[Gixser995]

Well, on Friday me and some friends went to the Auto Show, and even the Chrysler Test drive. It was a blast!

The show itself was a bit disappointing this year, but wasn't terrible.

Anyways, some pics...




cutaway








I thought I got an exerior pic of the Sonic but I guess not. :\


Yeah, the new Ford Escape was there. Like most Fords, the large lower grill looks smaller(and better) in person. I liked it.






Taurus refresh looks great. i like the tail lights, and the interior is fantastic.















It's not as bad in person, but still not a flattering grill.




The Camry SE. Now, it wasn't bad looking, but the hybrid with all the chrome was just a no. It's actually pretty aggressive looking, though.




I was thoroughly impressed with the 300. The interior is fantastic.


The SRT8 looked amazing, and it's quite the performer. More on that later.:ifyousayso:










sneaky sneaky










under the wrangler hood. The Pentastar really fills the engine bay


You ever noticed that the rear quarter window on the right is bigger than the left? True Story




Gensis R Spec. I've always liked the Genesis, and this was no different. Sadly, the new Genesis coupe wasn't there. :sad:
















This car's got wood.:shock:


Oh, you know, just an RB25




Electric Cavalier. I actually know one of the guys that worked on this project.




New grill looks so much better





So, after all that, we went out to the Chrysler test drive. I was expecting some normal cars like the Grand Cherokee, Town and Country, 200, and maybe a Charger.

Well...

The first thing you did was drive one of the "normal" cars. I drove the Grand Cherokee 4x4 with the V6. The steering was light, but still communicative, the V6 was plenty powerful and great for everyday driving. If you didn't need a V8... well you wouldn't be penalized.



My brother decided to drive a few different cars like the 200, the Fiat 500, and the Durango. Well, me and my friend went right over to what they called the "Hero" cars. Any guesses?

Well... we got to drive these. On the road.












Yep, they had the Charger SRT8, 300 SRT8, and Challenger 392

I took out the Charger on my first run. They actually encourage you to have a little fun with them. Get out on the road.

The Charger had MASSIVE Brembos all around. That's the first thing I noticed. They grabbed, and very well.

You go on a loop, basically. So, I get out on to the road and have some fun with it. 470hp WILL throw you in to your seat. I gunned it after making a turn on to a 1/4 mile stretch. Only got up to about 50, though. But it just pulled. The girl that went with me said "Weak! I've been up to 80, already." Well... I guess the next run will be taken up a notch. Steering is top notch. Had a nice weight to it, but still easy to turn, and it had paddle shifters. THAT made things more interesting.

So, the next run my friend drove the Challenger. I was crammed in the back(which wasn't that bad, really). First thing he does is gun it out the parking lot. I was pushed in my seat. That was exhilarating. He gets it up to about 65 on the back stretch. Not bad.
He drove the 392 twice, actually. I have a video of the second run coming soon. But I have a little snip of the first run for a taste.

Well on my final run, I took the 300 SRT8. Since my brother and his friend just finished driving the 300 while I was getting ready to go, I brought them along. Including the rider from Chrysler, we had that car packed with 5. Determined to not make the same mistake, I went all out this time. The guy who went with me in the GC was with me again. Real cool guy, but I digress.
First thing I do when I leave the lot is floor it, and got it up to about 40 before getting in to the pedestrian crossing zone.

I get up to the second Ped crossing, and one guy walking by says to me "Nice Car!" Can't disagree. I gave him some revs from the massive Hemi. We get to the back stretch, and I was ready. Got the manual mode ready. I floor it. WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH *pull paddle WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH * pull for third. That time I got up to 80. Everyone is giggling with excitement and fear.

So after all that, I have come to the conclusion the 300 is my favorite. The Interior is fantastic, the ride is softer than the other two but still penty firm, and I just think it looks the best.

I do have a full video of the 300 run coming soon.
All and all, it was fun getting to drive cars that most never will. I thank Chrysler, and have a new found respect for them after this. Now I want that damn 300.




First take off in the Challenger.

[REVolution]

Awesome coverage bro!

[AudiR8]

Sweet coverage! How was the FF in person?

[Gixser995]

The Ferrari? I liked it. Kind of strange but it works.

[redsky]

Thanks for the great pics and write up.

[supremor]

sweet pics! :2thumbsup:

[iDream Theater]

That silver Charger with the door open makes the side swoops disappear, and I must say that if the Charger didn't have the side swoops it would look amazing.

[Gixser995]

I liked the swoop sides.

I may not have gone to a big show, but at least I got to drive some amazing cars.

I want to go back tomorrow just to drive the cars, again lol

[Gixser995]

The Challenger full length video is almost 10 minutes long, and the 300 run(also 10 minutes) is on my brother's camera. I'll upload them tomorrow evening.

[MOPAR74]

Bastard!




But I do agree the 300 would be my choice also.... between it and the Charger

[GotMopar?]

Pussies(Gixser and Mopar74) Challenger rules the world.

Nice pics Gix and love the Challenger but have to say that Boss Mustang is sweet. If I was in the mood for a family car, then yes, the 300 or Charger. By the way, the SRT Charger looks awesome.

[Gixser995]

Haha! :: Thanks, though.
They even had some cutaway parts from the Boss off to the side. The Boss is just such a badass car.

I have to say the Charger and 300 look even better in person. The design is cohesive, and clean. Toyota could learn a few things about design flow from Chrysler. You know a car is good looking when you can't find anything to gripe about. I just wish Chrysler would use a more aggressive wheel design. The Charger Rims would look great on it.

As in the video my friend drove the Challenger twice. It might have been the much stiffer suspension than the other two, but the Challenger felt faster.

I liked the Charger, but I liked the Interior, and ride more in the 300. The Charger and 300 felt similar but very different in many ways. I had the 300 loaded up with 5 passengers and it still threw you in to the seat. The manual mode shifts were surprisingly quick, too. About half a second after you clicked the paddle, but I did notice that if you didn't put it in manual mode beforehand, the tranny almost seemed confused. But that's to be expected.

The Charger had a stiffer suspension than the 300, and the steering was just slightly heftier. Both were very direct, though. I'll try to get the full Challenger and 300 runs up tonight. The 300 run is in HD, too.

I have always liked the 300 more than the Charger, so that might be another reason it's my preference.

[CTS-Vluvr]

Was this at the Orlando Convention Center? Lucky you that there was no rain, I wasn't so lucky in L.A. so no test drives.:sad:

[Gixser995]

CTS-Vluvr;153780 Wrote:
Was this at the Orlando Convention Center? Lucky you that there was no rain, I wasn't so lucky in L.A. so no test drives.:sad:

And yeah it was. They didn't have GM this year which sucked, but Chrysler saved the day. I would have been relegated to driving Hyundais and Toyotas, and both were on a closed parking lot course.

We had some cloud cover which helped with pics is all.

[CTS-Vluvr]

I was digging the SRT area at the L.A. Auto Show and I would have liked to have driven a couple of those. frak Honda and Toyhomo!