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Charger Mania: Dodge Mines Mother Lode of PR Gold

published November 14, 2005

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( 13 votes, average: 4.7 out of 5)
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The Charger is, at its core, just a four-door version of the previously introduced Magnum station wagon.

The Magnum, in turn, was the wagon iteration of the Chrysler 300 sedan. Which started life as a Mercedes-Benz E-Class platform, and so on.


Dodge has mined a mother lode of public relations gold with its decision to revive the Charger name.

Sure, it was a controversial move to exhume such a storied name from the annals of muscle car history. But the bottom line has been to create an unnatural amount of buzz around a sedan - the type of car most manufacturers can barely offer enough incentives on to give away.

A week in a Charger, however, left me asking, "What's in a name? Besides the name?"

When it comes to the Charger, the answer would seem to be "not a lot."

Other than the Hemi engine, which is an option, I couldn't find a single "gotta-have" feature on the Charger. If you don't count the flat-black Hemi Daytona stickers on one of the up-rated versions.

Otherwise, I found it to be big, heavy and - without the Hemi - slow.

The exterior styling is handsome, sort of a cross between the Magnum and the new Ford Mustang, oddly enough. Maybe it's the shoulders.

But the Charger plows no new design ground, and it is nowhere near as dramatic a gangsta-styling statement as its corporate sibling the Chrysler 300, or the Magnum for that matter.

The interior is about as stark as a jail cell, which may be appropriate because there will be a police version. The black-and-gray treatment isn't ugly, but it is about as minimalist as it gets.

For the most part, controls are simple and straightforward. Everything except, that is, the optional navigation system, which adds a typically Teutonic level of complication to tasks that ought to be simple, like turning on and tuning the radio.

The engineers at DaimlerChrysler have to be congratulated for carefully studying what could be improved about a 300, and incorporating those improvements in the Charger.

The upgrades include more precise steering, better brakes, firmer handling and a well-calibrated five-speed manumatic transmission.

But the Charger does not offer a true manual-shift transmission, which seems sacrilegious for a vehicle with the Charger name. Neither is all-wheel drive offered, as on the Magnum.

It also does not have one single feature that evokes Chargers of yesteryear: The new Charger comes in five trim levels.

Let's see if we can get all these right: there's the base level SE, the V6-powered fleet darling, which starts at $22,295; the $25,995 SXT, also with the 250-horsepower V6; the $29,995 R/T, which includes a Hemi (with cylinder deactivation); the $32,495 Charger Daytona R/T with a high performance exhaust that adds 10 horsepower to the stock 340-horsepower output; and the upcoming 425-horsepower SRT8 with a yet-to-be announced MSRP of about $38,000.

There's also a police cruiser offering, which you're likely to see only in your rearview mirror - if you own a Hemi Charger.

Hemi owners will enjoy sub-six-second 0-60 times, and insurance rates to match. Those who wait for the SRT8 will probably be able to knock a second or more off that, plus they'll get a 180 mph speedometer instead of a 160.

Wonder how many people will buy the V6 models and then trot over to their dealer's parts department and order a Hemi badge or two? A DaimlerChrysler exec reveals that a few months back, they had already sold more than 5,000 Hemi badges that way.

What's in a name? Plenty, it would seem, to Charger fans.

SPECS BOX
2006 Dodge Charger

Body style: Five-passenger, full-size rear-wheel drive sedan

Engine: 3.6-liter, SOHC, 24-valve V-6; and 5.7-liter, pushrod, 16-valve Hemi V-8

Horsepower: 3.6 liter, 250 at 6,400 rpm; 5.7, 340 at 5,000

Torque: 3.6, 250 at 3,800 rpm; 5.7, 390 at 4,000

Transmission: five-speed automatic

Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph, 6.9 seconds

EPA estimated fuel mileage: 3.6-liter, 19 mpg city, 27 highway; 5.7-liter, 17/25; midgrade unleaded recommended

Fuel Economy: 21 mpg city, 29 highway

Fuel tank: 18 gallons, Hemi 19

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 120 inches

Length: 200.1 inches

Front head/leg/shoulder room: 38.7/41.8/59.3 inches

Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 36.2/40.2/57.6 inches

Curb weight: 3,820 to 4,146 pounds

Cargo capacity: 10.5 cubic feet behind 3rd seat, 39.7 3rd seat folded, 80.6 2nd row seat folded

Trunk space: 16.2 cubic feet

FEATURES
Standard equipment: Climate control, power ergonomic controls, stereo

Safety equipment: Multistage front air bags, optional side curtain air bags, lap and shoulder belts with pretensioners and force limiters

CHASSIS
Suspension: Front - short, long-arm independent type with coil springs, lower links, gas shocks, stabilizer bar; Rear - independent five-link with link-type stabilizer bar, gas shocks (optional self-leveling shocks)

Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion; turning circle 38.9 feet

Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS

Tires and wheels: P215/65 R 17-inch; Hemi, P255/60 R18-inch on alloy wheels

PRICING

Base price: $22,495-$32,995

Options on test vehicle: Power moon roof ($895); Comfort Package ($795) with power driver seat recliner, two-way power passenger seat, MP3 and CD six-disc changer audio upgrade; safety package ($595) of side air curtain with rollover sensor, front side air bags, traction control; reverse sensing system ($250); and leather-trimmed seats ($895).

The competition: Toyota Avalon, Mercury Grand Marquis/Ford Crown Victoria, Buick Park Avenue/LeSabre

Where assembled: Brampton, Ontario, Canada

PLUSES: Styling, performance, cachet

MINUSES: Rear head room, blind spots, high price of top-line models fully loaded

Jerry Garrett is a freelance auto writer and contributing editor to Car and Driver magazine.

published November 14, 2005

( 13 votes, average: 4.7 out of 5)
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