COOL 6

Hi - Glad to be 'gettin in on the ground floor here...welcome all to the site...I currently own a Mazda 6S 5 Speed - hence - COOL 6... Most of my friends on the internet site I visit frequenty BLAST any and all American cars...they seem to love to go after GM first, then Ford and Lastly Dodge/Chrysler...they view Dodge as the least important of all...They (import tuner types) like to call the Challenger a DRAG QUEEN!!! It seems so very important to them to have a balanced car to perform in the "twisties" ... oh boy ... you know what I mean - right??? Anyway - This may have been covered already but - What kind of true to life track record does the Dodge Charger have??? This would be the best indication of Challenger quality...right??? My wife hates the 5 speed Mazda and will not drive it... ever...so...I have my eye on this car as a purchase as I have for some time...The first time I saw the concept orange pics with carbon fibor hood...I was hooked...help me feel "safe" about spending my hard earned money on a "Dodge"...as a twist - What do you folks think of Mazda???

Jeremiah 29:11

Well, that drag queen comment should be in the context of the 60's when most of your buddies where probably just a twinkle in their parents eyes.

The new Challenger is based on the older LX (Mercedes uses it) and soon to be the same but shorter LY platform. This platform is a higher performance
platform which allows for better handling on the corners than most of your friends could dream of.

As for Dodge, remember that they are now a DCX company and with that comes German quality.

BootCamp

Bought a Charger R/T for my wife in April. The car has not been back to the dealership for anything. All I've had to do to it is change the oil, clean the windows and wash and wax it for her (she cleans the interior).
Every new car I previously owned had to go back in to the dealership for various little issues within the first month. Her Charger has been the first exception to that rule.
We're VERY pleased with her Dodge.

COOL 6

One other comment...My wife likes the car (2004 Mazda 6s 5 Door - fully loaded)...but refuses to drive the 5 speed..that's the real issue here...in a segway to that...does Dodge have some master plan to give the manual shift MORE horsepower than the auto??? It's sort of an odd twist these days...the G35 manual posts 298 yet the auto drops to like 280 ??? The 2005 GTO AUTO shift was actually FASTER than the MANUAL at the track...this leads to confusion...I sure hope the manual and auto are "on-par" as far as Horsepower and Torque...does anyone know any details on the manual as the Charger was automatic only???

RLSH700

To answer your first question, the reason why many of your friends would think more highly of GM and Ford is because they rank higher in the J.D. Power and Associates ratings and Consumer Reports. The problem with those ratings are they are not that acurate anymore, if they ever were. Consumer Reports focuses too much on refinery which doesn't guarantee reliability. They also fail to hold manufactures such as Toyota responsible for their mistakes, such as the oil sludge problems they had, in their reliability ratings.

J.D. Power seems to focus on the initial problems on a car, which let's face it all new cars have some teething issues, such as the fit and finish on the doors. The engine so far appears to be solid. The MDS hasn't been having any problems I'm aware of (knock on wood of course). In fact, the only car I have heard of in the recent cars made with such a system was the system that Honda has.

As for your transmission question, we aren't sure yet which transmission it will have so your guess is about as good as ours. The automatic is the same one used behind V12 powered Mercedes so it can handle the HEMI. From what I have read, all Chrysler Group divisions have better reliability than Mercedes-Benz does. V8s are the American manufacture's speciality. Their V8s are the best engines in terms of reliability and quality that they make. It will be reliable.

I don't know where you read that the auto GTO was faster but all the tests I saw said the manual was faster. The automatics have been getting faster but they aren't their yet. The Corvette with their new 6-speed auto is still a slower than their 6-speed manual. The output will be the same regardless whether it is an auto or manual. What your referring too seems to be a Japanese manufacturer thing only.

COOL 6

http://www.newagegto.com/forums/show...aster+standard

RLSH700

Well here is an automotive outlets that disagrees. http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...ticleId=100917

awsure

That is some gushing puff piece for sure. The old GTO had something this car lacks...style.

RLSH700

Agreed! The performance might be faster but that isn't a surprise. That is around 40 years worth of technology, but they just can't add any style. Awsure you ought to go talk in this discussion, I think you'll enjoy it. https://dodgechallenger.com/forums/m_6270/tm.htm