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Text by Dubspeed Media Staff, Carl Modesette
Photos by Matt Chow

To be completely honest, I wasn’t all that excited about my latest press vehicle assignment, the 2006 Dodge Charger R/T. I had seen the Charger’s debut at the 2005 NAIAS in Detroit, and while the front end of the car seemed bold and aggressive, nothing else really excited me about the car. “Besides,” I had thought to myself, “it’s just another boring American attempt at a throwback vehicle to revive sagging sales…”

Nevertheless, I was determined to give the car an objective review. In the few days prior to picking up the car, I had mentioned the upcoming review in passing to several co-workers and friends – surprisingly, nearly all of them were quite excited about the car. I’d be lying if I said that their enthusiasm hadn’t colored my initial pessimism with a bit of curiosity.

Styling

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At first glance, I knew right away that the Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl color of our test car suited the Charger much better than the metallic red paint I had seen at the Charger’s introduction in Detroit. The black paint, mixed with the black headlamp housings transforms the already bold and aggressive front fascia into something downright menacing. Those sneering headlamps and familiar grille create a face that’s unmistakably Dodge, unabashedly American, and quite assuredly different from anything else on the market.

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The Charger is a large car, but contrary to design methodologies that attempt to mask such heft, Dodge’s designers celebrate the Charger’s proportions using sharp edges and subtle curves. The wide hood meets the front fenders in a sharp edge that actually begins on the front bumper, continues brilliantly upward through the headlamps, and then along the waistline of the car where it gives way to the swooping rear haunches.

Those haunches have their own sharp edge, again delineating the horizontal surfaces from vertical ones. Alternating complimentary edges are found along the hood, guiding the eyes forward to the signature Dodge grille, as well as at the rear of the car, guiding the eyes along the subtle ducktail spoiler as well as framing the upper edge of the bumper, much like the front.

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The one proportion that designers did choose to minimize is height. The roofline, sweeping gently into the rear in a fastback style, visually lowers the car and at the same time emphasizes length and width – adding to the bold and aggressive theme of the car. All those sharp edges, coupled with darker colors, allow light - rather than tacky bodywork, to do the work of revealing the Charger’s features.

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Despite the styling genius of the Charger, there are some key areas that leave me disappointed. The first of which isn’t so much a surprise for American cars – wheelhouses that dwarf otherwise large wheels and tires. Why go to the trouble of visually decreasing the height of a car only to counteract that effort by leaving several inches of wheel gap? While these large arches leave plenty of room for huge aftermarket wheels, potential buyers shouldn’t be forced to resort to that. Second, the trailing edge of the rear passenger windows comes to an odd point that doesn’t seem to blend with anything else. In fact, it actually draws attention away from the swooping crease that defines the rear haunches. I’d rather see the lower edge of the rear windows flow into the concave edge of the rear fenders, allowing the rear haunches to dominate. Finally, the rear of the car just doesn’t mirror the aggressive posture set forth elsewhere. In fact, it’s rather bland and boring by comparison. The subtle ducktail spoiler is the only cue to performance, as the twin exhaust tips are not prominent. One trick I’ve seen used already by the aftermarket is to paint the upper section of the taillamps, which visually shortens them and also allows the spoiler to continue uninterrupted into the rear fenders. Reasonably small gripes, all of them, but nonetheless these are things that keep a good design from becoming a great one.

Interior

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Open the Charger’s doors, and you’re greeted with ample space, both front and rear. I was at once impressed with the high-bolstered Leather/Preferred Suede seats that are part of the Road/Track Performance Group available on the R/T. Typically these type of seats are great for track days, but rather uncomfortable to deal with on a practical, everyday basis – especially if you happen to be blessed with a large frame as I am. Not so in the Charger – the bolstering offers the perfect balance of lateral support without impeding ingress and egress. In fact, these are among the best all-around seats I’ve ever had the opportunity to sample. Granted, smaller-framed individuals might feel disadvantaged by their size, but I for one am happy to have found a car designed with larger folks in mind.

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Once settled in, you’re greeted by a dash and center console that betray the width of the car, offering a driver-oriented cockpit feel. Most controls, with few exceptions, are well within reach and reasonably intuitive to use. Those exceptions, while few, are worth noting: I found the Homelink controls, as well as those on the rearview mirror to be just out of arm’s reach when comfortably seated; however, since those controls aren’t used often, this presents only a minor nuisance. I also found the blinker stalk, who shares its geometry with Mercedes-Benz, to be oriented quite a bit lower than normal, making the first several lane changes a bit clumsy. Aside from those minor ergonomic faux-pas, none of the controls presented any more of a learning curve than any new car should.

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Overall materials feel and quality is a mixed bag. The leather on the seats, steering wheel and shift lever are great, as is the headliner material that appears to have been influenced by European designs. The soft-touch textured dash surfaces are typically Dodge, but are carried out well. The silver-colored dash inlays are the most disappointing feature. While the silver is a welcome change from faux wood-screened plastic, the contrast is quite high against a dominantly black interior, and the smooth texture confuses its metallic look. The matte silver plastic also clashes with the few bits of chrome, especially around the shifter. While I’m sure that the plastic was intended as a utilitarian and cost-effective alternative to real metal trim, the overall visual and tactile effect leaves a bit to be desired.

The seating in the Charger positions the driver up high, giving a commanding view of the road. This is quite a departure for a car that offers high levels of sport and performance; normally those cars dictate a low seating position with a rather compromised view of the road. While this high seating position is superb in the front seats, it does compromise rear seat headroom. The fastback roofline paired with elevated seating will leave full-size adults a bit uncomfortable in the back seat.

Features

Our test car came well-equipped with $5,570 in optional equipment, the bulk of which came in the form of the Road/Track Performance Group, the GPS Navigation System, and the 322-watt Boston Acoustics Sound System. In fact, about the only options our test car didn’t have were the Rear-Seat Video Entertainment System and Sirius Satellite Radio.

The real treat here is the Road/Track Performance Group. Far from many “performance” packages on the market that merely offer visual enhancements, this group leaves hardly any aspect of the car untouched. Performance Suspension with Load Leveling and Height Control coupled with Performance Steering morph this large sedan into a canyon carver. Add wider, lower profile 235/55R18 tires and a high-speed engine computer and you wind up with a car that really means business. As if those enhancements alone weren’t enough, you get those fabulous Performance Seats and Power Adjustable Pedals along with the electronic elements of the Convenience Group II to round out the creature comforts of this package. At only $1600, this has to be one of the best values on the market today.

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Another feature that’s becoming more and more popular in the American market is the Navigation System. The DVD-based system offered in the Charger uses GPS technology and offers turn-by-turn route guidance with voice instruction, automatic re-route calculation, and enough memory to store 100 personal addresses. The full-screen in-dash unit also retains a 6-disc CD/MP3 player to fulfill your musical needs. All the controls are intuitive and don’t require an evening with the instruction manual to decipher. While good, a touch-screen would be better, as would a joystick with push-to-select capability. At $1495, the Navigation option is fairly priced for the market.

The last option worth mentioning is the ear-pounding 322-watt Boston Acoustics Sound System that’s ordered simply as “Sound Group II”. This option adds almost 50 watts of power to the already substantial 276-watt stereo offered standard on the Charger, for a price premium of $535. While I can’t offer a comparison to the standard stereo, I can say that this is one of the more powerful factory-offered sound systems on the market. Power isn’t everything to the audiophile, however, as this system seems to be quite biased towards the bass end of the audible spectrum. I found myself constantly having to dial the bass down to achieve balanced sound at only moderate volumes. The benefit, however, is that the bass is certainly there when you want it, and won’t require an expensive trip to a stereo shop for space-robbing amplifiers and subwoofer cabinets.
With such an impressive array of available options, I was a bit surprised that xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are not even offered on the Charger. While it’s true that a good Halogen design can be far superior to a poor HID design, I find it odd, especially in this price class, that they aren’t even offered. Perhaps DaimlerChrysler thought it more fitting to reserve that option for the more upscale 300C.

The Driving Experience

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Enough about how the Charger looks and feels – how’s it drive? Well, the heart of the Charger is the 5.7 liter HEMI Multi-Displacement V-8. In the R/T, that means 340 horsepower at 5000 rpm, and 390 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm. The Road/Track Performance Group adds another 10 ponies, bringing the total to 350. When the power meets the pavement, those 350 horsepower translate into a quarter mile in the low 14’s at over 100 mph, with 60 mph being achieved in well under 6 seconds. For reference, the new Ford Mustang GT will reach both marks almost a half second quicker, benefiting from nearly 600 lb less weight to propel. In the real world, however, peak power numbers on a spec sheet aren’t nearly as critical as where in the rpm range those numbers occur. Here, the specifications give good insight into how the HEMI actually behaves. While torque is ample at lower rpm’s, it’s not until the upper echelons of the tachometer that the HEMI really shines. Perhaps this is an effort to keep fuel consumption reasonably modest, or maybe just to be doubly sure that you really need to pass all six of those left-lane hogs at once.

Speaking of fuel consumption, Dodge’s Multi-Displacement System, or MDS for short, claims to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% depending on driving conditions by transitioning from 8 cylinders to 4. This transition can be made in only 40 milliseconds, which is essentially transparent to most drivers. On long highway stretches, if you opt to use your calibrated right foot for cruise control, you might be able to “feel” the MDS system at work – but otherwise operation is completely seamless. I’m not quite sure how much MDS aids fuel economy, as I observed approximately 17 mpg in mixed city/highway driving - Dodge claims 17 city / 25 highway.

Those who like to row their own gears may be disappointed, as a 5-speed automatic with AutoStick is the only transmission available on the Charger. Despite the lack of a third pedal and a gated shifter, the AutoStick is a gem. In manual mode, it will hold onto each gear as long as you like, and hiccups are incredibly rare.

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Braking is strong, effortless, and fade-free in the Charger, aided by huge 13.6” front and 12.6” rear rotors, clamped by dual piston calipers up front and single piston calipers out back. Pedal feel is light and smooth, although in some situations the braking force felt artificially boosted when holding pedal effort constant. While this isn’t a detriment to braking performance, it left me feeling a bit disconnected from the road.

The Steering system in the Charger is of the variable-assist type, with effort increasing with vehicle speed. This type of system works very well, especially with larger cars – allowing you to navigate parking spaces with ease, but giving you the type of feedback you need on the highway. My only gripe is that effort at low speed is almost too light, but is something I’d likely acclimate to over time.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Charger is how it rides and handles. Any large American car that weighs over 4,000 lb would lead you to expect a floaty ride, excessive body roll, and cornering capability on par with a UPS truck. To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be a gross understatement. While not perfect, the ride quality is amazingly smooth and taught - only the largest pavement irregularities threaten to spill your Big Gulp. In turns, you forget the size of the Charger as it turns in with authority and holds its line. With judicious throttle application, drifts can be coerced, but the Electronic Stability Program and Traction Control keep the car pointed true. The Road/Track Performance Group surely shines here, exemplifying great balance between real-world comfort and racetrack performance.

With such a killer stereo and HEMI music underfoot, road noise shouldn’t be much of a concern, but in this case, it is. Road noise from the stock Michelins is a bit much, indicating a lack of sound deadening material in the floor and footwells. At highway speeds there were also faint rattles audible from somewhere in the doors. Perhaps I’m expecting much from the Charger in this regard, but prepare to be annoyed if you prefer to drive in silence.

The Verdict

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I went into this review admittedly pessimistic, and came out amazed. Since when has an American 4-door been something worth looking at? The Charger looks good, feels good, and drives even better. It offers a great balance between roominess and performance. Beyond all that, it actually has character.

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While the Charger and HEMI names might hearken back to the good ol’ days, the Charger is much more than a throwback vehicle. It, along with its 300C and Magnum bretheren, has ushered in a new era of Mopar Muscle that capitalizes on its heritage while putting a newer, bolder face on American design that’s actually relevant to the current age. We’ve already seen how the automotive aftermarket has embraced this trio of cars, their bold design presenting an alluring palette for customizers everywhere.

Not without imperfections, the Charger shows good promise to evolve into a great car. Given the current state of the oil industry, sub-20 mpg fuel mileage isn’t exactly going to be a selling point. Also, given the Charger’s handful of shortcomings, I found it difficult to see the full value in the as-tested price of $35,565 - there are several other great cars to be had in that price range. However, if this first iteration is any indication of things to come from Dodge, the future is an exciting one indeed.