07-15-2018, 01:40 PM | #1 |
Drives: 2016 SS Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Richland WA
Posts: 451
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Been Driving a Challenger
So my 17 LT has been in the body shop for the last week getting the bumper damage fixed that was cause by a landscape business running a weed eater to close to my car!🤬🤬 I rented a Challenger to drive because I’ve always liked the looks but had never driven one. Of course this is a rental version so it’s short on options and has their V6 auto.
I have to say, I’ve been very disappointed in the entire car. I like the retro look, maybe because I had a couple high school buddies that drove Callengers back in the 70s, but I didn’t expect the retro feel! To me coming from my 16SS and my 17LT, the Challenger just feels big and clumsy. The car I’m driving has 7500 miles on it and the transmission is terrible. The shifts are slow and often times clunky, shifting from reverse to drive takes a count of two, and in general the trans reminds me of something out of the 80s. The engine pulls ok once it finds the right gear and gets some rpms, but it’s slow getting to that point. Beyond the mechanical issues, the car just feels big and boring! Sure, any of the V8s would probably make it a lot more interesting, but the car is still a pig. My 17 Camaro is a V6 but is still fun to drive and way more engaging! I’m glad I’ve scratched that itch, but please hurry and finish my Camaro so I can take this car back to Enterprise!! |
07-15-2018, 02:02 PM | #2 |
Drives: 2016 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: North Jersey
Posts: 591
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You went from a 16SS to a 17LT? Why?
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07-15-2018, 02:04 PM | #3 |
Lovin the growl...
Drives: 2018 2SS Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Rogers, Arkansas
Posts: 926
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Personally, I’ve never been too keen on the retro look from the challenger or the mustang (Tho i had a 2004 stang convert that I loved a while back). Still nice to hear your opinion after driving one.
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2018 2SS: Garnet Red, NPP, Kalahari interior, sky lid.
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07-15-2018, 02:07 PM | #4 | |
Banned
Drives: 2017 Super Sport Cam. Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: US
Posts: 893
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Quote:
I drove an R/T ver with stick a few years ago when had my 5th Gen Camaro. It was a nice car...can't compare it the the 6 cyl. Totally different engine and suspension setup. |
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07-15-2018, 02:08 PM | #5 |
Banned
Drives: 2017 Super Sport Cam. Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: US
Posts: 893
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07-15-2018, 02:11 PM | #6 |
Drives: 2016 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: North Jersey
Posts: 591
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07-15-2018, 04:52 PM | #7 |
Account Suspended
Drives: Camaro V6 Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: U.S.
Posts: 1,722
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Nice slam post about how you hate Challenger. Think of it this way, though. That big ole sloppy handling slow shifting Challenger is kicking both the Mustang and Camaro's butt in sales.
The things you complain about is par for the course. The Challenger is a modern day muscle car, not a sports car. The Camaro, especially the 6th gen, is more sports car like than it has ever heen. Instead of marketing more CUVs, GM could have developed a competitor to the hot selling Challenger and maybe called it...oh let's say...the Chevelle. A car like that would sell like hotcakes to people who like the Camaro but need just a little more room. Unfortunately, GM won't do anything wise like that. |
07-15-2018, 04:56 PM | #8 |
Drives: 2018 Camaro 1SS Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: DFW
Posts: 422
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I drove my friend’s 6 cylinder here and there. Not too bad to be honest. Its not sharp handling car for sure.
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07-15-2018, 05:09 PM | #9 | |
Drives: 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR Join Date: May 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 964
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Quote:
Challenger has taken off due to the successful halo effect of the Hellcat and Demon so the yuppies are now going to that. It's the same effect the 5th gen Camaro had. Not only was it the return of an historic nameplate, GM successfully got the halo effect from it being Bumblebee. That's why the 5th gen sold so well. Now that the Transformers franchise has somewhat fallen out of favor due to the ever decreasing quality of the franchise since Transformers 4, GM has lost the halo effect. You're seriously advocating GM to develop and market a sports coupe which is a stagnant/shrinking segment over crossovers which are THE thing in the industry right now like how SUV's and trucks were back in the 90's and 00's. |
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07-15-2018, 05:11 PM | #10 | |
Drives: LT W/2LT,blue metallic Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: central florida
Posts: 4,915
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Quote:
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07-15-2018, 05:33 PM | #11 | |
Account Suspended
Drives: Camaro V6 Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: U.S.
Posts: 1,722
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Quote:
You can blame the decreasing quality of the Transformers franchise all you want, but the 6th gen sales woes are primarily due to the restyle. Yeah, styling still matters in this market segment. The Challenger is expected to continue on for the long term. So, it's only logical to think that GM would have a competitor in the muscle car segment as the Camaro moves up into more of a sports car territory. However, this is a would've, could've, should've been. More CUV's is where the market is right now and that's what we got with the new Blazer for '19. |
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07-15-2018, 05:50 PM | #12 | |
Drives: 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR Join Date: May 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 964
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Quote:
I didn't say it was just due to Transformers. It was the combination of Transformers and the return of the nameplate. The pent up demand would have dried out most likely by the 2012-2013 MY, but the 5th gen remained strong through out the generation. I am also not blaming just the decreasing halo from the transformers franchise either for the 6th gens downfall. It's part of the equation. The Challenger has been the same car for the last 10 years on the same 20 year old platform with some styling updates along the way. It was bringing up the rear in a very distant third until Dodge slapped a 707 HP engine into it and successfully marketed it. Cause if it is the styling of the Challenger that is causing the uprising, it wouldn't have been averaging 3000 sales a month when Mustang and 5th gen Camaro was pulling in 7000-10,000 sales a month before the Hellcat. The yuppies are buying the Challenger now because of the Hellcat. Sort of like people who buy a 320i and slap a M3 badge on it because they want people to think they have a Hellcat instead of a V6 Challenger or R/T. You can also argue with the market shifting towards CUV's/practical cars, the Challenger is the only vehicle in the segment that has the most practicality to sell to the family. A Chevelle is just not going to happen. GM doesn't have a platform for it, would still overlap with the Camaro too much, and they are done with just straight line machines. |
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07-15-2018, 05:52 PM | #13 |
Drives: 2016 SS Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Richland WA
Posts: 451
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07-15-2018, 05:56 PM | #14 |
Drives: 2016 SS Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Richland WA
Posts: 451
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