USB ports for the whole family to keep their devices charged on a long trek. There is also plenty of space to fold down the rear seats and carry a lot of gear. I filled the back of the car with a small kitchen table, toaster over, two chairs, two totes, a printer, and some other small stuff. Like I said, plenty of room.

The Charger had plenty of high points, but I was also disappointed with a few things. The Charger had been smoked in. I thought for sure that there was no smoking permitted in rental cars, but oh well. It didn't bother me too much but it did bother some of my various passengers. Hertz said the only thing they could do for me was swap it out for a Volkswagen Beetle, so I passed on that. Another thing that was disappointing was that the car had a tire out of balance, or one that was irregularly worn. At least that is what I think. Also, right before I turned it in, I noticed a howling like sound, maybe a wheel bearing? The car also needed brakes. From any speed, really, the car would vibrate when applying the brakes. It was worse coming down from interstate speeds. It was pretty annoying to say the least. The car also needed an oil change. When I picked it up, it was down to 5% oil life. It drove me crazy the whole time, but I kept telling myself it wasn't my car. Poor car, I pointed it out to the attendant when I turned it back in though. The road noise was pretty loud in the car too, but not in anyway that would make it hard to have a conversation though. I'm sure the tires didn't help. I was pretty disappointed in the handling of the car, but it is a boat, so, yeah. Last thing, although the interior was comfortable, the interior plastics were pretty typical FCA stuff. Cheap looking and feeling, and starting to develop rattles...at 10,000 miles.

Overall impression of the Charger is good. It's a great highway cruiser. It's comfortable, and powerful. Would I buy one? No, but I wouldn't personally be caught shopping for a large sedan currently. Would I pick one over other domestic full size choices such as the Impala or Taurus? Yes, except a Taurus SHO, I like those a lot
grin.gif


Thanks for reading!
 
Nice review. My brother owns a '15 Charger w/ the V6 and loves the car. Currently has 25K miles and all is well, no rattles, etc. He has gotten in the mid 30's for mpg on trips.
 
Some of your complaints I can identify with on my wife's R/T, particularly regarding some of the interior materials. The SRT brings that up several notches. That said, she has no squeaks or rattles and has around 150,000Km on it. Also, handling, that's a package, one this car obviously didn't come with. It can be outfitted with better (sportier) suspension factory as an option. The SRT has adjustable suspension with three different modes that range from "boat" to "track" with "sport" in between, which firms up the regular ride significantly. My wife's '06 has the factory sport suspension (I believe it is magnetic?) and it is pretty decent.

Brakes, tires and road noise, sounds like abuse. The stock brakes are pretty bloody good on those cars, and I would wager the road noise and vibration are both tire related. My OEM tires are absolutely garbage (GoodYear Eagle RSA's) and I can't wait until they are gone. I have the Michelin Pilot AS3's on my wife's '06 and they are fantastic.

Thanks for the review
thumbsup2.gif
 
Great review. I suspect the car was well abused.
When I rent my cars online I tell them what mileage I will put on it
and make sure it has enough oil life left.

I actually do a pre prep on my rentals before I leave. At times that included oil changes
for which I do at home. I have too much mechanical sympathy.

I had a 2009 RT Challenger and as you said the highway mileage was stellar for a V8.
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Great review. I suspect the car was well abused.
When I rent my cars online I tell them what mileage I will put on it
and make sure it has enough oil life left.

I actually do a pre prep on my rentals before I leave. At times that included oil changes
for which I do at home. I have too much mechanical sympathy.

I had a 2009 RT Challenger and as you said the highway mileage was stellar for a V8.


I have never thought about that before! I did actually wash it a few times because it was bugging me to be driving such a good looking car with all of the bug splats on it. It was a really pretty light blue.
 
I work for enterprise rental car. Don't worry about the olm. When we bring our vehicles in for oil changes they almost never get reset. So for a rental you can't trust the olm.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I don't think a 2 second brake stand counts as beating on it!
 
Originally Posted By: joegreen
I work for enterprise rental car. Don't worry about the olm. When we bring our vehicles in for oil changes they almost never get reset. So for a rental you can't trust the olm.


I never considered that.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Some of your complaints I can identify with on my wife's R/T, particularly regarding some of the interior materials. The SRT brings that up several notches. That said, she has no squeaks or rattles and has around 150,000Km on it. Also, handling, that's a package, one this car obviously didn't come with. It can be outfitted with better (sportier) suspension factory as an option. The SRT has adjustable suspension with three different modes that range from "boat" to "track" with "sport" in between, which firms up the regular ride significantly. My wife's '06 has the factory sport suspension (I believe it is magnetic?) and it is pretty decent.

Brakes, tires and road noise, sounds like abuse. The stock brakes are pretty bloody good on those cars, and I would wager the road noise and vibration are both tire related. My OEM tires are absolutely garbage (GoodYear Eagle RSA's) and I can't wait until they are gone. I have the Michelin Pilot AS3's on my wife's '06 and they are fantastic.

Thanks for the review
thumbsup2.gif



Actually, it sounds like it DOES have the upgraded suspension: it has 20" wheels.
 
Originally Posted By: austinlunsford
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I don't think a 2 second brake stand counts as beating on it!


Would you have done the same with a 4 cylinder midsized sedan or the V6 Charger version? Most likely not.
You stood on the brakes for 2 seconds, another guy maybe for 5 and another maybe did doughnuts in the parking lot, hitting a curb.
It all adds up.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I still stand by that Fiat is knowingly making a pile of [censored], being advertised as sporty.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Some of your complaints I can identify with on my wife's R/T, particularly regarding some of the interior materials. The SRT brings that up several notches. That said, she has no squeaks or rattles and has around 150,000Km on it. Also, handling, that's a package, one this car obviously didn't come with. It can be outfitted with better (sportier) suspension factory as an option. The SRT has adjustable suspension with three different modes that range from "boat" to "track" with "sport" in between, which firms up the regular ride significantly. My wife's '06 has the factory sport suspension (I believe it is magnetic?) and it is pretty decent.

Brakes, tires and road noise, sounds like abuse. The stock brakes are pretty bloody good on those cars, and I would wager the road noise and vibration are both tire related. My OEM tires are absolutely garbage (GoodYear Eagle RSA's) and I can't wait until they are gone. I have the Michelin Pilot AS3's on my wife's '06 and they are fantastic.

Thanks for the review
thumbsup2.gif



Actually, it sounds like it DOES have the upgraded suspension: it has 20" wheels.


The 20" wheels are standard on the R/T:

Dodge.com build your R/T


You need to add package "29R" to get the Road and Track Performance Package which includes:

Quote:
Thanks to a rigid unibody, the basic Charger R/T nicely manages yaw, pitch, and roll. But those who love to drive are advised to get the 29R Customer Preferred pack, which upgrades the car, as it did on our test example, to Road & Track spec. Doing so means a cornucopia of goodies including the Super Track Pak sport suspension; the Road & Track Performance Group with more aggressive throttle mapping, revised traction control (higher intervention threshold), heavy-duty brakes, 20-inch aluminum wheels, and sportier rubber (245/45 Goodyear Eagle RS-A2 all-season performance tires); and Dodge’s Performance Pages software, which allows the driver to track acceleration, cornering, and a variety of other numeric markers.


http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-dodge-charger-r-t-hemi-test-review

It is the same for 2016, except the 20" wheels are standard from what I can see, I guess they weren't in 2015?
 
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I still stand by that Fiat is knowingly making a pile of [censored], being advertised as sporty.


?

The Charger pre-dates the Fiat situation by a very long time and is originally a Mercedes platform. Owning two of them, they are most certainly not piles of [censored]. Remember, I traded a BMW M5 in on the SRT, we aren't talking junk here.
 
Originally Posted By: austinlunsford
Hello BITOG. Rented a 2016 Dodge Charger RT with the 5.7 Hemi a few weeks ago. Thought I'd do a short review.
Some specs on the car:
5.7 liter V8, 16 valve OHV~370hp, 395 lb/ft torque
8 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters

The Charger had many high points in my book. The engine, for me was the greatest part of the car. It sounded amazing, had plenty of power to move the boat it is strapped into, and when driven around conservatively, it achieved great fuel mileage for its size.


Originally Posted By: austinlunsford
The 5.7 liter V8 has plenty of low end grunt, and it makes power, seemingly, to redline. I will say that I did have to leave a set of 11s at my favorite little spot on some back roads. Traction control is fully defeatable, so that made it easy to light 'em up. I was surprised at the fuel economy, my best run on one tank of fuel was 31.7 MPG. Strictly interstate, cruise control set at 65 and with the help of the multi displacement system cutting out a few of the cylinders until all 8 are needed again. In 8th gear, at 65, the engine was only turning over roughly 1300rpm.

No doubt the modern engine is much more efficient, the great gas mileage is partly from engine efficiency and partly from the 8 speed AT, the engine is turning over at a lazy 1,300 RPM at 65 MPH. 15-20 years ago the engine speed in similar car size should be above 2,000 RPM.

Engine speed is directly related to MPG, higher RPM lower MPG and vice versa.

Charger RT is looking good, but it is a little too big and the beltline is too high and windows are too narrow.
 
Originally Posted By: austinlunsford
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I don't think a 2 second brake stand counts as beating on it!


It should be noted that the second you apply both brakes and gas the engine control system immediately begins to retard spark timing and will pull throttle as well. Also the ESP system is a fully integrated setup that controls far more than just traction and is NOT defeatable. It simply gets moved back where it is not as noticeable, but it is still on.

I also agree that the tires furnished are LRR junk chosen for fuel economy. They simply stink.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: austinlunsford
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I bet lots of people rent the R/T just so they can beat on that 5.7 V8, just like the OP did. That's where most of the issues probably originated from.


I don't think a 2 second brake stand counts as beating on it!


Would you have done the same with a 4 cylinder midsized sedan or the V6 Charger version? Most likely not.
You stood on the brakes for 2 seconds, another guy maybe for 5 and another maybe did doughnuts in the parking lot, hitting a curb.
It all adds up.


Agreed

I'm willing to bet this car has had a VERY hard life prior to OP's rental.
Exactly why I'm weary of buying an ex-rental
 
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