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Former SRT8 Driver and R/T Driver and now a Scat Pack driver…a comparison and review!

4K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  A Guy 
#1 ·
Haven't really had access to a computer lately or would have posted this last week…when I traded in my 14' R/T for my new B5 Blue Scat Pack! This has given me time to get my review together in my head and give an honest comparison, rather than one that was based on the initial :grin2: of owning the car. So here goes. Disclaimer: This is my .02 cents only and may not reflect other experiences…just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Performance:
The Good: A no brainer here. The Scat Pack is a monster. I had a 392 a few years ago (stupidly got rid of it) and though it had the power also, it had a kitchen appliance for an exhaust. Dodge came through big time with the new exhaust. This car pulls like a monster and sounds like one too. I cannot possibly see myself getting another exhaust. This car sounds perfect. As you can imagine, it was also a massive improvement over my 5.7 R/T. Immediate noticeable difference. Love the ball shifter as well. Liked the pistol grip…but ball shifter is the way to go.

The Bad: How could there be bad? Well I'll tell you. I've said for a while that my R/T just kind of "felt" more fun to drive than my former 392. Couldn't put my finger on why…until now. You see…I live in a fairly high traffic area. Lots of lights and during the summer, the main highways can easily turn into a slow moving parking lot. This didn't really bother me in the R/T. However, I can't seem to accomplish a smooth shift in the SP when trying to nurse the throttle. Annoyingly so. I've tried shifting at different RPM's, adjusting how much I depress the clutch, etc. The car just wants to be driven hard, where it shifts smooth as butter btw. Maybe its just me but this car sucks in traffic. Hopefully I'll find the sweet spot.

Interior:
The Good: Lots of upgrades here! Steering wheel is a big one. Buttons are placed better, minivan grill symbol is gone. All good! Seats feel similar, but I've only had cloth. Love the bees on the seats btw! First thing I thought was it immediately reminded me of the Charger. Seems thats where the Challenger dash was inspired from. I like the larger armrest and better placed cup holders. Always felt like I had to reach around the coffee or whatever to shift the R/T. Definitely a big difference over the older interior.

The Bad: In my 2014, the doors were simple and had a handle to pull the door closed you could wrap your whole hand around. The new interior does not have this. Just an indented handle to pull the door closed. Probably not a problem in most vehicles…but I'm fairly certain they filled the Challenger doors with lead. You ALMOST have to slam them to close them correctly. After years of training the wife to not slam my other cars doors…I now have to train her to slam them. :| Only other thing I can think of is I had little slots in the old console that I no longer have. Just two cup holders and a center console. I used the heck out of those little slots for work and what not. I miss them… Also, is it just me or is the '15 interior a bit more cramped?

Instrument Cluster:
The Good: Everything!!!!! Enormous upgrade all around. Everything that bugged me about the 2012 SRT8 and the 2014 R/T is fixed. I love the "Tic Toc" gauges. I love how they centered the customizable dash. There is an absurd amount of options you can put there. Even the fuel economy gauge is fun to watch! This is easily one of the best parts of the car IMO.

The Bad: Nothing. See above. Could not imagine wanting anything else here.

Stereo/UConnect/Nav/etc:
The Good: In my 2012 and 2014, I had the 430 stereo. One had the HK sound system and the other had the base. One sounded great and the other, not so much. I got the Sound Group 2 with this one and its a good happy medium. I haven't gotten it just right yet but its got some power and will probably be all I need. ( I listen to mostly classic rock and classic metal) The system has a lot of possibilities that I am only now really getting into. A lot of the older "vehicle options" like how long the lights stay on after locking are incorporated into this new screen. Thats pretty nice. The car comes with an SD Reader, USB reader, and aux…all in the console. No wires all over the place, which is nice. The car also comes with the Super Track Pack which allows you to change all these different aspects of the car with the screen. Launch control, steering and a few other things are all here. Its very cool. I've only gotten to play with it a little since I haven't hit 500 miles yet but I can definitely see the fun potential!

The Bad: This is where I truly do not like the car. Again I had the base 430 system in my R/T. If I had had better speakers, it would have been perfect for me. Listening to music while driving is key to me enjoying the drive, so to speak. I loved the HDD Drive that you could load your CD's in and have in the system. Guess where the CD player is in the new car? NOWHERE!!! It doesn't have one. :notallthere: I know there are those of us out there that have embraced technology. I'm 33 years old and I consider myself somewhere in the middle. I hate the fact that this digital music only **** is being forced on me. I hate the fact I have to have an IPOD or thumb drive or SD card or whatever to play music. Case in point: Me and the wife went garage sale shopping last week. Ran across a bunch of CD's for cheap. Bought a few for a couple bucks. With the '14 R/T, I would have popped the CD in, played it and burned it onto the system by the time we were home. Instead, I can't do squat with it until I get home, burn it onto a computer, put it in a playlist, burn said playlist onto a thumb drive or whatever, and then plug that in the car. How is this a better idea? There are other parts of the system that bother me as well but this one stands out the most. I also do not understand the need to start the car with my phone. Completely unnecessary, IMO. And what do we get for that little "ability"? A recall not even a week into owning the car because now people can "hack" into your car's computer and take over aspects of it, such as braking and what not. Why was all this necessary again? I would take the old system over this new one in a heartbeat. Hate everything about it besides the performance pages.

Overall:
When I first brought the car home, it was an immediate "WOOOOHOOO!!!!!" cartwheels and what not. Now….not so sure. There are A LOT of aspects of my '14 R/T I do miss greatly. I took a side by side shot before I left and both are really great rides. At first glance the SP has the best color ever in B5 blue. But the '14 front end does kind of look better, minus the color. The '14 had the simpler stereo and more roomy feeling interior, but the SP has that sweeeeeeeeet instrument cluster!!! The SP has the big touchscreen and better sound system, but makes me want to punch a hole in it when I try to figure out the music aspect. This is usually the point I just cut the music off and listen to that PERFECT exhaust tone coming out of that monster!!!!

Long story short…yes its an upgrade overall…but new isn't always better for everything. I'd make sure you're doing plenty of homework before "upgrading".

:thumbsup:
 
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#2 ·
For visual reference.
 

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#3 ·
Very nice and comprehensive review. Thanks very much. I currently have a '10 R/T Classic in B5 Blue with auto trans. I have a B5 Scat Pack Shaker on order with the 6 speed manual. I can't wait. From what I have researched and seen, this Scat Pack has everything my R/T was lacking. There were so many things I wanted to upgrade on the R/T that I decided to just get the Scat Pack. Right now, I can't think of one thing that I want to modify. 'Course, we all know THAT will change. Thanks again...
 
#5 ·
I learned to deal with no CD players. Everything is MP3 now, so I'm good with it.

My 2014 R/T wasn't a bad car, other than the TR6060; however I miss nothing about it compared to my 2015.

Give the Sound Group II some time, I really like mine. Performance is ok for a stock system. My only gripe is that the sub should be enclosed in the trunk and not in the rear deck lid. Open air subs just don't perform well.

They could have put a good 10" in the trunk.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the write up, I've had a 2010 R/T and now own a 2014 SRT and I contemplate from time to time a possible move to either a Scat Pack or possibly a Hellcat, so it's good to have a review from someone with a similar experience. As you have stated I've found there are things I like about the new Scat Packs and some things that I prefer on the 2014, so I'm just not sure that I want to take the plunge right now on a new version. But then I haven't actually taken a new one for a test drive either, just done a little online research and checked a few out visually on the lot.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for the review, I enjoyed reading it. Im basically in your boat, I'm 32 and I have practically the same car (B5 Blue SRT392). I agree with you on most points, but I actually LOVE the entertainment system. I have Spotify on my iPhone and it syncs to the car the second I get in. Play lists and all just strait out of the speakers the second I start driving. Its amazing. I seriously can't remember the last time I played a CD in a car. Its like when Apple got rid of the floppy or the CD rom drive in MacBooks and iMacs. At first people were out raged and couldnt imagine such a thing. Now no one cares. (other than the fringe few that can't move on, or the .0001% of the time you go to a garage sale and buy a CD and want it immediately to listen to in your car). Dodge blew this thing out of the water, and I for one am 100% happy with it. No CD player, no problem. SD card, 3.5 mm jack, USB, Bluetooth, etc... tons of options.
 
#13 ·
Here is a recent video where Racer X discusses the differences between an R/T and Scat Pack Challenger. Also discussed, is the question if the Scat Pack should be labeled an SRT.

Personally, I think that the 6.4 Scat Pack should remain an R/T. Back in the day, the R/T model had a variety of engines- 340, 383, 440 or 426.

The SRT label should be used only for the Hellcat or Redeye.

 
#16 ·
I tell people my SXT is the updated version of the SRT...

A Guy
 
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