My first R/T AWD was a 2009 which I bought from a friend while living in the central Rockies in Colorado. With the right tires, it is an amazing car on snow and ice, as well as in heavy rain. When it hit 130,000 miles I had the itch for a newer Charger, and found that the ‘14 was the last year having the Hemi/AWD combo in civilian trim. So I searched for and bought one, even though I had moved to southern VA, where it rarely snows to amount to anything. Plenty of rain, though.
Partly due to the novelty of having an AWD Charger, and particularly the benefits in handling in inclement weather it provides, I really like it, and can’t imagine being satisfied with a V6 AWD. But that’s me. With the 8 speed, I’d think the V6 is more capable than it used to be.
As mentioned by others, modding these cars takes a sort of dedication. Since comparatively few were made, aftermarket performance providers don’t have much incentive to go the extra mile to put out AWD-specific variants of their products.
A late model Pursuit may be the way to go, if you want something much newer. Or look for a low mileage ‘14, if you don’t want to keep what you have.
At the moment I’m committed to spending a fair amount to get mine back on the road after a blown engine. I expect to have this car for a good long while.
Good luck with your decision.
