Man what a summer it has been, we have reviewed quite a few cars during this summer; back to back. We decided we would end our summer reviews with a full on road trip to wrap it up. We headed down to Virginia Beach, VA and took the 2012 Dodge Challenger SXT along for the ride. So how did the Challenger fare along the way; and what did we think of it?
Style
Oh man was this car a looker! The loaner we received was a nice dark gray with a red racing stripe in the middle. Then it had matching rims that had a red ring around it as well. Once you got to the inside, the matching continued with a two-toned leather that is red and gray as well. Inside and out this car looked bad ass!
Everything about the look of this car was just great. If we were going to wrap the summer with any car, this was definitely the one. And along the way to Virgina Beach many agreed. Along the way to VA, so many people gave their nod or thumbs up of approval. Once we made it to the beach, throughout the week I had many people stop and ask questions about the Challenger, including one lengthy conversation at a Wendy’s drive through with the store worker. The Challenger definitely stood out and made a impression with people whenever we went!
Tech
The tech goodies in the Challenger were good. I have no complaints in this department. I had my Bluetooth connectivity for calls and my music, so was happy there. Power windows with no need to hold the buttons were also present. There was CD/DVD/Nav, and Satellite radio on tap if I needed them.
I used the Navigation quite a lot on this trip. I used it to map my way down to the hotel we were staying in and just looking up local attractions in the area. No problems with Navigation here, which is handy when you are doing a road trip. Can’t have any direction problems or that would make for a bad trip. But the Challenger excelled at that challenge!
Experience
Ah the Dodge Challenger SXT was an awesome ride for this road trip, and I think would make a great car to use on any road trip. The car looked great, quite the talk of the town. The gas was not bad at all, I would have been able to make it from New York to the beach with still some gas to spare (I put some more in before I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, just out of nervousness lol). During the whole trip, I averaged about 25.5 MPG, which isn’t bad at all and puts it above the combined EPA estimate of 21 MPG, so not bad at all Dodge!
The ride was smooth all the way down, though we could feel the bumps and it back somewhat of a roller-coaster on bumpier roads. With the Bluetooth connectivity; playing the music I wanted was there and made for a pleasant experience. Although I wouldn’t suggest using Spotify during your whole drive down. Wasn’t the car’s fault at all, but 6 days into my new cycle I had already chewed through 2.5GB of my plan, ouch! But overall this was a great road trip car.
Wrap Up
As we wrapped up the summer, we end it with our review of the 2012 Dodge Challenger SXT. Our loaner as configured clocked in at $32,300 which isn’t half bad; considering the look and goodies we had inside. If you are looking for a muscle car with some tech goodies as well, I encourage you to take a hard look at the Dodge Challenger. I personally still love the Chevy Camaro, but this one has caught my eye as well!
This month as a heads up, I’ll be checking out a Ford Mustang GT, so after that I think I’ll crown one king of the American muscle cars after my comparison.
