I’ll miss my Mustang…but not Ford’s customer service 
Well, I’ve had the Challenger for about four months now, and put about 4200 miles on her, so I figure I could at least make a quick review pointing out the positives and negatives I’ve encountered (well, I thought it would be a quick review when I first started typing this)…
The good:
Engine/Transmission - The 392 Hemi paired with the 8-speed Torqueflite (really a license-built ZF 8HP70) automatic is a match made in heaven. The 392 makes plenty of torque across the rev range, and when at WOT, will push hard up to the redline, without any sign of losing breath. At the same time, this engine is very docile when just driving to the corner store or cruising along a highway, with smooth shifts from the transmission and easily controlled throttle response.
However…putting the engine/trans in Sport mode is like pulling back the hammer of a .44 Magnum. Throttle response is much more sensitive, and the transmission trades smoothness for firm, borderline-harsh but extremely fast up- and downshifts; even a little more than light application of the right foot at a stop WILL result in squealing rubber, and possibly undue attention from law enforcement. Even at speed at around 40mph, simply smashing the accelerator pedal to the floor will result in loud protests from the rear tires as well as a rather violent downshift from 7th to 2nd or 3rd gear.
When you finally get a nice, long road clear of traffic (and hopefully the local police), this engine and transmission shines. The car just surges ahead, no lag, no cam switch-over…the only drama coming from the epic soundtrack from the car’s dual exhausts, which sounds like it came right from 1970. The transmission, as stated before, shifts very firmly, but also quickly. It also has two methods of shifting manually - with steering wheel-mounted paddles, or using a shift-gate on the floor shifter. In normal settings, manual shifting is a bit on the slow side, but in sport, is noticeably more responsive. In any event, I’ve hardly used either method, really only using it for slow-speed cruising, a little bit of spirited driving on some curvy roads, and downshifting to discourage tailgaters. I normally leave the car in full auto whether in normal or sport mode, as I’ve found the car knows when to shift better and faster than I do.
Comfort - Unlike my 2011 Mustang, the Challenger has a 4-wheel independent suspension, and handles the bumpy/uneven roads better than any of the previous ponycars I’ve owned ever could. It’s also quite roomy for my 5’ 11", ~170lb frame; I don’t have to worry about my knees, shoulders or head banging into anything in this car; the same could not be said for the Mustangs and the Camaro I’ve owned. The seats are leather and Alcantara, and are quite grippy, and are heated and vented, which, when working in concert with the A/C, is a godsend in Florida summers. The steering wheel is also heated, and I’ve already found it quite useful after watching an IMAX movie in a theater that must have been below freezing inside. Also, for the first time, I finally have a vehicle where I won’t have to listen to my back seat passengers moan about being squashed into that area; headroom can be a little tight for some taller passengers, to be sure, but overall, it’s FAR better than the Mustang and Camaro.
Interior - I was not a fan of the 2008-2014 Challenger interior, as I found it looked too much like other Chrysler products, as well as more cheap-looking and feeling plastic than I cared for. The 2015 is a HUGE improvement, looking much more modern than the older Challengers, as well being better laid out, and overall significantly improved, with much more widespread use of nicely-textured soft-touch materials and metals. There’s still more cheap-looking and feeling plastic than I’d care for, but again, not nearly as bad as the pre-2015 models, nor was I expecting Audi or Lexus levels of interior quality or refinement, for what is, at it’s heart, is a ~$25k car.
Technology - I will admit it, when it comes to automotive infotainment systems, I’m far from an expert, and after looking at all the lights, displays and buttons inside, I was initially a bit overwhelmed, and I’ll admit, there’s still some things I’m still trying to wrap my head around, even after reading the ~600 page online manual, and the 200+ supplemental paperback manual, AND the informational DVD, but overall, the car is actually quite user-friendly. The 7-inch reconfigureable display between the gauges is very easy to set up depending on your preferences. The Uconnect 8.4" touchscreen is also intuitive and easy to configure; Mere minutes after getting into the car, I already had figured out the majority of the functions available.
The car has no CD player, but it does have USB, Bluetooth and an aux input, and I had no problems putting in one of the thumb drives full of MP3s into the USB port, and the car found and played them with no problem. I’m not much of an audiophile, but while I find the standard 276-watt, 6-speaker Alpine audio to be fine for my ears, I think the sound quality on my 2011 Mustang, with its Shaker 500-watt 8-speaker to be superior overall.
Connecting my smartphone to the car was a simple and straightforward affair (once my sister, who knows far more about smartphones, and phones in general, more than I do, showed me how it’s done, despite being in the car for her first time).
My Challenger also came with very useful blind-spot warning (considering the rarther large blind-spot around the c-pillar, this should’ve been made standard across the whole lineup), especially when I have the misfortune of somebody parking next to me in their Tahoe/Suburban/Expedition/full-size van. It also has a rear-view camera, which I’ve also found very helpful, as given the car has a rather huge front spoiler just begging to be smashed into a curb if you’re not careful, I usually park back-first into most parking spaces with this car whenver possible.
Brakes: My Challenger R/T Scat Pack came with 14.2" front and 13.8" rear slotted disc brakes with 4-piston Brembo calipers all around. They do a remarkable job at stopping 4200lbs with little effort and drama.
Fuel Economy - Yes, I realize this isn’t a Prius or a TDI VW, but for a two-ton plus muscle car with nearly 500 horsepower, I’ve found it to be rather good. I normally average anywhere from 19-24MPG(US) per tank in 65/35% highway/city driving. The car, when left in normal mode, will shut off four cylinders when cruising along at steady speeds, causing a rather unappealing drone, as it essentially runs as a 3.2L V4 (only the two central pairs of cylinders run in this mode), but also increasing fuel economy. At 50mph, I’ve noticed the car reporting 35-38MPG; at 70mph, 28-30mpg; at 80mph, usually the fastest I’ll cruise along highways, 22-24mpg (usually running on all 8 cylinders, MDS usually doesn’t run at this speed or above).
Looks - I realize that this a subjective issue, but of the three ponycars offered for sale, I find the Challenger, especially after the 2015 refresh, hits all the right chords with me. Yes, it’s retro, and unabashedly so. While I like the 2015 Mustang overall, I feel it lacks some of the brashness of the 2010-2014 cars that I liked about it, and I feel GM took a step back with the 2014-2015 Camaro in terms of design. I’m not quite sure what to make of the 2016 Camaro, while I like the side and top profiles of that car, I’m not crazy about the front and back end of it.
I am not a fan of the 1971 Challenger; when it comes to the original 1970-1974 cars, I prefer the cleaner grille and single taillight design of the 1970 over the split grille and taillights of the '71. Yet…when those '71 styling cues were applied to the 2015 car, to me - they felt just right. In my opinion, I think the R/T Scat Pack is the best-looking trim level of Challenger; yes, the Hellcat has 707 horsepower, but I don’t care for the front fascia and several other aspects of that version of the Challenger. Nor do I care for the SRT 392; the Viper-inspired hood looks out of place on that car.
I ordered my R/T Scat Pack in Ivory White Pearl, the standard 20" cast 10-spoke alloys, and no stripes. The normal 5.7L R/T and SRT 392 both proudly display ‘HEMI’ badges on their exteriors. The R/T Scat Pack does not. the only identification that this car isn’t a run-of-the-mill Challenger R/T with the 5.7L Hemi is a Bumblebee emblem on each fender with a ‘6.4L’ callout underneath, and I had mine removed within a month of picking mine up. Ironically, the one race (if you could call it that) I’ve had in this car was with another Challenger, an older '08-'10 SRT-8 with the 425hp 6.1L, up an Interstate onramp. I’m fairly certain he figured I was an easy kill until he saw (and probably heard) how fast I was pulling away from him as soon as we turned onto the onramp…(he didn’t seem to take it well, either, as I eased into a 70mph cruise in the right lane, the other Challenger flew by me at over 100… 
). While I wouldn’t call my car a ‘sleeper’ in the general sense, I do believe it does have some aspects of one…
Practicality: While I’m not a big fan of the car’s size, it does have it’s advantages; not only can it hold 4 people quite comfortably on long trips, it also can hold a rather impressive amount of cargo in its trunk and a rear seat area, once those seats are folded down. The trunk’s passthrough area is a bit smallish, however.
Mixed feelings:
Handling - In normal, everyday driving this car is absurdly easy to drive. Steering is light but nicely weighted, if a bit numb. Driving around corners with rough roads is also more confidence-inspiring than the Mustangs and Camaro I’ve owned. However, in spirited driving, whether in a straight line or in corners, this car suffers from both its 4200+lb weight, but moreso (in my opinion) from the sub-optimal tire fitment this car has. It just doesn’t have the grip that a car with this much power should have. The only size tire available on the R/T Scat pack is 245/45/20, which is just too skinny for a car of this weight and power.
To make things worse, mine is equipped with Goodyear Eagle RSA2 all-season tires (I ordered my car with Goodyear F1 Supercar summer tires, but for some reason they didn’t come on mine), which are decent for most everyday driving, but I’ve found them lacking if driving with any real enthusiasm. Fortunately, I’ve found from other Challenger owners that fitting wider tires, around 275-285mm will fit the stock 20x9" wheels without any problems. As soon as these stock tires are done, I’m going to do exactly that.
The bad:
Size/weight - No getting around this (sometimes literally, in my own garage no less). This is a big and heavy car. It barely fits in my garage. The car also, as mentioned above, has a large front spoiler which I feel I will inevitably crunch into a curb one day, no matter how careful I try to be. This car also feels heavier around tight corners than my '11 Mustang (possibly because it IS heavier, on the order of 600 pounds). I wouldn’t mind it if they shrunk this car about 10-15% in overall size and gave it a 600lb diet…
Visibility - While not as bad as the Camaro, my Mustangs were like a greenhouse compared to this car. Front visibility isn’t bad, but parking nose-first into a space or even my own garage makes me rather nervous, as the car’s long hood can make it rather difficult to judge whether I’m going to hit a curb, or worse, my garage wall. Visibility around the C-pillars is particularly bad, but it’s at least partly mitigated by the BLIS. Rear visibility also isn’t good; the window is rather small, the rear spoiler obscures some of the view, and the headrests on the back seats do not fold down.
Technology - While I’m mostly satsified with this aspect of the car, I’ve encountered a few bugs with Uconnect every now and again. Sometimes the screen would not respond to any commands, others the car would not detect my thumb drive in the USB slot. Also, I’m not thrilled with the phone call buttons placed on the steering wheel; I’ve had several instances where I’ve brushed a thumb against a button, and the car would helpfully ask who I’d like to call - and after telling the car ‘no’ in no uncertain terms, decides to give me an unwanted refresher course on Uconnect, despite my repeated denials and protests. Eventually, at one point, I was arguing with my own car, telling it to shut up, much like Clarkson has done with other infotainment systems…
Also, the car has a vehicle range display, which tells you how many miles of fuel are remaining. This works fine - until you’re down to your last two gallons of fuel, at that point it will just say - LOW. There is no way to clear this on the display and have the vehicle display how many miles you have remaining at this point. That is utterly ridiculous.
Build Quality - This is my #1 disappointment with this car. I paid $42000USD out the door for this Challenger. Now, I’ll admit, I didn’t notice this when I saw the car in person, perhaps I was caught up in the excitement and anticipation. So far, I’ve noticed a misaligned driver’s door panel (not flush with the quarter panel, but protruding above it), a misaligned hood, passenger-side exhaust, passenger-side taillight and trunklid. This is my first Chrysler product; depending on how they handle this, it may very well be my last. The two other cars I’ve ordered and bought new, both Ford Mustangs, had no such issues of this magnitude.
Overall - I like this car quite a bit, despite its flaws. Once I put some more capable rubber on it, and if Chrysler doesn’t disappoint me in rectifying the QC issues I’ve had, I’ll love it. It’s fast, comfortable, practical, good-looking but not too conspicuous (for what it is) and when the conditions are right, lots of fun.
For anyone that cares (especially if they plan on buying an FCA product), a bit of an update/rant…
Little over a month after my last post, i discovered several areas around and under my driver side fender lip and passenger side quarter-panel lip which, judging from the lack of paint (and in its place, rust…), the QC personnel in Brampton, Ontario must have missed something before the car left the factory. Having discovered rust on a car only five months old did not particularly sit well with me; coincidentally, FCA sent me a customer satisfaction survey right after i discovered this, and I proceeded to note the areas of missing paint and rust, the misaligned body panels and the incorrect tires. Also, the car had begun to develop a very rough idle after it had warmed up; from the outside, it would make a noise not unlike a V8 with a solid-lifter cam, and from the inside, the car would jerk rather uncomfortably back and forth…
Surprisingly, I got a phone call within a day or two from a CS rep from Chrysler, who apologized about my car and arranged an appointment with my dealer after I told him the problems I’ve been having. The day before I’m supposed to take the car in, while I’m driving to local restaurant, I come up to a intersection with a yellow light that’s about to turn red; seeing as there was a police cruiser about 100 yards ahead of me (and the cops here are all too eager to write somebody up…), and not wanting to deal with such law enforcement headaches, I slam on the brakes. I easily manage to bring the vehicle to a halt before the light turns red (probably to the disappointment of the officer ahead of me…) - and then the engine quits. No warning or indication prior, it just dies. Fortunately, other than the cop, nobody else is on the road, so I put the car in Park, press the start button and the engine immediately fires up again. I manage to get to my destination without any further issues, but this incident did little to help the confidence that I was steadily losing with this car.
I finally make the two-hour drive to my dealer the next day, and the service techs, after hearing from me as well as the CS rep I spoke to early, quickly traced the engine issues as being software problems. After updating the ECU software, the rough idle seemed to be taken care of; the TCU software was also updated; the transmission apparently did not shift quickly enough to keep up with engine during my emergency stop, causing a stall (funny thing, I’ve never stalled a manual on the road)…
The engine and transmission issues were taken care of, which left the issue with the incorrect tires,rust, crappy paint, and fit/finish issues. The dealer seemed to be rather confused when I brought up the issue of the wrong tires being put on my car, and didn’t really seem eager to discuss that issue. They did, however, state they would correct the fit/finish/paint/rust problems, but the dealer does not have its own body repair/paint shop; Instead, they basically farm out any paint and body work to an independent local shop. Unfortunately, the body shop had a full schedule, so I had to make the hundred-mile drive back home and wait for another phone call.
Couple days later, the call came, and I duly drove back to the dealership, where I was presented with my loaner car - a new 2015 Chrysler 200 LX sedan. It wasn’t horrible - the suspension was overly soft, the steering numb, and the brakes were overly touchy, but the 2.4L 184hp 4-banger hooked up to a ZF 9-speed transaxle gave it pretty decent acceleration (up to 80mph, then it just felt dead) and fuel economy. The thing that really stuck in my mind with this car though, was the build quality; this rather average mid-size sedan retails at just under $23000, and it was also a first-model year vehicle. Upon coming home I looked it over closely (probably should’ve done the same with the Challenger at the dealership…), and noticed every body panel, light and trim piece was straight as an arrow. The paintwork also appeared have been competently applied…
By comparison, my Challenger cost nearly $20000 more, and was essentially the same car (granted there were major changes for the '15s…) that Chrysler has been building since 2008; apparently they’re still trying to get the hang of putting a car together to modern standards with all of its paint applied, with the engine and transmission control software being done by Microsoft…
Then there’s the issue of the recall that was out for my car, concerning a vulnerability of the Uconnect system to hackers; while getting the transmission and engine software updated, the dealer had to update the software for THAT as well, to minimize the danger of some deranged individual hacking into my car…
wired.com/2015/07/hackers-re … p-highway/
But anyway, after four days of driving this numb, boring, but well-assembled sedan, I got a call from the dealer telling me my car was ready. Long story short, drove back to the dealer, checked out the car, and noticed the rust spots had been addressed and repainted, the taillight and hood were straightened to my satisfaction…However, the misaligned trunklid, door panel and exhaust pipe remained, and I noticed a fastener for the driver side wheel well cover was missing, which wasn’t before. I got a service tech to look at it, and he replaced it in only a minute, then got called away. All the techs and sales reps seemed to be busy. I then noticed that if I didn’t leave now, I’d be late for work. So I left, and figured I’d tell them what had (or in this case, hadn’t) happened at my next service interval.
Couple of weeks ago, while detailing my car, I noticed what appeared to be an odd reflection around the lower passenger-side quarter panel. When I ran my finger through, I found that it wasn’t a reflection, but a rather pronounced bumpy ridge on the surface of the panel, much to my chagrin. and I’m pretty sure that ridge was not there before I dropped the car off at the dealer…
Not long after this, I got another customer satisfaction survey from FCA, and this time I replied on a much sterner note that I was NOT satisfied with my vehicle. At all. I’m still waiting on a reply…
At this point, though I really want to like this car, it does not give me the impression that it will hold up and give me trouble free service over the next 3 or so years (i’m not even sure if it’ll give me three months of trouble-free service). I’m seriously considering cutting my losses and getting rid of this car. The 2016 Camaro SS seems to be an impressive vehicle for the money, but I still have memories of my last GM product, which also happened to be a Camaro, which weren’t particularly pleasant, although that one happened to be built 20 years ago…(hopefully they’ve learned about customer service and build quality since the bankruptcy, but I won’t hold my breath). Even though I didn’t part with Ford on the best of terms, I still want to try out a new Mustang GT. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m also looking at the WRX STI and Focus RS, although turbo fours don’t appeal to me as a V-8 does (but I’m willing to keep an open mind).
I’ve also just thought about throwing in the towel with performance cars in general and just get a Honda Accord or Civic…
For now though, I’ll wait for a reply from FCA to see what they’re going to (or not) do to take care of these issues, but again, I won’t hold my breath…
I don’t know the laws where you live, but if you DO happen to get something of a refund or if you decide to part exchange it, I’d recommend that you move away from muscle cars. Chrysler’s build quality (upon reading this) seems to be… not so good. I’ve heard brief stories of people getting bad Jeeps and stuff, but I never knew it was this bad. GM as we all know is total horse shit, although I do love the 2016 Camaro, and to be honest I don’t know much about the Mustangs in terms of quality. Perhaps you SHOULD just get a Focus RS or Impreza/Legacy or something, they’re all nippy cars that are very practical.
My '06 Mustang GT was a solid car. The only things I needed to do with it was to change the oil at factory intervals, fill it with 87 octane whenever the tank was low, and throw on a new set of Pirelli PZero Neros at 30000 miles. In retrospect, I really regret selling that car.
My 2011 GT 5.0 that I replaced it with was a bit more troublesome. I had paint flake off the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel at ~2800 miles. I also had an A/C flap stuck at around 10k miles. And an oil life monitor giving erroneous info. And paint/corrosion issues with the aluminum hood when the car was about 2 years old. Finally, my rear shock absorbers were leaking at around 33000 miles. After a rather nasty experience with Ford’s service regarding the last, I replaced the shocks myself and got a refund on the remainder of the otherwise worthless extended warranty I purchased from them.
In terms of fit/finish both Mustangs blew my Challenger away. Although I did have a corrosion issue with the hood with the 2011, that was addressed under the factory warranty without any problem. Otherwise I didn’t have any paint issues with the 2011, ditto for my '06. Body panels on both cars lined up flawlessly.
For what it’s worth, Plum Crazy IS available for 2016… 