2014 Dodge Charger SRT8
Discussion
Cheers for the comments!
This car makes sense out here. Alot like in the US, most roads are just straight and huge at that.
Fuel wise I am averaging 17.3mpg and a full tank (72L) of super this morning cost 122aed (around £21).
Car is filthy already after encountering a mini tornado coming back from Abu Dhabi!
This car makes sense out here. Alot like in the US, most roads are just straight and huge at that.
Fuel wise I am averaging 17.3mpg and a full tank (72L) of super this morning cost 122aed (around £21).
Car is filthy already after encountering a mini tornado coming back from Abu Dhabi!
Mini update here.
Car is going extremely well at the moment. Its a comfy cruiser, good family car and awesome muscle car. Minor niggles with the fit and finish of some things (sunglasses holder and other plastics) but to be expected I guess.
The noise and power is still intoxicating but i'm getting used to the latter now (to the point of it feeling brisk rather than quick). Maybe its just the big roads here that give that illusion.
I'll played about with the performance timers a bit, and seeing how close I can get to the manufactures claim of 0-100 km/h of 4.7 seconds.
Pretty close actually, and this was done sport mode (there is also a track mode) and manual paddle shifting. I'm pretty sure I can beat the manufactures claim with help from launch control but I can't get the thing to work. Reading the manual, its pretty easy. Double press the traction control button until "Launch Control Enabled" displays in the instrument binnacle. Hold the brake with your left foot, floor the throttle with you right foot and it should be held just under 2000rpm before releasing the brake. Only when I do that, all I get is a burnout and "Launch Control Aborted". Tried several times with the same outcome (my rears ain't going to last long)
Being in the desert, you're used to a bit of sand once in a while. As a result, you wash your car pretty often as you'd expect! Well, only a few days after its last wash I woke up to this.
Bearing in mind the car is parked in an above ground but covered carpark, I thought i'd get away with it. I was wrong!
This does't show the half of it. The car was a complete embarrassment! sand everywhere, the engine bay particularly caked (now cleaned though). One minor plus point of the sand was it covered up my rear bumper. A few days earlier it had been used as a brake by some women who drove into the back of me. I mean seriously, how do you miss such a big car with arguably the brightest rear brake lights known to man!
The damage was minor but enough to warrant a call to the police. May seem daft, but here in the UAE you struggle to get any decent repair work done on your car without a police report (and hopefully a green slip if you're not at fault). The women went from being apologetic to annoyed at the fact that I wanted to call the police, and in her mind the repair would cost 30-40 quid. Whilst I explained it might be cheap, I tried telling her that dents on a plastic bumper and scuffs down to the plastic won't be that cheap at the dealership. She disagreed and said I would be wasting time.
So anyway, the police rock up and straight away she walks over to them speaking in arabic (she wasn't local, i'm thinking Lebanese......and a hot Lebanese at that!). Either way, I thought I'd be doomed as things aren't always dealt with the correct way here. Thankfully the police were fine, and I had a witness anyway so all was well. A green slip in my hand and I was on my way. It did't seem so easy for the "hot women".....sorry women. She was going back and forth with documents, frantically calling people (perhaps the reason she was pi$$ed at me for calling them!)
Below is some poor pics of the damage, and admittedly its minor but enough to annoy anyone on a car that's done less than 3000km. I've had it at the body shop already, and for the ease of it all they have recommended a bumper replacement (which the insurance has approved). Very annoying, but a regular thing in the land of extremely bad drivers!
Thanks for looking!
Car is going extremely well at the moment. Its a comfy cruiser, good family car and awesome muscle car. Minor niggles with the fit and finish of some things (sunglasses holder and other plastics) but to be expected I guess.
The noise and power is still intoxicating but i'm getting used to the latter now (to the point of it feeling brisk rather than quick). Maybe its just the big roads here that give that illusion.
I'll played about with the performance timers a bit, and seeing how close I can get to the manufactures claim of 0-100 km/h of 4.7 seconds.
Pretty close actually, and this was done sport mode (there is also a track mode) and manual paddle shifting. I'm pretty sure I can beat the manufactures claim with help from launch control but I can't get the thing to work. Reading the manual, its pretty easy. Double press the traction control button until "Launch Control Enabled" displays in the instrument binnacle. Hold the brake with your left foot, floor the throttle with you right foot and it should be held just under 2000rpm before releasing the brake. Only when I do that, all I get is a burnout and "Launch Control Aborted". Tried several times with the same outcome (my rears ain't going to last long)
Being in the desert, you're used to a bit of sand once in a while. As a result, you wash your car pretty often as you'd expect! Well, only a few days after its last wash I woke up to this.
Bearing in mind the car is parked in an above ground but covered carpark, I thought i'd get away with it. I was wrong!
This does't show the half of it. The car was a complete embarrassment! sand everywhere, the engine bay particularly caked (now cleaned though). One minor plus point of the sand was it covered up my rear bumper. A few days earlier it had been used as a brake by some women who drove into the back of me. I mean seriously, how do you miss such a big car with arguably the brightest rear brake lights known to man!
The damage was minor but enough to warrant a call to the police. May seem daft, but here in the UAE you struggle to get any decent repair work done on your car without a police report (and hopefully a green slip if you're not at fault). The women went from being apologetic to annoyed at the fact that I wanted to call the police, and in her mind the repair would cost 30-40 quid. Whilst I explained it might be cheap, I tried telling her that dents on a plastic bumper and scuffs down to the plastic won't be that cheap at the dealership. She disagreed and said I would be wasting time.
So anyway, the police rock up and straight away she walks over to them speaking in arabic (she wasn't local, i'm thinking Lebanese......and a hot Lebanese at that!). Either way, I thought I'd be doomed as things aren't always dealt with the correct way here. Thankfully the police were fine, and I had a witness anyway so all was well. A green slip in my hand and I was on my way. It did't seem so easy for the "hot women".....sorry women. She was going back and forth with documents, frantically calling people (perhaps the reason she was pi$$ed at me for calling them!)
Below is some poor pics of the damage, and admittedly its minor but enough to annoy anyone on a car that's done less than 3000km. I've had it at the body shop already, and for the ease of it all they have recommended a bumper replacement (which the insurance has approved). Very annoying, but a regular thing in the land of extremely bad drivers!
Thanks for looking!
Edited by matt_knowles on Wednesday 8th April 11:00
Small update
Rear bumper now swapped out and the 5k service done (oil and filter change at £114, and other basic items).
Service experience was very good. Excellent communications (for Dubai), and finished a day earlier than expected.
No regrets on getting the car, it just does so much so well.
Highlights -
Comfort - Uber cruiser when it wants to be. Engine drops to 4 Cyl mode, and it tickles along nicely. Extremely quiet and comfortable inside when the mood wants it.
Power/Pace - Maybe a bit harsh of me to say before that its brisk and not quick. Yes its a bloody quick car, but when you have a 6 lane wide ass motorway it doesn't feel so crazy. I think on a wet A or B road it would feel a different animal.
Noise - Obviously sounds great, as you'd expect.
Road presence - I'm not a typical Dubai tailgater, but cars simply move out of the way quickly when I come up behind them. Even when i'm just cruising, people seem to let me through. Maybe the view in their review mirror is a little bit too much for them!
ICE - Excellent quality with all the features you'd expect. Particularly handy was the DVD player when I was last in a huge que for the car wash (following the above sand storm). I almost got through all of Beverley Hills Cop 2 before my time was up.
Remote start - Great feature for cooling the car down before getting in (especially for the little one).
Meh-
Gearbox - great at times, poor at others. Dimwitted on occasions.
Interior plastics - don't look too bad, but feel cheap in areas.
Filler cap on wrong side - bad if its on the left in Dubai!
Launch control - Simply doesn't work!!
Rear bumper now swapped out and the 5k service done (oil and filter change at £114, and other basic items).
Service experience was very good. Excellent communications (for Dubai), and finished a day earlier than expected.
No regrets on getting the car, it just does so much so well.
Highlights -
Comfort - Uber cruiser when it wants to be. Engine drops to 4 Cyl mode, and it tickles along nicely. Extremely quiet and comfortable inside when the mood wants it.
Power/Pace - Maybe a bit harsh of me to say before that its brisk and not quick. Yes its a bloody quick car, but when you have a 6 lane wide ass motorway it doesn't feel so crazy. I think on a wet A or B road it would feel a different animal.
Noise - Obviously sounds great, as you'd expect.
Road presence - I'm not a typical Dubai tailgater, but cars simply move out of the way quickly when I come up behind them. Even when i'm just cruising, people seem to let me through. Maybe the view in their review mirror is a little bit too much for them!
ICE - Excellent quality with all the features you'd expect. Particularly handy was the DVD player when I was last in a huge que for the car wash (following the above sand storm). I almost got through all of Beverley Hills Cop 2 before my time was up.
Remote start - Great feature for cooling the car down before getting in (especially for the little one).
Meh-
Gearbox - great at times, poor at others. Dimwitted on occasions.
Interior plastics - don't look too bad, but feel cheap in areas.
Filler cap on wrong side - bad if its on the left in Dubai!
Launch control - Simply doesn't work!!
The car looks great, Matt. Having lived in Dubai for a while I can appreciate that it's actually a very sensible choice.
Also, well done for sticking to your guns and calling the police for that minor accident. Someone reversed into me at low speed in a mall car park and I had a quick look before telling them it was ok and letting them go. I only later realised that one of the headlamp mounts had been damaged which meant a new headlight at 2,500 dhs.
Also, well done for sticking to your guns and calling the police for that minor accident. Someone reversed into me at low speed in a mall car park and I had a quick look before telling them it was ok and letting them go. I only later realised that one of the headlamp mounts had been damaged which meant a new headlight at 2,500 dhs.
Update - Pic heavy
Car is still going great, and still loving it.
Couple of minor gripes, but nothing major:
First is it doesn't appear to like quick changes in throttle position. For example, driving along a carriageway looking to move to the outer lane. Go for the throttle, to only realize someone else is there, ease off momentarily for them to pass then back on it. Every so often when I do this, the car bogs down and takes maybe 2 seconds to kick back into life. Its not the traction control, limiter or gears as far as I'm aware. The only thing I can suggest is the transition from eco to normal mode (it uses cylinder deactivation). Eco mode will activate fairly frequently on a drive and this can be in normal, sport or track modes. Mentioned the above at the last service, but they couldn't find anything wrong. umm
Secondly, the rear parking sensors. Seem to work ok, but keep popping up the message "clean"! The car has been cleaned within an inch of its life, so I'm pretty sure its ok. I wonder if its anything to do with the bumper replacement i've recently had.
Other things to report, are its had its 10,000km service now (every 5000km here in the middle east). Pretty basic job (oil, filter, fluid top ups, bolts tightened, tyres rotated). Came in at just under £200, but quick and efficient.
I also had the car treated to a machine polish and paint protection at ARMotors Dubai. Cost about £130 and the results are great. Paint now looks better than from the factory, but need to keep on top of it.
Overall, the car is spot on and I love it. Not looking forward to the impending fuel price increase in the UAE but shouldn't complain too hard!
Thought I'd also stick up some pics and also include of older motors I've had in the past (seems a popular theme). Missing a few in the chain here, so will dig out pics later. Mainly phone pics, so not the best!
SRT8
Jetta 2.5 5Cyl Wolfsburg Edition - Runabout motor for Dubs, shes a 2006 US import and only done 46000miles. Comfy little cruiser which cost peanuts. Good Midrange torque, but pretty hopeless everywhere else! Recently treated to some new Kumho rubber. She grips so hard, but the lean makes it feel like the body is going to leave the chassis. Have plans to either punt it on or turn it into a Jetta GTI
E36 M3 - Great car, have a thread on it in here somewhere
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2013 - 3.8 V6, RWD, LSD and Brembo's. Owned for a couple of weeks, great car and made a packet on it!
VW Golf GTI 2013 - Technically a great car, but boring and no character. Sold for a healthy profit
Porsche Cayman S - Great car ruined by rubbish straight roads. Broke even!
BMW 325i Msport 2006 - Great all round motor, enjoyed it!
Suzuki SV650 (Curvy) - First big bike, taught me alot. Awesome sound!
Peugeot 306 Rallye - Simply sublime car, loved it!
Honda Prelude 2.2 Si Vetec BB4 - Knew nothing about these before purchasing. Miss this one alot, great car.
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI - The daddy, that is all!
Sorry for all the pics....its good to share!
Car is still going great, and still loving it.
Couple of minor gripes, but nothing major:
First is it doesn't appear to like quick changes in throttle position. For example, driving along a carriageway looking to move to the outer lane. Go for the throttle, to only realize someone else is there, ease off momentarily for them to pass then back on it. Every so often when I do this, the car bogs down and takes maybe 2 seconds to kick back into life. Its not the traction control, limiter or gears as far as I'm aware. The only thing I can suggest is the transition from eco to normal mode (it uses cylinder deactivation). Eco mode will activate fairly frequently on a drive and this can be in normal, sport or track modes. Mentioned the above at the last service, but they couldn't find anything wrong. umm
Secondly, the rear parking sensors. Seem to work ok, but keep popping up the message "clean"! The car has been cleaned within an inch of its life, so I'm pretty sure its ok. I wonder if its anything to do with the bumper replacement i've recently had.
Other things to report, are its had its 10,000km service now (every 5000km here in the middle east). Pretty basic job (oil, filter, fluid top ups, bolts tightened, tyres rotated). Came in at just under £200, but quick and efficient.
I also had the car treated to a machine polish and paint protection at ARMotors Dubai. Cost about £130 and the results are great. Paint now looks better than from the factory, but need to keep on top of it.
Overall, the car is spot on and I love it. Not looking forward to the impending fuel price increase in the UAE but shouldn't complain too hard!
Thought I'd also stick up some pics and also include of older motors I've had in the past (seems a popular theme). Missing a few in the chain here, so will dig out pics later. Mainly phone pics, so not the best!
SRT8
Jetta 2.5 5Cyl Wolfsburg Edition - Runabout motor for Dubs, shes a 2006 US import and only done 46000miles. Comfy little cruiser which cost peanuts. Good Midrange torque, but pretty hopeless everywhere else! Recently treated to some new Kumho rubber. She grips so hard, but the lean makes it feel like the body is going to leave the chassis. Have plans to either punt it on or turn it into a Jetta GTI
E36 M3 - Great car, have a thread on it in here somewhere
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2013 - 3.8 V6, RWD, LSD and Brembo's. Owned for a couple of weeks, great car and made a packet on it!
VW Golf GTI 2013 - Technically a great car, but boring and no character. Sold for a healthy profit
Porsche Cayman S - Great car ruined by rubbish straight roads. Broke even!
BMW 325i Msport 2006 - Great all round motor, enjoyed it!
Suzuki SV650 (Curvy) - First big bike, taught me alot. Awesome sound!
Peugeot 306 Rallye - Simply sublime car, loved it!
Honda Prelude 2.2 Si Vetec BB4 - Knew nothing about these before purchasing. Miss this one alot, great car.
Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI - The daddy, that is all!
Sorry for all the pics....its good to share!
Edited by matt_knowles on Tuesday 28th July 09:59
Edited by matt_knowles on Sunday 27th September 19:29
No real update, just still enjoying the drive and experience. The rear tire's are quickly loosing their traction even after rotation, so will be looking at replacements soon.
Car is now approaching 20,000km and hasn't missed a beat. Seems to be wearing well, and the engine / noise never fails to thrill.
Some pics after a bit of a buff!
Car is now approaching 20,000km and hasn't missed a beat. Seems to be wearing well, and the engine / noise never fails to thrill.
Some pics after a bit of a buff!
Minor update
Car has recently passed 20,000km and had yet another service. 5000km service intervals are stupid, and starting to grate a little! Also during the last service they noticed minor leak from the front left shock absorber, so it'll be going in to have that replaced. I've noticed some paint coming off the wheels, and a few other quality issues so will be having those addressed too.
On the plus side, the car is great and I have no regrets with the decision I made. Its a lot of fun on the daily commute, family trips and especially on one off road trips. I've recently taken it up Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais in the UAE, both amazing driving roads, maybe not ideally suited to a car this size but it was still huge fun!
Jebel Hafeet
Jebel Jais
Few snaps of the motor
Engine bay got a tad dusty!
Before
After
Car has recently passed 20,000km and had yet another service. 5000km service intervals are stupid, and starting to grate a little! Also during the last service they noticed minor leak from the front left shock absorber, so it'll be going in to have that replaced. I've noticed some paint coming off the wheels, and a few other quality issues so will be having those addressed too.
On the plus side, the car is great and I have no regrets with the decision I made. Its a lot of fun on the daily commute, family trips and especially on one off road trips. I've recently taken it up Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais in the UAE, both amazing driving roads, maybe not ideally suited to a car this size but it was still huge fun!
Jebel Hafeet
Jebel Jais
Few snaps of the motor
Engine bay got a tad dusty!
Before
After
Edited by matt_knowles on Thursday 21st January 07:11
Made up I'm on Readers Car of the Week! Wasn't sure how much attention it would generate since I didn't strictly follow PH rules of putting Make & Model in the title!
Anyway thanks for the comments as always.
Couple more pics of the recent road trips. I can't take credit for the previous photo's of Jebel Hafeet or Jais I uploaded.....still saving for that chopper!
Top of Jebel Jais
Top of Jebel Jais
Oman
Top of Jebel Hafeet
Anyway thanks for the comments as always.
Couple more pics of the recent road trips. I can't take credit for the previous photo's of Jebel Hafeet or Jais I uploaded.....still saving for that chopper!
Top of Jebel Jais
Top of Jebel Jais
Oman
Top of Jebel Hafeet
Nice barge, but what's the attraction about living in the UAE? On the one hand, petrol is cheap and it doesn't rain every day, but on the other hand you have to put up with a hostile hot, dry climate and one of the most repressive societies on the planet, where anything from holding hands with your girlfriend to calling for an end to totalitarian government will land you in jail - where a 20-year-old woman drowned last year because her male relatives blocked rescue efforts on the grounds that the rescue would bring dishonour on the family. They have oil money and gaudy, vulgar architecture, but a civilisation it most certainly is not.
Matt - even with the 100's of photos of the Dodge in the thread, I have a photo of an angle of the car that I know you will not have! Here you go:-
For those wondering why there is a passenger in the car, after we had taken the "Top Gear" drivers and car photo at the top of Jebel Jais:-
This happened:-
We did have this as the replacement car for any breakdowns, but Rich decided against it!
Also although I don't have a helicopter either, my wife took some good photos of the road at Jebel Jais, that we are lucky enough to have about an hour outside of Dubai. It really is a great road, and quiet. I know we have some video, but we probably should not share that until we have all emigrated from UAE
For those wondering why there is a passenger in the car, after we had taken the "Top Gear" drivers and car photo at the top of Jebel Jais:-
This happened:-
We did have this as the replacement car for any breakdowns, but Rich decided against it!
Also although I don't have a helicopter either, my wife took some good photos of the road at Jebel Jais, that we are lucky enough to have about an hour outside of Dubai. It really is a great road, and quiet. I know we have some video, but we probably should not share that until we have all emigrated from UAE
That road looks like the one in Romania (?) used by TG? Great fun, by the looks of things.
The rear lights of your car look very like I had on my 2016 Durango rental in Canada recently. Must be a Dodge "thang".
Enjoying the write ups. Keep 'em coming.
RoverP6B: let's not turn this thread into a political/religious commentary, eh.
The rear lights of your car look very like I had on my 2016 Durango rental in Canada recently. Must be a Dodge "thang".
Enjoying the write ups. Keep 'em coming.
RoverP6B: let's not turn this thread into a political/religious commentary, eh.
RoverP6B said:
Nice barge, but what's the attraction about living in the UAE? On the one hand, petrol is cheap and it doesn't rain every day, but on the other hand you have to put up with a hostile hot, dry climate and one of the most repressive societies on the planet, where anything from holding hands with your girlfriend to calling for an end to totalitarian government will land you in jail - where a 20-year-old woman drowned last year because her male relatives blocked rescue efforts on the grounds that the rescue would bring dishonour on the family. They have oil money and gaudy, vulgar architecture, but a civilisation it most certainly is not.
You're probably better posing this question in the Middle East forum tbh but everyone's entitled to their opinions. Yes there are pro's and con's to living here as there is anywhere else. Most of what you may read or hear is blown out of proportion, but people will make their own minds up. I travel extensively throughout the Middle East & Africa, and the UAE is probably the most "western" forward thinking country of the lot. Still need to respect their cultures and laws though. In the end, its a simple decision......if you don't like it, don't visit! Plenty of brit's and western folk enjoy life here and there is certainly an awful lot more going for it then just a nice climate and cheap fuel.Back on topic, cheers for the photo's Chris. Not sure Rich will appreciate them all!
5potTurbo said:
That road looks like the one in Romania (?) used by TG? Great fun, by the looks of things.
The rear lights of your car look very like I had on my 2016 Durango rental in Canada recently. Must be a Dodge "thang".
Enjoying the write ups. Keep 'em coming.
RoverP6B: let's not turn this thread into a political/religious commentary, eh.
Yep its a dodge thing! Embarrassingly they refer to it as "Race Track Lights"....umm not sure about that one hahah! Probably more annoyingly, they don't light up like this whilst braking, it's just part of the lights. It's an interesting design feature thats for sure.The rear lights of your car look very like I had on my 2016 Durango rental in Canada recently. Must be a Dodge "thang".
Enjoying the write ups. Keep 'em coming.
RoverP6B: let's not turn this thread into a political/religious commentary, eh.
Cheers for the comments.
RoverP6B said:
Nice barge, but what's the attraction about living in the UAE? On the one hand, petrol is cheap and it doesn't rain every day, but on the other hand you have to put up with a hostile hot, dry climate and one of the most repressive societies on the planet, where anything from holding hands with your girlfriend to calling for an end to totalitarian government will land you in jail - where a 20-year-old woman drowned last year because her male relatives blocked rescue efforts on the grounds that the rescue would bring dishonour on the family. They have oil money and gaudy, vulgar architecture, but a civilisation it most certainly is not.
Whilst some of what you say may well be true, given the context of this forum I feel you really do need to get over yourself.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff