Great modern muscle car but far from Toyota-Grade reliable
If you’re looking a fair-priced modern muscle car with many creature comforts The 2012 Dodge Charger R/T Plus is a good value but not without its flaws. For example, you’ll be less than satisfied to get Chrysler’s MDS Engine Displacement on Demand System. It could very well save you a mile or two per gallon of gasoline but at the expense of premature engine cylinder wear since the same 4 middle cylinders (3,4,5,6) turn off fuel delivery and ignition timing which has been proven to starve the cylinders of adequate oil lubrication since the pistons are still actively cycling just without power and that negative oil lubrication issue. There is no switch to turn off that system unless you want to drive your automatic transmission in auto stick mode which will be cumbersome over a long road trip! When you purchase a muscle car the last thing your are concerned with is fuel economy and as neat as these technologies have helped in fuel consumption it does more harm on overall engine life not to mention the reliability of these cars will never achieve longevity that of a Toyota Camry and the 3 - 400,000 miles lifespans that can be achieved with proper maintenance. I can’t say the same for Dodge especially that Fiat owns Chrysler after 2014 and more recently acquired by Euro Car Conglomerate Stellaris. One positive on this car will be the Mercedes-Benz 5G Tronic Transmission that is equipped in the 5.7 and 6.1 L Engines better known in these Chargers as NAG1 to accommodate the bell housing bolt pattern of the Hemi Engine. It has high torque handling capabilities so you won’t have to worry about too much stock engine for your transmission-just make sure to change the fluid and filter every 40-50K. 30K if you drive in stop and go traffic. Interior materials are typical cheap plastics galore to compliment the nice leather the R/T Plus comes equipped with and the problematic 1st Gen UCONNECT 8.4 Touchscreen Infotainment System. The new generation UCONNECT Systems have long since improved from the 1st gen so you may consider a new model Charger but since those are manufactured under FCA ownership and oversight I can only imagine overall car reliability will drop. Nonetheless this is a cool car and value for the money you will spend. I would recommend buying one with less than 50,000 miles since you’ll have a better chance of maintaining the service these cars will need as they age if you want to get half of previously stated Tried and True Toyota Reliability.
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