'05 Dodge Charger R/T test drive

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So i was driving home from work on Friday and heard this little voice begging for the smell of some burnt rubber. I happened to be driving past a Dodge dealership that just received their first shipment of Chargers the night before.

I drove the Mustang GT in Detroit back in January during the NAIAS and determined that I needed to complete a comparison between the two new pony cars. I introduced myself (UCP, etc) to a salesman and explained my intentions. "No problem, we even have an R/T model that just got it's dealer plate."

It was metallic black with tan leather interior. Drove it a short distance before calling a mechanic buddy of mine. Told him I was on my way over to his shop for him to check out something I was test-driving. He presumed I was driving something used, and wanted him to inspect it. He was a bit surprised, and thrilled when I arrived moments later. We took a quick rip around the cul-de-sac in front of his shop, leaving some black stripes behind. It's a beast of a car compared to my Mazda 3, but I quickly recalled all the fun of a RWD car, since my old Volvo 740 Turbo.

All in all it wasn't a long enough drive, since I only had 20 min before the dealership was closing. A few short stretches to play with the Auto-stick tranny and so on, but no time for any 120+ kph runs. Oddly enough after a few squaking starts and loud corners a <!> warning light came on the dash with an annoying beep. I told the salesman when i returned and his only remark was, "It probably hasn't even had it's PDI yet" That's what I call a fresh car. I can say that it definitely felt more powerful, (beyond what the specs say), but didn't sound as powerful as the Mustang GT.

Another buddy of mine is a die-hard Dodge fan and is itchin' to buy a Daytona model, especially after I teased him about my drive. We'll hopefully find some time next week to take it for a more in-depth run.

A great Friday afternoon drive nonetheless. I still wouldn't buy one (anything domestic actually), but that's just me. I'll gladly drive anything to see what it's worth though.