I've been an off and on subscriber to Motor Trend since the late 80s. I always thought they were a little less pretentious than Car & Driver and Road & Track. Anyway, I received my December issue with the test between the new Dodge Charger and the GTO. As I read the article I couldn't believe it. The GTO was faster, 10 grand cheaper, handled better and got better gas mileage. Hands down winner GTO right???? WRONG. The Charger won. From what I could tell it was based on the fact that the Charger had available some extra electronic crap that you can't get on the Goat. Whoopdeedoo. The also thought the Charger looked better. Now I realize looks are subjective, but I think the Charger front end looks like a late 90s Dakota. I'll take the GTO any day. Plus the Charger has four doors...blech. So I guess what I'm saying is that in a test that Motor Trend billed as a muscle car shootout, a slower, more expensive, worse handling, four door, four ton, gas guzzling car with a bunch of electronic gizmos beat a two door, faster, better handling, cheaper, more fuel efficient one. Go figure. I think it's time to cancel my subscription.

 

I am with you Redarrow. I also could not beleive what I was reading. Oh well somebody got paid off with bigger sponsor dollars. Is there a true enthusiats magazine left other than Car Craft or Hot Rod magazine?

 

Chrysler clearly pays more in advertising to C&D and Motortrends publishers. Of course they'll win any showdown. In fact, I read this months C&D and was shocked to find the C6 Z06 beat the new Viper.... (By a landslide, mostly due to "vehicle" catagory points.) Magazines print what their advertisers want to see. He who spends the most money always gets the best reviews, this is the truth.

 

I've bitched about this before, but here goes again...


I've about had it with most of the mainstream car rags. I actually enjoy C&D even though I don't always agree with them - at least they have a good writing style. Road & Track may as well be European Cars Monthly since that's about all they care about - besides my grandma could out run them on a drag strip. But Motor Trend is the one that pisses me off the most. This latest article is only one of many.

First off, their rag is filled with typos almost on a regular basis (hello? hp peak on the LS2 is not 5200rpm, idiots). Second, their new format blows. There was not one clear picture of either the SRT8 or the GTO in the whole article - all the artsy-fartsy, industrial backdrop, off-contrast stuff is more annoying than anything to me. To make matters worse, the writing is boring and subjective. I read the GTO/SRT8 comparison about three times and I'm still trying to figure out what I learned from it besides that the GTO is "outdated" and that it seats 5 . Same with the GT v. Z06 v. Viper article - ****, they spend a page just setting up some lame anecdote.

Anyway, I've been an MT reader/subscriber for almost 20 years and IMO they used to have a good mag. With the latest format change, though, (IIRC it happened about 2 years ago or so) it has really gone to ****. I can't even bring myself to read the McKenzie dude's column anymore, because it invariably irritates me.

But, yeah, the GTO article was a . I don't doubt that the SRT8 is a nice ride, but their reasoning is just flawed IMO...

 

The funny thing was I read a similar article in either Motor Trend or Car and Driver and they pitted the 05 LS2 powered GTO against the 05 Ford Mustang GT....guess who got the better word from them?

They said the GT Mustang was overall better quality for the money, and alot more comfortable to drive.

But then again you look at a 300hp 4.6 liter engine and pit it against something massive like a 6.0 liter 400hp engine and you got yourself some stiff competition.

 

it is so weird i see thread on here i actually ran up on a SRT8 charger tonight I was at tacobell i seen it in parking lot so of course i parked right next to it about 30minz later i walk out side the guy's in he's car messing with his nav system which was pretty sweet (really wish gto's had more option's like that ) it was a automatic with a shifttronic option,We ran from a 30 roll he sat at the door till about 65-70 mph i really thought that car was going to hang on top end but no dice

 

You guys have pretty much summed up all my thoughts... mainstream magazines suck and their reasoning for alot of comparison winners just doesn't add up. Give GM and the GTO some credit... I'm tired of reading all their bullshit....

 

In the end we all know who wins anyhow.

 

Yep, us GTO owners!

 

Had my Motor Trend delivered to me yesterday and was excited to see an article on the GTO - a comparison between the Goat and new SRT-8 Charger.

When Angus McKenzie bitched about not getting a '06 version I knew it was going to be down hill from there. Well my intuition was right and once again the Goat got dissed by the ignorant car press.

Let the drilling begin - turning this ridiculous comparison into Swiss cheese. First of all, comparing the 4-door Charger sedan to a 2-door GTO sports coupe isn't exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. The Charger is nothing more than a Chrysler 300 with a Nike Polyester running outfit slapped over it. The Charger started out as a butt ugly mule, so putting a hood scoop, 20" rims, rear spoiler and fog lamps was the equivalent of placing a 10 gallon cowboy hat on a Brazilian tranny and saying "doesn't he/she look macho!?" In short, it didn't help - the Charger SRT-8 still looks like a mule mascerading as a race horse. Don't even get me started on the interior - looks like a rebadged 300 with the addition of some sport buckets. REALLY NOW.

With a 6.1 litre Hemi V-8 and 425 ponies you'd expect the Charger to bring some performance to the table and yet the Goat out performed it in every category measured. Still not good enough! According to Mr. Angus, the Charger is the "friskier beast". Why you say? Well, because the 5-speed auto from MB delivers "a seamless rush of acceleration that could easily double as mental therapy". What the hell does that mean? Perhaps the answer lies in the sound, as according to Mr. McKenzie the Charger sounds like a Rottweiler, while the GTO a Bloodhound. Is this how we measure cars now... by the sound of their muffler?

The final kick in the face comment was his remark about the GTO being "less refined, less civilized and less inviting" than the Charger. Hmmmm, perhaps this has something to do with the fact the Charger is a SEDAN, not to mention it is a new offering. Talk about a subjective comment! From my perspective, there is NOTHING inviting about the Charger, in fact I wouldn't be caught dead driving one. Are we really to believe that because the GTO doesn't offer a Navigation system, sun roof or other "creature comfort" that it's somehow dated?

Let the press continue to hammer the GTO, I don't care. It's obvious to me they don't get what we do.

 

WOW= Z06 goes 11.60s @ 127 MPH Those vette motors fly,but only in a vette!

 

Every one seems to dislike the GTO....oh well...their loss...*******.

 

exactly

 

what Motor Trend or C&D have to say! Bunch of anyhoo!
Wouldnt know a performance car if it
They all need a swift

 

well the unfortunate thing is, people read these magazines and actually praise their articles, as if its fact. I know people that only know how to argue by quoting bogus magazine findings.

Plus the general idiotic public sees...hmm charger better than GTO. ok ill go out and buy a charger. If I had a nickle for every time there was a water cooler conversation about cars and the ignorant car guy goes "yea so did you hear that the new charger is faster than the GTO". People dont understand. We do because were all enthusiasts here. Too bad we only make up a small percentage of the sales on these performance cars. The rest are guys/gals who dont know a V8 from a V6.

 

What's makes it even worse is that the average Motor Trend or C&D reader probably IS considered an enthusiast, which means that the rest of us are probably enthusiasts among enthusiasts... or something like that...

 

Let the general public believe what it wants. When they get their doors blown off, let them ask the magazine writers why it happened.

 

Goat Owners, I feel your pain...

Dodge must have gotten a great price on those grilles, they put 'em on everything, and they don't look too bad on trucks.

In my mind, the Charger is the biggest diappointment in the last who knows how long -- no lines, a big cruise ship - just awful no matter what it's called.

Now I do NOT think the new GTO should be called a GTO, but the car itself is pretty cool, even if misnamed...way better than a Charger...and I could see me getting one of the 400 HP models in a couple years --- I mainly want to make sure there are no major mechanical shortfalls, plenty of replacement parts available etc.

At least the GTO is in the hunt, the Charger is just butt ugly...

 

Now thats Funny! I would love to get an '05 Goat, but the wife says I'd have to sell the SS, so I'll have to wait a few years and pick one up on the used market. But you know what, I actually like the SRT8 300 and Charger. The Charger is a love it or hate it for most, but its muscular looks have grown on me. An all black SRT8, lowered with black wheels would be an evil looking people hauler!

 

I had a guy who just bought a new RT and he wanted to talk all about my car...not his. The Chargers can't turn off the traction control and they are the size of a herse. I have people flag me on the freeway to talk to me all the time. Every day I get someone who wants to comment on how much they love the way the GTO looks and how it is TRUE American muscle. I have a reputation to live up to with the car I drive and my Goat will leave only the best impression with people knowing that the new GTO IS THE FASTEST BADEST AMERICAN MUSCLE ON THE ROAD TODAY!

Peace y'all!

The Duke