To me, the 68-70 Charger is one of the stellar automotive styling expressions of the 60's - and probably the best looking Charger ever, though I admit to liking the ubiquitous 2nd gen sedan as well. 71-74 models were spoiled by excessive front overhang; made the design ungainly when actually studied. The 73 SE was something of a revelation in the personal luxury class as it had more 'sport' in its DNA than the Monte Carlo and certainly more than the soon to be born Elite. Consumers liked it, the SE alone sold 60k+ copies, which for Dodge was pretty good. Indeed 73 was the high point for the B body Charger and the only year it topped 100k for the combined model lineup. (68 coming close, but not quite) I've never driven a performance version of the new Charger, but from an everyday perspective, I've rented a couple of SXTs, and, while not set up for OMG 0-60 times, they're pretty satisfying - they feel much better suspended than the 300 and more 'solid' than say a Fusion. Interior quality & features subpar however. I imagine one of the hotter versions would be an interesting choice for a big sedan - fuelish, but also probably built to take some abuse.
Agreed, the 68 to 70 has it going on from every angle. I knew a guy with a 73 SE 318 and the distance from the radiator to the engine was so great that the fan shroud was practically duct work. I find I like the ride on the modern V6 models better than the performance models, but the V8s make it easy to forgive everything else.
The current Charger is well received by gear heads, but I think it is dismissed by others. People who would choose other brands would cite problems Chrysler had 30 years ago have simply not been true for some time. While the motors are great, the chassis are awesome. The brand has improved. I was pessimistic with the Mercedes merger but clearly that chassis is superior to what they had before. Then there was FCA and Stellantis ownership. Again, I was the pessimist, presuming its just more companies interested only in milking money, not advancing industry. At least until the Giulia hit the ground from another part of the same company. Wow. Clearly they are capable of doing something right. So if the plan includes going electric, I know this will loose some fans, but I have to admit, I am hopeful.
Brand reputations are often out of date, good and bad. I'm not sure the Daimler-Chrysler merger was a good thing for Chrysler, although I do like the LX cars, and the Crossfire is viewed even more unfairly. It seems Daimler took more from Chrysler than they gave back. FCA gave us the Dart which I really wanted to like, but when I drove it, it had a insubstantial feel reminiscent of Japanese cars of the 70s. I also have mixed feelings about the Giulia, but it is very much an Alfa. We will have to wait and see what Stellantis does. At this point I guess I should be excited about the fact that there are cars in its future. But sales suggest that buyers are not as excited about the push for electrics and we are being lead to believe.
