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08-14-2007, 03:11 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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GMI Fixed Ops Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: behind the parts counter
Drives: 31MPG '98 Park Avenue;
21MPG '93 Roadmaster
Posts: 8,362
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Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Just arrived back in Wisconsin after a strong 4 day tour of New York & New Jersey.
Upon arriving @ La-Guardia and renting from Budget...I was upgraded to "Premium" from "Full-Size" hoping I'd have a nice cushy Ford Panther (CV or Grand Marquis), and I was instead offered a Dodge Charger or a Chrysler 300. I had rented a 2005 Chrysler 300 almost 3 years ago, and @ that time I was less than impressed with the overall package, so I figured maybe with the Charger being newer & leaner, maybe some things have since improved. I did take about 5 minutes to quick take 8 photos of this car...which I have attached... I did not photograph the engine or trunk... This car had the 2.7 V6. Driving... Seating position is very good, but that's where it ends...the lumbar is a slide lever...useless for me personally...not effective. I had to have the seat all the way back to be comfortable, and still my left leg was not able to straighten out...I was a little disappointed in that...it made my trip into NJ & back very tiring and my back & bad leg felt it... Controls are very irritating... Beef#1: the cruise control lever is just a few inches above the turnsignal switch. Every time I made a lane change or signaled for a turn...I hit the damn cruise lever 1st. The cruise lever should have been on the other side of the column, steering wheel, or at the the end of the t/signal lever. Beef#2: Wipers do not have a mist feature. Last Friday it was raining off & on all day in NY...sometimes I just needed a simple wipe of the windshield...this needed me to either spray the washers or twist the lever on & off... Beef#3: This car had DRL's...which one side would turn off when signalling...nice...but no automatic headlamps!!!! Kind of lacking there in feature, I think. Beef#4: Cruise control doesn't stay on after ignition cycles...one must push the lever on always...annoying for me at least... Beef#5: Only one trip odometer...I thought these upmarket cars of today all had two... Radio... Easy to use, and it had Sirius channels...I didn't like the Sirius....I'd rather listen to regular radio or CD's...it also had a AUX input... Beef: Sound quality unless in Sirius was poor...AM/FM or CD's sounded like poo-poo, however in the satellite channels...it was great... Steering column...tilt & telescope was good...however very difficult to use and impossible to adjust while driving.... When I got into the car the wheel had been collapsed in all the way...seemed too unnatural for me, I adjusted it out about 2/3 of the way out... Gas mileage was poor...this car had 12500 miles on it already...it should have been well broken in... Of the 3 fill ups I had...the best was 20.9, which was all highway travel...the worst 16.4 which was city & suburban, the other was 50/50 suburban & highway....19.1...I do better with a 14 y/old Roadmaster! Interior trim...well....IMO the Grand Prix & this Charger must share plastics...& GP executes it better...the fit on the interior was terrible I thought... Chrysler should get ride of the faux pewter inserts on the steering wheel...these were peeling on this car already...and they were only on the top spokes, not the bottom...I would have preferred an all black wheel myself... Also the rear of the steering wheel had sharp edges on the bolt access holes...it actually cut my one finger open!!!! Rearward views with this car is also terrible...the blockout on the rear door hampers much for me anyways...if the rear of the rear door had a simple frame instead of a "design cue"...driving would have been a little easier.... The trunk seemed bigger than the 300 I had in September 2004, but the opening, as typical of most sedans today was a little small. The trunk latch also hangs a bit low off the lid...I know this from hitting my head twice on it!!!!!!!!! One last thing...I was on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, & was stopped waiting for the tool booth, and the car shook! I thought the bridge was shaking!!!! The idle quality sometimes on this car was terrible...if it was in gear & idling...the car hopped up & down! 
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certified GM Dealer Parts Manager since 1994 GM Dealer Parts employee since 1987 AMC-Jeep-Renault Dealer Parts employee 1987-90 holder of many GM accredations, too numerous to list Last edited by GMCSonoma : 11-15-2007 at 01:46 PM. |
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08-14-2007, 04:05 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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GMI Fixed Ops Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: behind the parts counter
Drives: 31MPG '98 Park Avenue;
21MPG '93 Roadmaster
Posts: 8,362
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
The moral of the story...
I wish I would have kept the Taurus Classic I had originally reserved or had rec'd a Panther instead...
__________________
certified GM Dealer Parts Manager since 1994 GM Dealer Parts employee since 1987 AMC-Jeep-Renault Dealer Parts employee 1987-90 holder of many GM accredations, too numerous to list Last edited by GMCSonoma : 08-14-2007 at 04:59 PM. |
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08-14-2007, 04:34 PM
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#5 (permalink) |
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3.6 Liter V6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Pearland, TX
Drives: 1989 GMC Suburban
1968 Buick Skylark
Posts: 1,130
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Thanks for the review. It was real informative. I wonder if the 2.7 is lugging around too much weight? I wonder if the 3.5 would get better mileage?
The blue looks pretty good on the Charger though. I like the color. |
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08-14-2007, 04:40 PM
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#6 (permalink) |
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7.0 Liter LS7 V8
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NC
Drives: 2006 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Z-71
Posts: 7,470
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
I was never informed you left!
 Anyway, good review. I actually saw a car similar to this yesterday. On the fender was the 2.7 sticker. I thought how small that engine must be in that car. I'm sure it had trouble getting out of it's own way, and can tell by the MPG numbers that it worked itself to death. Sorry you had to deal with this POS on vacation. Off topic, did you get any pics of ground zero? I would love to see them if you get the chance to post 'em!
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"Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men." -Patton |
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08-14-2007, 05:00 PM
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#7 (permalink) | ||
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GMI Fixed Ops Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: behind the parts counter
Drives: 31MPG '98 Park Avenue;
21MPG '93 Roadmaster
Posts: 8,362
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Quote:
It seemed peppy enough...like a Century or GP with a 3.1... Quote:
No, didn't get near Ground Zero...
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certified GM Dealer Parts Manager since 1994 GM Dealer Parts employee since 1987 AMC-Jeep-Renault Dealer Parts employee 1987-90 holder of many GM accredations, too numerous to list |
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08-14-2007, 05:09 PM
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#8 (permalink) |
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7.0 Liter LS7 V8
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: DC Metro Area
Drives: 58 Belvedere;
61 LeSabre; 96 Fleetwood; 07 SRX
Posts: 8,088
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
WE WERE ON LONG ISLAND AT THE SAME TIME AND YOU DIDN'T STOP IN FOR A DRING OR A DRAG RACE OR A HUG!!!!!!????????
It does have a mist feature. I don't remember now how to do it since it's been a few months since I was in a Magnum, but it's there. The cruise control has been relocated for '08. The fuel economy is far worse than what I got with the Magnum 2.7L I rented for a week last month. Something wasn't right with the Charger. You didn't comment on driving characteristics. I find the LX cars to be fantastic performers on the open road, and their solid structures help with the bumps and twists. And you're right, the trunk is bigger in the Charger compared with the 300. The Charger is also longer overall. Sounds like the car you rented sells for retail around $22,000 before discounts/incentives. You get a lot of good engineering and nice features for that money. Oh, and I think I had a similar experience with the bolt holes in the Magnum's steering wheel. No such thing happened with my 300C, though.
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Used to own: 1959 Cadillac Series 62, 1960 AMC Rambler Six, 1998 Chevrolet Malibu, 2000 Saturn LS2, 2005 Chrysler 300C, 2006 Pontiac G6 GTP |
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08-14-2007, 05:17 PM
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#9 (permalink) |
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6.0 Liter LS2 V8
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Waterville, OH
Drives: 2003 Nissan Maxima SE
Posts: 4,321
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Rental companies are so full of puckey when they claim to call the base trim of the less expensive model a "Premium Car." I know that rental companies pretty much classify all the cars they rent as one class up from what they are in reality, but calling that Charger "Premium" is bologna.
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I reject your reality and substitute my own. Current: Super Black 2003 Nissan Maxima SE Former: Brilliant Blue Metallic 1995 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD |
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08-14-2007, 05:22 PM
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#10 (permalink) | |
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Starship Enterpise
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 17,204
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Quote:
To GMC, the 2.7L in the LX is a DOG and the base models (of any trim level) aren't nice. If you load up an LX they have some good features (like the automatic headlamps). Somethings standard on GM cars are optional on Chrysler cars, it is something I can't get used to.
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The moderation here gets an F for FAILURE. |
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08-14-2007, 07:15 PM
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#12 (permalink) | |
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Starship Enterpise
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 17,204
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Quote:
__________________
The moderation here gets an F for FAILURE. |
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08-14-2007, 08:19 PM
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#13 (permalink) |
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GMI Fixed Ops Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: behind the parts counter
Drives: 31MPG '98 Park Avenue;
21MPG '93 Roadmaster
Posts: 8,362
|
Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
What features????
I never tried pushing the stalk..thinking that turned the hi-beams on...IMO that seems a little back-**** to me... The car rode OK enough, nothing to write home about, no better than a GM W-body, IMO... The car itself was noisy powertrain-wise...the steering was very noisy at low speed maneuvers, the transmission whined in 1st & 2nd gears...which was slightly annoying. I was glad to get into my Buick for the trip home from the airport...
__________________
certified GM Dealer Parts Manager since 1994 GM Dealer Parts employee since 1987 AMC-Jeep-Renault Dealer Parts employee 1987-90 holder of many GM accredations, too numerous to list Last edited by GMCSonoma : 08-14-2007 at 08:48 PM. |
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08-14-2007, 08:54 PM
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#14 (permalink) | |
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Starship Enterpise
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 17,204
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
Quote:
__________________
The moderation here gets an F for FAILURE. |
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08-14-2007, 09:12 PM
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#15 (permalink) |
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3.8 Liter Supercharged V6
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rochester Hills, MI, USA
Drives: 2007 Lincoln MKX
Posts: 661
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Re: Rental Car review: 2007 Dodge Charger 2.7 V6
This is the splitting image of my neighbors car, same color and all.
I never asked what he thinks of it, but he seems to buy anything that's cheap and on sale so I know it was a bargain  I think the car is ugly as sin, I only wish somebody at Ford could get their hands on that platform and turn it into an Interceptor |
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