2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-...photo-5700036/


I can pinpoint the exact moment when I fell in love with this car. It was starting down a nearly straight entrance ramp at 15 miles per hour when I buried the throttle. In a moment, I was thrown back into my seat as the big SRT8's engine came to life with commensurate sound, fury and force, bringing me up to 75 mph in what felt like two blinks of an eye. This thing feels so much quicker than its 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque would lead you to believe. And mashing the right pedal never, ever gets old.

But beyond sheer speed, I found a whole lot to like about the Charger SRT8 during my week with the Pitch Black test car here in Detroit. And while the whole Super Bee kit isn't really my style, it's really easy to overlook those badges for a package that offers so much for so little.

Driving Notes

• Like I said, the 392 Hemi engine feels much more powerful than its numbers might suggest. Chrysler estimates that the car will rip off 0-60 times in the high-four-second range, and you'll pass the quarter mile just before the 13-second mark.
• And then there's the transmission. Dodge fits a five-speed automatic unit to its 6.4-liter Hemi here in the Charger, and while that's almost an archaic piece of technology by today's standards (and considering that the recently refreshed Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with the same engine uses an eight-speed auto), it's still well-suited to the big motor. Shifts happen quickly, both up and down the range, and because there are only five ratios, there's less hunting around between cogs.
• There are steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, but the transmission felt best when left to its own devices. Just hit the throttle when you want to go, and you'll go. There's no drama, just speed.
• The rub, though, is with fuel economy – at best, you'll manage 23 miles per gallon on the highway, and my average of 16 mpg fell just short of the estimated 17-mpg combined rating. Oh, well.
• But this thing is just so damn fun to drive. You can get the rear tires to spin at every stoplight, but in an incredibly manageable and playful fashion. Likewise, it's easy to nudge the rump out around turns, and the thick, leather-wrapped SRT steering wheel is a joy to toss back and forth.
• This is a big, heavy car, though, and you won't forget it from behind the wheel. At no point would I describe its handling as nimble or precise, but it's not nearly as tough to wrangle as you might imagine. There are big Brembo brakes to keep all that power in line, and you don't need to turn off the traction nannies to have a good time.
• Visually, the Super Bee kit offers unique, double-five-spoke 20-inch wheels, decals on the hood and rear quarter panel, and a small graphic next to the SRT badge in the grille. Inside, unique trim is found on the cloth seats and there's another Super Bee graphic on the dash. It's not what I'd spec, but to each their own. The Charger is still a great-looking car regardless.
• That said, this model, as-tested, was $44,435. Of course, that's without premium features like navigation, the awesome leather SRT thrones, HID headlamps, a sunroof, and so on, but it's a nice value. It's basically one of the new SRT Core models, but with some decals.
• This car offers a ton of bang for the buck in terms of performance, but it's easy to feel cheated inside, despite the spacious, quiet cabin. The standard 4.3-inch touchscreen display works well and is incredibly responsive, but combined with the large cubby underneath, it really reminds you that you didn't pony up for the big screen Uconnect system. And while the cloth seats are comfortable, they aren't nearly as supportive as the seats of the standard SRT8, and you can't get them with heat, either.
• If anything, this SRT8 Super Bee reminded me just how awesome the Charger SRT8 is as a whole. And by offering so much punch underhood, the Super Bee package strikes me as being an excellent bargain for people looking for no-frills high performance.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/12/2...k-spin-review/

 

Needs an 8 Speed Auto like the SRT8 JGC

Not bad on the price though. Quite the bargain, when I think the same money bought me my IS350

 

470 HP for that little money is insane. What a deal, BUT I would still stick my LS........I just wish the LS had 450 HP at least. I recently looked at a comparison between the 750 (TTV8) and the LS460 F sport and the Lexus is WAY underpowered. It matches the 392 HP in the S class but we all know Mercedes is going to bump the power in the new S class because they would never let BMW beat them at the HP wars. Lexus we need more power !!

 

??? not anymore at least for the past year, in the S550 the NA 5.5L 382hp V8 was ditched in favor of the Bi-Turbo 4.6L Unit that puts out 429hp and 515lbft. BMW uses the 4.4L Twin turbo V8 and Audi uses a 4.0L twin turbo V8. All put out more than 400hp. Only Lexus is behind with a mediocre 6hp increase for the 2013 model year to 386 over last years 380.

 

I think the BMW is almost 450 or 445 hp. I wanst aware that Mercedes increased the power as well. Thanks for the heads up. My brother has an E550 and it MOVES. That much power in a smaller car like that is amazing.....even with the less powerful engine.

 

New LCI 7 is 445HP, S is 429 like Hoovey said, and Audi has more than 400HP too. And torque is way more than LS460.

 

Yup BMW is currently the leader in base hp for the V8s in their flagships (3.0T 740i and 3.0T A8 aside). 445hp is pretty nice. As we know the 2013 LS is just a major refresh, this upcoming fully redesigned LS (probably in 2015 as a 2016 model) needs to be a smash hit and at the very least match their competitors numbers.

Audi A8 4.0T 420hp 444lbft
MBZ S550 4.6T 429hp 515lbft
BMW 750i 4.4T 445hp 480lbft
Lexus LS460 4.6 NA 386hp 367lbft

 

Actually no, I'd rather have one with the existing 5 speed automatic they are currently selling. Its a Mercedes transmission(5G-Tronic in Benz speak) that has proven to be one hell of durable piece behind high output motors. Its got a great track record of not breaking, even behind highly modified engines.

Mercedes used this transmission in all its AMG models until it came out with the 7 speed automatic a few years ago. Except for v12 S-class applications, they still use this 5 speed auto transmission because its the only thing strong enough that won't grenade behind the immense torque those engines put out.

 

Regardless if the 5 Speed is tried and true, it cannot yield the fuel economy that government and CAFE standards are mandating that the 8 can

 

Yup you have a point.

HOWEVER, Mercedes Benz announced their new AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC for the new SL65 AMG (R231) which is mated to the all new M279 AMG V12 BITURBO ENGINE =)




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_R231

I thus expect that when MB releases an S65 AMG version for the next-gen S-class, it will definitely use the M279 AMG engine with the new 7-speed auto =)

 

Its a car the size of a boat with 470hp, who gives a rats *** about fuel economy. I really wish the government would back off this CAFE **** and just let the market dictate fuel economy. I feel like we're going to see an entire generation of turbo 4 cylinder turds that cost a fortune to fix/maintain once the odometers reach past 100k.

 

Believe me when I say I'd much rather have a V8 than a turbo 4. I'd still be producing the Excursion if I could..

 

Wrong colors for the traditional bumblebee-stripes in the back. Though colors/styling are subjective, many people think it looks best in the traditional yellow and black.

 

Loved the write up! The new Chargers are great looking, and I love the subtle Super Bee treatment and striped interior, something unique, but not over-board. Can't wait to see some of these in old-school Mopar colors! who wouldn't love one like this in Plum Crazy Purple Super Bee trim?

 

4400 lbs, holy