V6 challenger - Not muscle but me like

John Larkin

Sublime Master of Turbology
Joined
May 25, 2001
I have been researching one of these for a week now. I think I really want one. I am torn though - most folks only consider the Hemi version worth owning. To each his own but I like the styling of the car overall and I like something that gets more than 15 mpg around town (not to mention the insurance cost). Plus as I get older I don't want to squeeze into a Mustang fastback or peek out the mail slots of the Camaro.

The car really has potential: aluminum block, aluminum heads, variable valve timing, 10.2:1 compression, cast pistons but forged rods. Flex fuel ready. But it comes with 14 lb injectors. Oh to get someone to set up a switchable tune - one for E85 and one for 87. Put in some 28 lbs injectors from the GN (which I already have from my car). Then it would have some real fun and give the Joe Dirt's of the world reason to question their "Hemmy".
 
We loved ours. Not enough to keep eating ramen noodles to pay for it though. New 3.6 is a badass 6. It WILL get out of it's own way with the v6. City mileage is better with the 6, if you were gonna highway cruise it a lot you might as well get the hemi. MDS kicks in and highway MPG is very close between the two. I'd get a hemi with a stick. Most mods to the auto hemi require disabling the MDS and the autos come with huge "suitcase mufflers" to kill the drone when MDSkicks in. Stickshift car can be fairly heavily modded and still pull good hiway mpg. And stick won't need a $1700 corsa exhaust to fix the drone. Hemi will cost you more but it'll also be worth more in the future. I think the 6's will be used up and thrown away like a regular ol' sedans and no one will want it when its 10 years old and 100k+. Just some food for thought. Can't go wrong with either.
 
Don't be too sure the insurance will be cheaper just because it has a V6! My wife wanted a 2010 Charger, 4-door, V6 and our insurance company said it was considered a "Sports Car" and the insurance quote was astronomical....
 
300 + horses from a V6 ain't too shabby. If and when Dodge decides to put that 8 speed auto behind the Hemi, I would choose the Hemi. Even though the spark plug on the V6 last 100,000 miles, I'm not a fan of removing the intake manifold to change plugs. I like the Challengers and the Chargers. Plus the Challenger's body lines resemble the old muscle car of the past better than Ford and Chevy (and I've been a GM guy all my life).
 
I've been a GM guy my whole life too......but I LUST after the Challenger.

Not real practical for my current lifestyle........2 kids in diapers and car seats/bases.

Horrible blind spots while driving.

But it sure is super cool looking and it sure would look good pulling into my garage every night.

<tears start to form>
 
Don't be too sure the insurance will be cheaper just because it has a V6! My wife wanted a 2010 Charger, 4-door, V6 and our insurance company said it was considered a "Sports Car" and the insurance quote was astronomical....

Perhaps too many tickets????
 
I got a quote today. About $100 higher than one of our other cars. Not a bad premium at all.
 
A guy I work with has a 2012 Challenger RT and they just now came out with a tune for it. From what he was telling me there is a firewall that was stopping the programmers because every time the car was started the tune would go back to factory default settings. He got his tuned but he hasn't drove it since the white stuff started falling. He also put a 100 shot in it. I don't know if I would go to that extreme on a car still under warranty. To each his own.
 
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