Prospective New Buyer: Questions and Comments after Test Drive

Hi folks,

I am a prospective buyer of a Challenger 392 Scat Pack with the 6-spd manual in F8 Green (I love that color!). I have searched high and low for a 392 Challenger with the manual to test drive but they are tough to find (especially nowadays). So recently I test drove a Challenger with the 5.7L and a 6-spd manual and overall I REALLY liked the car.

I figure the driving dynamics of a Challenger 5.7L should be similar to one with a 6.4L with the exception of more power. But feel free to chime in if I am wrong.

During my test drive I purposely drove with the radio off so I could pick up on any little noises (wind noise, road noise, cabin noise etc). I did notice a couple of things while driving:
First, I noticed a subtle "hum" when engaging the clutch. I know from past experience that noise from the clutch is not good and that it could mean the throw-out bearing is going out. On the flip side, I know manual performance cars that have heavy duty clutches tend to be more noisy so maybe it's that...Is this a normal sound?
Second, the shifting through the gates felt kind of notchy. Is this attributed to being a brand-new transmission that needs to be broken in?

I also would like some opinions from people who have the "Driver Convenience Package". This package comes with Blind-spot and Cross-path detection, Power Mirrors and HID Headlights.
For those that have owned this kind of car for some time is this package a must have?

Visibility out of the car was decent for being a coupe (with the exception of the back window) however this was based on only a 20-minutes test drive. Something tells me as time passes you will REALLY learn if the visibility is good or not.

Any feedback is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

I can not help with many of your questions but I do know that the driving dynamics are NOT the same with the 5.7 unless you order some of the options with it, like the performance suspension package. I've read many reviews from the so-called 'experts' that claim it to be a real need for the 5.7 R/T. I certainly listened and did that with my 2020. My car handles as well as the bigger Hemi or any Mustang or Camaro, so I have to agree with them.

I do have the Driver Convenience Group package as well. It's a nice plus for sure but I certainly could live without it too.

Before pulling the trigger on that 5.7 you really need to learn the maintenance history, plus what options it came with. if heavily optioned with those performance 'goodies', and the maintenance history is provided, you may be good to go. Someone else will have to chime in about the 6 speed as I have the A8.

 

My apologies as I should have specified I test drove a brand new 2021 5.7L Challenger and intend to factory order a 6.4L Challenger. I've dealt with used performance cars in the past and you never know what your are going to get besides whats on the carfax. I am willing to pay new car price to avoid any "surprises" when it comes to maintenance or wear and tear ha.

You are right about the suspension upgrades. The 5.7L i test drove was the stock supsension (or at least it didn't say it was upgrades on the window sticker). It rode decent and cruised down the highway pretty good.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback! Every little bit helps!

 

I have found that sometimes switching over to different Manual transmission fluids have helped with shifting from being notchy and grinding gears to like slicing a piece of cake so much smoother. In that case I switched from the factory fluid Mercon to REDLINE MTL. With Dodge and being a new car I don't know if that would void your warranty or be an issue but may help in manual trans shifting.

 

First ... Welcome to the forum. It's not the biggest forum in the world, but you'll get straight answers from knowledgeable and mostly-friendly people. And, of course, internet know-it-alls like me. After all, I am a YouTube Certified Mechanic.

Regarding your questions ... I have a 2015 Challenger SRT 392 with a 6-speed manual. And, I previously owned a 2011 Challenger R/T Classic with a 5.7L/345ci engine ... though it had an automatic 5-speed ... so I hope I can offer you some real-world comparisons.

The torque and power from the 392 is obviously stronger than the 345. Doesn't mean that you have to use it every time you drive the car, but it will let you know it's there. It is certainly to be respected. I'd own either a second time.

My 6-speed is a little notchy when cold but is then fairly smooth once everything is up to operating temperature. Many users have complained about the 1st to 2nd shift as being where the notchiness is the worst and I agree. In fact, that's really the only notchy shift in my car. I've wondered if it's because of the presence of the lockout that forces a 1st to 4th shift under certain circumstances. (Easily defeated with a $20 Skip Shift Eliminator harness.)

I switched to a Barton Shifter to eliminate the "slop" that plagues some (many) 6-speeds. Someone recently suggested that Dodge has at least partially resolved that issue ... but I haven't driven a new(er) car to compare.

My car has the Driver's Convenience Group and the Cross Path is helpful when you're backing out of a parking space. Though ... I usually back into parking spaces to avoid scraping the front splitter on a curb or bump-stop. If you know how to properly set your side-view mirrors, then the Blind Spot feature isn't a huge deal on the road. But it never hurts to have another set of "eyes" and mine has saved me a couple of times when I got lazy with my mirrors.

I really like the HID headlights. Though I read a lot of comments from guys that don't think they're bright enough. I like to see where I'm going without blinding oncoming traffic. I just don't need to be able to count the number of hairs surrounding a opossum's "wrecked-em."

When you order your car ... include the Adaptive Suspension option if you're getting a standard body opposed to a wide body. It's stock on the wide body cars. The "Street" setting on the Adaptive Suspension makes the Scat Pack have a smoother ride than without. Sadly ... it's not available on the R/T 5.7L/345ci Challengers. If it was, I'd step back to an R/T for a variety of other reasons. But at age 62+, I care a little more about comfort than I did when I was younger.

Good Luck with your search. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

That's great nothing wrong with a smoother ride especially on these beat up roads. A great cushion for comfort.

 

i have a 2020 Scat, Shaker, Frostbite color, with 6 speed manual.
1st to 2nd gear can be a little wonky, hard to get into gear if held in 1st gear to long.
weird, but true, most times no problems at all, has the dynamic package and drivers convenience pkge
275 20 tires. bad ass car

 

Very similar. I have a 2016 Scat Pack M6, and I've gotten R/Ts a couple of times as rentals.

Normal.

You get used to it, and it smooths out a bit with time. The gearbox is a lot heavier than most you'll run into on the street, so it's going to take a bit more force to engage.

My car does not have it. I have rented cars with it, and FWIW I absolutely HATE the blind spot nonsense. I do not like lights flashing at me when I'm driving normally. YMMV. Mine does have power mirrors, though, which I guess is standard on the Scat Pack.

It depends on what you have driven in the past. Visibility is great compared to a Camaro or box truck, not so good compared to some family sedans and P/U trucks. With the rear camera, I find it to be fine for parking maneuvers, and if you set the side mirrors properly (really important), the blind spots aren't terribly big.

 

tHOSE Camaros have always had bad outward vision and gives you a sunken in feeling. They say Challenger has poor rear visibility but it isn't the worst.