Originally Posted By: 08sienna
I realize that Dodge Chargers are the most affordable RWD cars on the market and reviews are not that bad (I haven't found much angry owners by googling, comparing to the number of angry owners of 2014 Grand Cherokee)
What do you think? Would you consider buying a base model for around 25k?
I've never driven a Charger, but I've driven a few 300s. They're very solid cars. I liked the chassis of the earlier generation better, the 2005-2010 models. I had a 2013 300 as a rental for about 5 weeks and didn't care for it too much. It was objectively nice, but the dynamics were poor, the suspension was floaty, and the 8-speed transmission programming was a mess. The seats were way too large and the blue lighting hue was much too bright at night, even turned all the way down. It struck me as a car with a lot of bling but they got the fundamentals wrong.
Maybe the new Chargers are tuned differently. The 300 rode like a Town Car, which is fine for some, but it just didn't excite me. If you can still get a base model with the 5-speed transmission, I would spend a long time comparing it with a model with the 8-speed transmission. The 5-speed is the excellent W5A580. Not to say that the 845RE 8-speed is objectively bad--it's not. But the programming was a mess and the silly electronic shifter doesn't let you manually shift up and down through the gears. It was very frustrating to drive with a spirited foot. It would do fine idling around all day, and that was the general nature of that 2013 300 overall. It seemed designed for the Town Car crowd.
I'd like to try a Charger to see how different it might be.