RE: Is anyone suprised by the quality of the base model
I'd need to see the final pricing. For Justinec's $22.9k figure, the SE works. For $27-28k, I'd just step up to the R/T if I were potentially torn between the two. I thought the SE's wheels were just too small (and I'm not sure I'm ok with wheel covers), 250HP + 4,100 lbs. = bog slow, and like Joey said, a 4-speed auto is last-gen technology. In a perfect world, I'd have liked to see the base's engine have at least 300HP.