The Dodge Charger is proof that Chrysler once made damn good cars — and has the potential to do so again.
Back in the automaker's mid-decade glory days, the Mercedes-engineered Charger and its Chrysler 300 sibling stole the show. Largely unchanged, today's Charger has aged noticeably; nearly every competitor feels more contemporary and gets better crash-test ratings. But the car still has its draw: With the short-lived Pontiac G8 gone — and the Ford Crown Victoria's headstone nearly in the ground — the pickings for big, affordable rear-wheel-drive sedans are slim.
The Lineup
From the base Charger SE to the high-performance SRT8, Dodge offers four engines across six trim levels. All-wheel drive is optional. For 2010, the previously optional side curtain airbags are now standard.
I tested an all-wheel-drive Charger R/T this time around, but we've logged plenty of miles in other drivetrains over the years. Here's how they stack up:
Trims & Engines
Trim level SE 3.5L, ]SXT, Rallye R/T SRT8
Engine 2.7L V-6 3.5L V-6 5.7L V-8 6.1L V-8
Base price $24,390 $25,245 $31,370 $38,180
Driveline RWD RWD or AWD RWD or AWD RWD
Horsepower (@ rpm) 178 @ 5,500 250 @ 6,400 368*@ 5,200 425 @ 6,200
Torque (lbs.-ft., @ rpm) 190 @ 4,000 250 @ 3,800 395* @ 4,350 420 @ 4,800
Transmission 4-speed auto 4-speed auto (RWD); 5-speed auto 5-speed auto
5-speed auto (AWD)
EPA fuel economy 18/26 17/25 (RWD); 16/25 (RWD); 13/19
(city/hwy., mpg) 17/23 (AWD) 16/23 (AWD)
Fuel usage Midgrade req Midgrade rec. Midgrade rec. Premium rec.
*372 hp and 400 pounds-feet of torque with Road/Track Performance Group.
Source: Automaker and EPA data
Confident Moves
Endowed a year ago with variable valve timing, Chrysler's 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 packs heat. All-wheel drive saddles the Charger R/T with another 183 pounds, but even with four occupants I was able to scoot up to highway speeds with power to spare. With 395 pounds-feet of torque at an accessible 4,350 rpm (or 400 pounds-feet with the R/T's optional, and confusingly named, Road/Track package), there's no waiting to unlock extra oomph as the tachometer needle climbs; the Charger R/T moves vigorously from the get-go. Ford tried to emulate this sort of thrust with the Taurus SHO's twin-turbo V-6, but the results feel lacking from a standing start. Displacement matters, and the era of big V-8s is fading fast. Enjoy the Charger's while you can.
All-wheel-drive V-6 Chargers and all V-8 Chargers get a five-speed automatic. It's a good transmission, though the gated shifter can be a bit reluctant to move into Drive. Upshifts are smooth and rarely happen too early, and highway kickdown comes without undue lag.
Less responsive is the Charger's all-wheel-drive system, which features an active transfer case that can automatically disconnect the front axle and route all power to the rear wheels. The benefits are tangible — preservation of rear-wheel-drive handling and better fuel efficiency — but somewhere along the way Chrysler forgot the whole point of all-wheel drive: traction. The system kicks power to the front wheels only after the rears have spent precious seconds spinning over slippery surfaces. It's hardly a seamless transition, and when you need to move out on a rainy day — say, to catch a gap in traffic — the Charger's all-wheel-drive system doesn't live up to its calling.
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