Charger Scat Pack

               

This week's review is in the dodge charger scat pack.  I would have to say that this car is the most fun you can have for a starting price of 40 thousand dollars.  The cars come in some very cool eye catching, vibrant colors which make this car a head turner.  The normal charger or charger RT is a nice standard 4 door car to drive.  But the second you turn it into a scat pack or even a hell cat it's a whole different car. 

               When you think of a four door car you think of big, bulky and slow.  This is just not the case with this car.  The engine has so much power that it quickly over comes the heavy nature of this car.  The suspension is also done in such a way that the car handles like its much lighter than it actually is.  With insanely big Brembo brake calipers this car comes to a complete stop in the blink of an eye.  Its very impressive for a four door.

               My all time favorite think about the charger scat pack is the transmission.  The way this car shifts is other worldly.  The shifts sound like the car is shooting its self into the next gear in an explosive manner.  This is unheard of in a car at the 40 thousand dollar price range.  Normally cars that feel like this are 200 thousand plus.  While I do love their automatic transmission I do wish they offered it in a manual.  It is an American muscle car and I feel like its un-American to not have that option for people like me who want that experience of shifting.  

               The thing that amazed me the most is how this car handles over 150 miles per hour.  In a normal car once you get over 100 miles per hour you start to get nervous.  At 150 miles per hour this car was still calm and collective.  180 miles per hour is where this car started to feel like a normal car at 100.  This car has been strictly designed for speed and acceleration in a straight line.  While this car isn't great around a track that doesn't even matter to me.  It's just way to fun in a straight line and never gets boring when you put your foot down.  It's also an insanely fun car to drive sideways.  This charger handles drifting very well and is set up for it out of the factory.

               The downfalls to this car are few, but no car is perfect.  I don't like the slope of the hood as it makes it a little challenging to park.  This could be fixed with a couple of front parking sensors.  The second is the turning radius is pretty bad but that is to be expected in a four door of this size.  The last and biggest downfall to this car for me is the lack of manual transmission option.  If I'm going to buy a car I want to be able to shift it.  The fake tiptronic paddle shifters just don't do the job for me.  I understand that the new automatic transmissions shift faster than a human could.  But for me I don't care.  With a car like this it's about the experience and not about being the fastest.  I think dodge dropped the ball on this option that wouldn't have cost much to offer.  Because of that lack of an option, it's the only thing stopping me from buying one.               

2016 Cadillac Escalade

          

2016 Cadillac Escalade

This week's review is about the 2016 Cadillac Escalade.  The new Escalade is a completely redesigned look top to bottom from previous years of this car.  The thing I hear most from people who get in this car for the first time is, "wow this thing is like a space ship".  That is no understatement, this cars design is vey futuristic looking.  I myself said the same thing when I first drove it.  With a car this edgy on design either you love it or you hate it.  I myself hated it at first, before I drove it.  But boy was I wrong.

               

This car has some crazy lines running down the car which give it a boxy appearance which I didn't like at first seeing it in pictures.  The simple fact is this car just doesn't photograph well.  In person its way better.  The attention to detail in this car was just unreal for the price you pay.  The lighted door handles at night make you feel like you are getting into a limo every time you step in your car. 

               

Another cool future was the automatic folding steps.  By making the steps only open when the door opens the car has a much sleeker appearance when going down the road.  The problem lies that they are so darn slow.  When I was driving this car I found myself not even waiting for the steps and just jumping right over them to get in.  It's a pain when you have to wait for a step to come down every time you get in your car, especially when you're in a rush.

               

The interior in this car is just as nice as the outside.  The seats are air conditioned and heated.  Also the steering wheel is heated.  Which is a very nice feature to have here in Michigan during the cold months.  You don't understand how nice these features are until you go back to being without them.

               

The most talked about part of this car is the navigation screen that slides up to reveal a hidden storage compartment for charging devices like phones.  The only problem is every time you get a call you have to open your Nav screen to get your phone.  I'm all about hiding the clutter and charging cables but this is not an efficient way to do it.  The only good thing this feature was good for was hiding my Bluetooth headphone while charging.  Other than that it's a very dun to play with useless feature.  The good thing is that you don't have to use this charging station.  There are other usb ports in the center council and even a wireless charging station for droid phones.    

                

The paint options for this car include all the basics and the option to have metallic flake in the paint.  This is a must have when buying one in black or white.  It really makes the whole car.  But isn't something that can be experienced in pictures.  It can only be appreciated in person.  

               

Everyone's complains about Escalades have always been that it's just a marked up GMC Yukon with a little chrome on it.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  Yes they are both built on  the same chassis but they really don't feel like it.  The amount of detail and styling that the Escalade offers makes it feel like a whole different car and in my opinion worth the price difference they are asking.             

   

Here is a video of what Auto Blog had to say about the car.