Something something Dylan the times are changing. Especially in the automotive sphere. And I can’t think of a more poignant example of it than the recent news that the next Generation Dodge Challenger and Charger are going to be electric.
The LX cars have had an interesting lifecycle. When they were released to the car buying public back in ’04 alongside the Magnum wagon they already seemed has-beens. The Daimler acquisition meant that, apart from propelling the correct wheels for (not really that) large Americana they compared rather unfavorably against their Iacocca-era LH counterparts and worst, next to the competition.
But over the past…too long, the refinements of the platform as well as Chrysler / FCA / Stellantis refusal to compromise them has resulted in some very interesting vehicles for the money-conscious enthusiast. Every year we say this is the last power bump they get and then they proceed to make stuff like the 800 HP Charger Hellcat Redeye available to anyone who can pass a credit check and doesn’t mind the insurance premium.
But like the crazy people with the sandwich board announcing the end times, if you keep predicting the end, you’ll eventually be right. And so it is now that we have confirmed that the next generation of Dodge muscle cars will not make a supercharge whine or a V8 rumble. Not even the reserved hum of the corporate V6, but whatever sound Stellantis programmers deem good enough to keep absent minded pedestrians from receiving a surprise gift of Dodge to the back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2_9-P7P4eI
It’s unfortunate. It’s also inevitable I guess. I expect we’ll have a new fast version that will smoke its dinosaur powered ancestors with the same ease a Lucid Air can walk away from the fastest Charger money can buy. And I expect I will be drooling about that one in short order. But a large part of the experience will remain gone and replaced by the apathy of silence and electric motor whine. Like watching a movie you just find okay for the second time, the surprises are gone, the rest of the movie remains.
Then again, looking at the top echelons of the lineup to think about its entirety is an unfortunately common mistake. After all, back in the day the most common model you’d see was not going to be the ones that would go on to command millions at the auction floor, but it’s lower-powered, actually affordable sister. Complete with a 225ci Slant Six and a three-speed manual. With any luck the invisible options would include power brakes, Air conditioning (Airtemp!), and the very desirable cassette player. “Secretary spec” they called them back in the days. And I know that even on a much smaller market when kids aren’t contortionists and safety regs mean that doing any family activities on a two-door is an exercise in frustration and reminders of your gone youth, some people would absolutely adore to drive around in a car they thought looked cool before but didn’t want to own because “it uses too much gas”. Yes, even the V6.
Some of them may actually be executive assistants.
