There was some back and forth at the office as to what color the 2016 Dodge Charger Scat Pack might be, suggestions included white, red or black. We were hoping for a fairly subtle color to go with the Charger’s more subdued looks than it’s Challenger brother. Understated looks but carries a big stick kind of thing. So our tester arrived in Plum Crazy, and subtle went straight out the window, but on the plus side it makes for great photos.

The Scat Pack Charger follows the same recipe as the Challenger Scat Pack we tested last year, except with 2 more doors and a longer wheelbase. It shares its naturally aspirated, 392-cubic-inch V-8 (6.4 liter) with the more high tech and more expensive SRT 392 model. The V8 makes 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque and drives through the excellent 8 speed auto we have raved about before.

Our Charger, once again, was the automatic version, and as it turns out, is actually great fun to drive and positively grin inducing . In addition to the enormous engine you get an active exhaust, and excellent Brembo brakes. You only miss out on SRT’s adjustable suspension, and the SRT badges are replaced by a Scat Pack badge on the front grille.

So How Does It Drive?

That V8 helps push this massive automobile to sixty in 4.6 seconds, which is pretty good for a car weighing 4,400 lb. The extra doors add a bit more weight, however, we felt that we got better traction because of it. As usual we spent all of our time in Sport mode which turns the Go pedal into a hair trigger, the slightest application of throttle and the car surges forward with varying degrees of wheel spin. Turn the traction control off and you can have endless fun spinning the rear tires, and it’s all very easy to control. Dodge has done another great job with this car and given a more subtle color we prefer it to the Challenger. Props once again to the the 8 speed which swaps cogs extremely fast, and does a very good impression of a dual clutch.

It does a pretty good job of controlling its girth on the twisty bits. Steering is direct and with 2.5 turns to lock you can hustle this huge car pretty well. Push too hard into a corner though and it will under steer, but nothing that a dab of throttle won’t correct. The ride is on the hard side but it’s a small price to pay to keep the car controlled. The big Brembos upfront are excellent stoppers and were completely fade free even during harsh testing.

Anyone For Donuts?

Inside

It’s all fairly basic inside, our car didn’t have navigation or heated seats but we didn’t care, the engine will warm you up in no time. Seats are comfortable and hold you in place well and are cloth, true to the car’s blue collar roots. Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system works great and is better than many other car brands. Bluetooth set up is simple and for the most part the touch screen is simple to use. I really liked the old school speedometer and overall driving position except the gas pedal has a very long travel so getting situated ideally was a bit of a fumble.

Back seat passengers get tons of room, in fact I can’t think of anything that completes with this power and at this price point except for the Chevrolet SS, which won’t be around for much longer.

Verdict

In a power per dollar sense, this Scat Pack is a bargain, our tester coming in at $41,385 and with four doors you won’t have to grease up granny to get her in the back seat, like you would with a Mustang or Camaro…….and of course, neither of them comes in plum crazy purple.

2016 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Numbers

BASE PRICE: $39,995
PRICE AS TESTED: $41,385
ENGINE: 6.4L 16-valve V-8
POWER: 485 hp @ 6000 rpm
TORQUE: 475 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 4,400 lb
0-60 mph: 4.6 sec
30-50 mph: 1.91 sec
50 – 70 mph: 3.45 sec
BRAKING: 60-0 mph: 109 ft
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 15/25/18 mpg
OUR OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 16.1 MPG