Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack is a hurky lurky machine

In high school our group of friends included one that had an early 1980s Mustang GT and the benefit of an older brother to transfer the cool factor down to him. He introduced us to the term “hurky lurky”.  Coming from front-wheel drive commuters, I had no idea what that was. But when he demonstrated with quick throttle stabs and our resulting peals of laughter, I understood. Immediately.

The 392 cubic inch V-8 in this 2020 Charger R/T makes it a hurky lurky machine. The instantaneous throttle response with 485 horsepower and 475ft-lb of torque break the big 305-width tires loose on a whim. With the same size tire in front, contained by the “widebody” fender flairs, it is big, ridiculous, and fun. I probably used the same description of the Challenger Redeye not long ago. Seemingly loaded for $51,570 minus a sunroof, it offers utility and low 12-second quarter mile ETs with serious matching looks and intent.

The TorRed color is a beautiful shade, it could make almost anything photogenic. Never a fan of the exterior door styling detail in this generation Charger, the fender flairs offset those lines and really makes for eye catching styling. It was fun to photograph from virtually every angle. Checking the air pathway from the hood scoop, it is strictly for engine cooling, not for combustion air intake. Smoothly styled from the outside, looking over it from the driver’s seat you realize it is a broad, raised section of the hood to accommodate it. I curtailed my HOV lane driving a bit and dropped my highway cruising speed a few mph because it really stands out.

The adjustable suspension settings are noticeable, but even in the Street mode the ride is busy, but not intrusive. The bump sensations are more awareness and barely felt versus bothersome. The exhaust note is a calm burble but surprisingly loud when on the gas. I dare say even louder than my 2006 SRT-8 with Magnaflow mufflers. Start-up in the morning was a cheerful event and not unlike a locker room pep talk before the big game. “Are you ready? I said, ARE YOU READY!?!”

One thing about this 392, at extra-legal speeds, it howls with such a fury that you just want to keep your foot in it forever. It just wails in third and fourth gear with that sound you never forget, never want to forget, and always want the option to experience, even for a little bit.

At highway speeds around 75mph or so, the 4 cylinder mode will activate and change the beat of the exhaust sound, but any incline or load immediately kicks it out. I was lucky to see over 20mpg on longer trips. Even with the decently sized 19 gallon tank, I still topped off twice during the week it was driven. It’s probably a good thing the gas gauge needle is very thin and red.

Regarding the big Pirelli P-Zero 3 season tires, when cold it’s easy to get the rear end to swing out on tight turns with a little throttle prodding. Leaving the stability and traction control partially on is a good idea. When warm, the grip levels are high and better than the non-widebody models with 275 width tires. It is nice they can be rotated versus the staggered set-up of many other performance cars. One area of improvement is the desire for quicker ratio turning. Tighter turns require too much steering input.

The trunk is huge and other than the fuel economy, the Charger quite practical. Combined with the performance, it’s no wonder it has sold so well for so many years. Just like the Challenger Redeye, the seats could use a longer or adjustable support for under the thighs, something we have and had in several cars, one from Japan and two from Germany. Regardless, they are comfortable but a little tight across the back. Big guys like this car, you’d think the seat would have more adjustments. Despite a flat bottom steering wheel included in the Widebody option it oddly doesn’t move out of the way when opening the driver’s door despite the power tilt and telescoping function. Every time I got in the car after using the remote start, I would brush the steering wheel with my leg and the tires would squeak on the epoxy coated garage floor.

Those that don’t know claim the interior is dated. It is dated a bit in visual design, but the quality of the switchgear is excellent and has many features. Dodge even had quality in 2006 when I owned one for over four years and 75,000 miles. Yes, it has a vertical face and more modern cars should have some slope for better ergonomics, but the function is great. The steering wheel has multiple buttons in front and behind the spokes easily reached by fingertips. This does make for smaller shifter paddles unfortunately. 

The enthusiast’s magic is in the SRT Dashboard menus for performance. Options include different gauge selection, performance modes, of course adjustable launch rpm and a line lock for warming the rear tires. It doesn’t have the transbrake for that quick launch versus a standard brake torque but unless on a prepped surface with drag radials, its utterly useless in this car. The ZF sourced, TorqueFlite 8 speed transmission shifting, paddle shifter engagement, suspension firmness and steering weight can all be customized for track, sport and street settings. The Auto selection has them all in Street with Paddle Shifters enabled.

The 2DV Plus Group option package adds various luxury features for a bargain price of only $1,995. Highly recommended with powered and front ventilated seats, heated seats front and rear, memory for radio, seat and mirror positions, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, blind spot and cross-path detection, etc. One thing that catches the eye, if you even care about such a thing when buying a car like this, is with the EPA rating of 15 city, 24 highway and 18mpg combined (which was pretty spot-on), the Monroney sticker says that means spending $6000 more in fuel costs over 5 years versus the average new vehicle. But do we really care about mileage with this car? How many miles are you going to drive it anyway?

It was an enjoyable week with the big sedan. My only regret is that I didn’t take it on a road circuit to really wring it out, and the dragstrip to experiment with the launch settings and get those deep 12 second timeslips.