As we get older, our priorities start to change. Even the most diehard gear head with motor oil in their veins starts to think about things a little differently in their mid to late 30’s and early 40’s. Whether that is because of marriage, or kids, or pets, or a house or any number of other potential life events, sometimes our goal to own that Corvette, Porsche, McLauren or GTR goes on the back burner. When it comes to kids of either the human kind or the furry kind, the practicality of owning a two door sports car just seems a little far fetched. But … maybe, just maybe, you can have the best of both worlds. A roomy four door that has a legitimate trunk for all the toys, but also just happens to fly like a bat out of hell. That friends, is the 2021 Dodge Charger 392 Scat Pack Widebody.
Now let’s be serious. The Dodge Charger Scat Pack is a beast. The Widebody motif just exaggerates the already menacing look of the Charger much like the Grand Sport package has done for the Corvette in the past. There is zero chance you will confuse it for your average Camry or Sonata. It looks, sounds, and drives like it wants to eat hybrids for breakfast on the way to getting your kids to school a little earlier than usual. Sure the Hellcat and Demon are supercharged monsters, but there is still something about a big block naturally aspirated American V8 that just sings with righteous excess. Power comes from a marvelously enticing 6.4-liter overhead valve V8 that produces a massive 485-horsepower and nearly identical 475 pound-feet of torque. That power is then funneled through a quick-shifting 8-speed automatic and then on to the rear wheels, and only the rear wheels where is belongs. Steamroller sized 20-inch forged aluminum rims shod in Pirelli PZero 305/35R20 tires wait to do their best at harnessing all those ponies and putting them to the pavement.
Like we’ve mentioned, the Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody is a big car. With a full 120-inch wheelbase, this Charger can comfortably seat five adults and sports a passenger volume of 105 cubic feet with an impressive 16.5 cubic feet of cargo space. If that isn’t enough to convince your skeptical spouse that this is technically a family car, how about the fact that there is a litany of safety features available. Full-speed forward collision warning with active braking, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and automatic high-beam headlights all help keep this car from catastrophe. Not only that but there is also adaptive cruise control, electronic stability control, hill start assist, and even rain brake support which is engaged when the wipers are turned on, allows the calipers to slightly grip the rotors to heat them up and dry them off so they can be used at full strength whenever needed.
Sure, all that heft shows up on the scale to the tune of 4,480 pounds which is split up 54/46% front/rear, so this is a very solid feeling car cruising down the interstate. But that weight actually helps this car a bit believe it or not. Anyone that has ever gunned the gas in a pickup truck knows that with very little weight on the rear, the wheels tend to spin with ease. That weight helps keep this Charger planted and when that big V8 gets going, it really gets going. 0-60 mph comes up in a scant 4.2 seconds as it flies through the quarter mile in just 12.7 second at 111 mph. Adaptive dampers and those massive tires help this car scream around the skidpad to the tune of 0.94 g, and come to a screeching halt from 60-0 mph in just 107 feet. Fuel economy chimes in at 15/24/18 city/highway/combined, which, for a near 500-horsepower 4,500 pound sedan is still pretty impressive.
With a base price of just $43,740 there is almost nothing that comes close the Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody in terms of size, performance, and excitement. The hot rod TRD Camry is about ten grand cheaper, but let’s be serious, that isn’t in the same league as this muscle car, while the M5 is three times the cost for slightly better performance and more refinement, but not three times more. So maybe, just maybe, if your sales pitch can be good enough, even though your priorities have shifted to kids and pets and home ownership, maybe you can convince your partner that the Dodge Charger 392 Scat Pack Widebody is the perfect family hauler, emphasis on “haul”.
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