Hit 600 mile marker today. Thought folks my be interested in my impressions.
Picked the car up 2 weeks ago. Since then I've done a number of daily commutes, around town shopping trips plus a number of recreational blasts :bigthumb:
Power delivery for the 45/50-70/75mph for overtaking is simply awesome. You need to push the accelerator past what seems to be a pre-defined point to give the auto transmission its wake up call to drop into a lower gear. Was a little frustrating at first, but once you get used to the pressure needed it quickly becomes instinctive and after a very brief delay (less than a normal manual shift) the low gear is smoothly selected and the car rapidly flies past the car in front
. Gear change rpms seems to be dependent on how much gas you've given it. The more you've pressed the pedal the higher the tranny will let the rpms rise before upshifting. 9 out 10 for overtaking speed power delivery.
Standing starts are great on dry, smooth surfaces. Great engine roar and very quick speed pick up. On greasy or bumpy pavement its clear the traction control takes over and take offs can be a little labored until your moving but then you're quickly back on the juice. 9 out of 10, good conditions, 6 out of 10 non-ideal pavement.
The handling is very impressive at all times. Steering feedback gives confidence with spirited cornering and the F1's have stunning grip. The stability control gives you the confidence of Michael Schumacher when you put the pedal down on a sweeping bend. The suspension handles bumps in tight bends extremely well for a big car. I've had a couple of moments when I hit an uneven section on one side of the car in a quick bend (50+) and the car took the bump with minimal sideways movement and no fuss or excessive twitch. I definitely have confidence that the car can handle these events very well, unlike the fixed rear suspensioned Mustang. All in all the programmers have done a great job with the traction control and stability control. I haven't yet turned off the TC or ESP yet, but I will once I've got better knowledge of the cars capabilities and limitations, or when I hit the track. All in all 8 out 10 for handling.
I was also keen to check out the car's poise in wet weather and am pleased to say that in pretty heavy rain (no standing water though) the car never got twitchy, took corners with great poise and most importantly is a pleasure to drive in the wet. Only thing to note is the TC does seem to intervene big time if you plant your foot, even at 50 mph. Which is great, since I feel it won't catch my wife out if she hits bad weather. So I give it a 9 out 10 in the wet with all the computer assistance on. Well done Dodge, the beast is nicely caged when needing to be :thumbsup:.
As for the auto transmission if you are in general gentle driving mode it is very conservative and upshifts to 5th quickly. However, if you start to drive more spiritedly it quickly gets the idea and will leave it in 3rd around a bend and the accelerator seems more direct again, giving back the feeling of a manual and the zip when you want it. Also, tried out the autostick a few times. Okay, the shifts are a bit clunky, but, and this is a big but, when you are in manual mode the accelerator feels much more direct. 3rd gear has ample power acrosse 30-90mph, more than sufficient for cruising in twistier sections. Wish the autostick was forward and back or flappy paddles instead of left/right which feels wrong. Also wish there was a mode selection for the tranny, even just a sports mode would have been nice to tighten up the accelerator and give more consistent higher rpm shifts. Transmission 6 out of 10 (but its still bloody good).
As I expected the car does feel a bit bulky around town due to its weight and traction restrictions on uneven pavement. But the exhaust and engine notes tone down well under 40mph hence the car cruises around nicely and it sure does get attention. It really feels like a car built for the open road....one with 150mph speed limits.
One final thing I think is cool is the awesome low frequency pop you get when the car shifts gear when accelerating hard.
Love it Dodge, truly love it. Now I just have to get the Nav fixed and hope its doesn't cut out again I'd love to hear others experience, especially on great driving roads (mountains, etc) that I don't have around here, sadly.
Picked the car up 2 weeks ago. Since then I've done a number of daily commutes, around town shopping trips plus a number of recreational blasts :bigthumb:
Power delivery for the 45/50-70/75mph for overtaking is simply awesome. You need to push the accelerator past what seems to be a pre-defined point to give the auto transmission its wake up call to drop into a lower gear. Was a little frustrating at first, but once you get used to the pressure needed it quickly becomes instinctive and after a very brief delay (less than a normal manual shift) the low gear is smoothly selected and the car rapidly flies past the car in front
. Gear change rpms seems to be dependent on how much gas you've given it. The more you've pressed the pedal the higher the tranny will let the rpms rise before upshifting. 9 out 10 for overtaking speed power delivery.Standing starts are great on dry, smooth surfaces. Great engine roar and very quick speed pick up. On greasy or bumpy pavement its clear the traction control takes over and take offs can be a little labored until your moving but then you're quickly back on the juice. 9 out of 10, good conditions, 6 out of 10 non-ideal pavement.
The handling is very impressive at all times. Steering feedback gives confidence with spirited cornering and the F1's have stunning grip. The stability control gives you the confidence of Michael Schumacher when you put the pedal down on a sweeping bend. The suspension handles bumps in tight bends extremely well for a big car. I've had a couple of moments when I hit an uneven section on one side of the car in a quick bend (50+) and the car took the bump with minimal sideways movement and no fuss or excessive twitch. I definitely have confidence that the car can handle these events very well, unlike the fixed rear suspensioned Mustang. All in all the programmers have done a great job with the traction control and stability control. I haven't yet turned off the TC or ESP yet, but I will once I've got better knowledge of the cars capabilities and limitations, or when I hit the track. All in all 8 out 10 for handling.
I was also keen to check out the car's poise in wet weather and am pleased to say that in pretty heavy rain (no standing water though) the car never got twitchy, took corners with great poise and most importantly is a pleasure to drive in the wet. Only thing to note is the TC does seem to intervene big time if you plant your foot, even at 50 mph. Which is great, since I feel it won't catch my wife out if she hits bad weather. So I give it a 9 out 10 in the wet with all the computer assistance on. Well done Dodge, the beast is nicely caged when needing to be :thumbsup:.
As for the auto transmission if you are in general gentle driving mode it is very conservative and upshifts to 5th quickly. However, if you start to drive more spiritedly it quickly gets the idea and will leave it in 3rd around a bend and the accelerator seems more direct again, giving back the feeling of a manual and the zip when you want it. Also, tried out the autostick a few times. Okay, the shifts are a bit clunky, but, and this is a big but, when you are in manual mode the accelerator feels much more direct. 3rd gear has ample power acrosse 30-90mph, more than sufficient for cruising in twistier sections. Wish the autostick was forward and back or flappy paddles instead of left/right which feels wrong. Also wish there was a mode selection for the tranny, even just a sports mode would have been nice to tighten up the accelerator and give more consistent higher rpm shifts. Transmission 6 out of 10 (but its still bloody good).
As I expected the car does feel a bit bulky around town due to its weight and traction restrictions on uneven pavement. But the exhaust and engine notes tone down well under 40mph hence the car cruises around nicely and it sure does get attention. It really feels like a car built for the open road....one with 150mph speed limits.
One final thing I think is cool is the awesome low frequency pop you get when the car shifts gear when accelerating hard.
Love it Dodge, truly love it. Now I just have to get the Nav fixed and hope its doesn't cut out again
I'd love to hear others experience, especially on great driving roads (mountains, etc) that I don't have around here, sadly.
