I just wanted to post a topic to the group here regarding something that has been bothering me for several weeks now.

Basically, I really don't understand the problems with reviving the Charger name on a sedan. I suppose I don't find it as offensive as some other people here and here's why:

Back in the early 80's Chrysler brought out the "Charger" on a hatch-back powered by a four cylinder. To me this did not fit the spirit of the car and definately did not do it justice. Luckily, Chrysler discontinued the hatchback cars before they got too rediculous.

Now let's look at the new charger for a minute:

- Large Car (just like the old)
- Rear wheel drive (just like the old)
- Hemi power (Excellent power rating on the Hemi, and an even better hemi coming in the SRT Version)
- Sedan (Ok, got me here)

Here's the reality. The new car, while a sedan, seems to me to have been designed with the original in mind. I like the artist rendoring, and I'm hoping in 2006 to purchase one for myself.

Let me throw this out for the sake of argument here:

Why no backlash on the 300C? It's the same thing if you ask me, yet there's no backlash against releasing the "Letter" names to a Sedan. The 300 was the original muscle car in the late 50's and was always a 2-door (I think - correct me if I'm wrong). If it's such a sin to release the Charger name to a sedan, then should it not be one for the letter cars as well? Just a thought.

Hypothetical question: If Dodge took two doors out of the Charger would everyone be happy, or are people just upset with the overall styling of the car?

Thanks..I look forward to hearing everyones response.

 

Oh man.... you really want to stir this one up some more??? See: https://dodgeforum.com/m_114617/tm.htm
This is recycling a lot of heated opinions that have already been expressed........ mine included. Didn't really want to head back down that road!

 

yeah, the 300 series was a 2 door car and I remember there being some complaints about that too when they brought back the 300 as the 300M for being a 4 door when the original was a 2 door, however it wasn't as much as it is for the charger because the charger is basicaly an legend for muscle cars, now the old 300 series were good cars but if you ask anyone about a 300 probably 99% are going to think the 300M/300C not the old cars, you mention charger and everyone thinks of the old chargers from the 60's.

it's the same thing with the magnum, there was a dodge magnum before, it was a 2 door, definatly nothing in common with the new 4 door wagon magnum, but the old magnum was just another old car, there was nothing really special about it and most people you would ask probably wouldn't even know it existed, quiet honestly there are plenty of other more appropiate names for the new charger, the first obvious one that comes to mind is simply a magnum as it's really nothing more than a magnum sedan with some slightly changed sheet metal, if they really wanted to use an older name there are are other names they could of used that actualy had a sedan version and would be more fitting such as Dodge Diplomat, Dodge Polara, or Dodge Aspen

 

Here's the thing.


Bo and Luke Duke would puke on the new Charger. Uncle Jesse would shoot it with the shotgun, Daisy would monster truck over it in her jeep, and Flash would pee on the wheels.


[sm=smiley21.gif][sm=smiley11.gif][sm=sigh.gif]

This brings the question to mind, "Will we see a General Lee version?" I hope not.

 

I'm mainly a lurker, but I haven't thrown my $0.02 into the mix in a while so here goes.

Yes, the new Charger is a RWD hotrod V8, and it will possibly outrun the '68-'70 Chargers. It will definitely outmaneuver the old Charger, no one can ever argue that.

I personally don't care if it's a 2-door or a 4-door whatsoever. I do however have several major problems with the new design:

1) The nose looks just like everything else sold under the Dodge nameplate. That gaudy crosshair grille has got to go. It looks like a Dakota front end for God's sake! One of my favorite characteristics of the '68 Charger was the down-to-business, no frills, blunt, scoop-shaped grille. The '69 and '70 are similar. The new Mustang stayed true to its roots in the frontend, I wish the same were true with the Charger. Instead, we get the standard boilerplate Dodge front end and a slanted headlight assembly instead of the proper round ones.

2) The tail. The big square taillights on the new Charger make it look just like everything else that's out there. A muscle car should NOT have big square taillights! It needs either horizontal ones, or round ones... but not square.

3) The body. Yes, the new design has rear fender flares (and the classic Charger DIDN'T by the way!) But the rest of the new Charger body is plain, generic, lifeless. The fuselage body on the classic Charger is what makes it so recognizable. It had long graceful curves. Its sides were sculpted in a very nice way. It had that incredible tunnelback profile with recessed glass. The body had elegant yet very muscular lines to it. What does the new Charger have? Rear fender flares. That's it. The rest of the body is plain-Jane slabsided with no distinguishing features whatsoever. It doesn't even have door indents.

I know the old body in street clothes was about as aerodynamic as a brick. But I really wish Dodge (or anyone else for that matter) would have the guts to make a new car, sitting on a modernized chassis, but wearing a body that is maybe a 90% replica of the 60s/70s model. Ford did it with their "GT" or whatever it's called (the race/street car, not the Mustang GT). It's so high-tech that it's way too expensive, but they've got the right idea. The body on that thing is incredible. Too bad no one else has the guts to do that in an affordable package.

 

i doubt it will outrun the old one but it will out manuver it

the charger was a muscle car and thats all it was meant to be

RWD 2 door big engine

well IMO a 345cid engine isnt that big but it does make alotta power cause its a hemi

 

actually the new mustang gt is also about 90 percent of the original, just with integrated bumpers, and the original charger (66-67) was a lot more plain, and the new one does slightly resemble that body style, about 35 percent match, the sideglass and roofline. i agree about the taillights though. but the main thing i wanna say is that dodge having the crosshair grillee is important, thats how people that dont know much about cars can see one and notice the grille and automatically know " hey thats a dodge, just like corvette and the two tail lights, or bmw with the split grille, or jeep withe the horizontal grille (and now hummer too). that is just a brand identity thing that most companies, and all the prominant ones use for good reason.

 

This sums it up better than I have been able to so far.... read and comprehend!!!!

http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant

 

That's a good article, and I agree with what is said about the charger. My biggest disagreement with the whole thing is that it's just another version of the 300. Why the heck do they think we want another version of the same car. Yeah it's a great platform, but why would you create a model that competes with something you're already selling.

The charger should have been something completely different and DC should have just taken the 300 racing.

 

I disagree. Yes, it is very much influenced from the late 60s fastback models, but if you compare side by side, you'll see that there really are no features exactly the same. When I say 90% replica, I'm talking about a body that really IS the same sheetmetal angles and dimensions. Not something that just looks similar, but something that actually IS the original body within close tolerances. The 10% difference could allow for sheetmetal deviations necessary in order to fit the body on whatever modern chassis is being used underneath the car.

The new Mustang doesn't achieve this close of a physical match. Their "GT" car on the other hand does a very good job of impersonating the original. Now *that* is retro muscle, and no other modern car can even touch that level of retro styling, IMO of course

Think about how cool it would be if Chrysler used a '68 Charger body, or maybe an AAR Barracuda body, as the initial design templates for a new car body. Then they could really brag about a thoroughbred muscle car true to its heritage! That thought should make the '06 Charger go crawl under a rock and never come out.