Once you have kids, you have to rethink your automotive priorities. That cute little two-seater won’t work anymore no matter how much you love it, so you’re going to have to spring for something larger. There’s the ubiquitous minivan, but there’s also the good old sedan. The 2015 Dodge Charger is a sedan, but good doesn’t apply. This is a bad, bad, sedan and it’s so much fun, you won’t even miss that two-seater.
Let’s get something out of the way right at the start. The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. If you’ve looked at a Charger then you’ve heard about this beast with its 707 horsepower. This is insane. I say that in a good way and, having taken it around the track, it was some of the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel of a car. Still, this isn’t the Charger I’d buy as my everyday car.
I know, that sounds like a whole different kind of insane—why wouldn’t you want all that power?—but stick with me for a minute. I happen to own a 2010 Dodge Charger, so I’m speaking as the Mom who refused to buy a minivan and instead bought a muscle car.
When I got into the Hellcat on the track, the instructor pointed at the “707+ horsepower” on the screen and asked me what it meant. I looked at him questioningly and said, “Don’t mash the gas pedal?” and he responded, “Right. Pretend there’s an egg under that pedal. Be very, very gentle.”
Okay, egg under the gas pedal. Check. They gave us the go ahead, I gently pressed the gas, and instantly the imaginary egg under my gas pedal was a blob of sticky goo. I didn’t mean to do this, but 707 horsepower is a lot and it’s hard not to hit the pedal harder than necessary.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved that car and drove it in circles until the Dodge people told me I had to get out of the car and go home. The one I would buy, however, is the 2015 Dodge Charger SXT Plus. I had the chance to drive this one through the West Virginia countryside and it was enough to make me think about upgrading what’s in my garage right now.
This version of the 2015 Dodge Charger has a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 292 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. There’s also a Rallye Group that turns his into a 300 horsepower engine with 264 lb-ft of torque. Note that this is not a Hellcat but those are still hella good numbers. Another good number is the price. The Hellcat starts at $63,995 while the SXT starts at $29,995.
You can mash the gas pedal, when the law allows, and you will get an impressive burst of speed that will squish you back into the seats and put a smile on your face. It is loaded with comfort and convenience features and the SXT trim makes things a little more special, a little sportier, with LED fog lamps, Uconnect 8.4″ touchscreen, heated seats and mirrors, remote start, dual zone climate control, an Alpine sound system, and a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
Add on the Plus Group, which technically costs less to add than the actual options if you separated them out, and you up the sport factor even more. Now you’ve got leather seats, a heated steering wheel and backseats, a rear camera, illuminated cup holders, driver and passenger lower LED lamps, and a security alarm.
Basically, the Charger SXT Plus is the Hellcat’s smarter, slightly more well-behaved older brother. He’s the one you want to bring home to Mom because he’s responsible and polished, but still a sexy bad boy beneath all those good manners.
Chrysler covered all expenses for me to attend this event.
