2011 Dodge Charger: For your inner-teen...

With the exception of some hopeless forays into the luxury vehicle category in the 1970s and in the compact category in the 1980s, the Dodge Charger has always possessed aggressive lines and pleasant mechanics. The new 2011 edition is no different.

Thus, for 2011, Dodge has revised the Charger’s aesthetics. It already looked like a brute; now it looks like an angry brute... and an attractive one at that! Its designers managed to give the new Charger an intimidating look to go along with its undeniable charm. The Charger’s front end commands respect in the rearview mirror of a slower moving car, especially if it’s topped with blue and red flashing lights! Its extremely sculpted sides make the overall package even more dynamic. Only the tail end seems to raise  divided opinions. When the SRT8 was unveiled at the New York Auto Show, a Toronto-based journalist was visibly against the Charger’s tail. And he’s not the only one. Personally, I find it very nice. The one certainty is that the Charger still turns heads and is very popular with the ladies!

Finally, a nice dashboard!

But the big change is in the passenger compartment. If there was one thing that clashed on the old generation, it was the dashboard, which was taken from the Chrysler 300. Now, the Charger has its own design, and frankly, it’s fantastic – although I don’t particularly like the large polished aluminum surfaces. What’s more, the steering wheel is a tad too big for a car that offers solid performances. As for the plastics, their quality is a lot better than before and their assembly, at least in our test car, irreproachable. The jewel in this dashboard is the large central screen featuring the U-Connect system, similar to Ford’s Sync. I’m not a fan of this type of driver-machine communication and I avoid using it as much as possible. But I had no problem navigating the few menus that I used, which is proof positive of how easy it is to use!

The front seats are comfortable, but they lack lateral support. I must admit, however, that I didn’t take the Charger out for hours at a time. When I wasn’t driving, I was rather unhappy about the lack of foot room on the passenger side. Also note that when the front doors are wide open, the handle to close them from the inside is a long ways away from the driver and passenger. You’ll have to stretch as far as you can to reach it, which could be a pain for people with back problems. The back seats are very cozy, but anyone taller than 5’10” could find themselves rubbing their head on the ceiling!

The trunk is big (considering the Charger’s size, the opposite would be surprising), but its very high loading height makes it hard to get heavy objects in and out. And while the passenger compartment’s finish is nice, I can’t say the same for the trunk.

The V6 is perfect 95% of the time... For the other 5%, there’s the V8!

Normally, the Charger comes with the now very widely used 3.6-litre 292 horsepower V6 Pentastar under the hood. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the SRT8 that will soon be offered with a 6.4-litre 470-hp V8. Our Charger R/T had a thunderous 5.7-litre V8 with hemispherical cylinder heads developing a mere 370 horsepower and 395 lbs-ft of torque. The only available transmission is a five-speed automatic, until the eight-speed (yes, eight!) arrives on the scene. Our test vehicle came with all-wheel drive, a $2,000 option that I cannot recommend enough. In addition to ensuring better traction in the snow and improving safety, this expense will pay for itself when the time comes to resell the car.
With 370 horses, it has no shortage of power, and although the car weighs more than 2,000 kilos, it goes from 0-100 km/hr in 6.8 seconds and from 80-120 in barely 5 seconds. You’ll really feel all those kilos when braking.

The front end dives joyfully, and once stopped, the car continues to waddle back and forth on its suspensions, like a good ol’ American car. However, even at crazy speeds, the Charger remains very stable. Note that the all-wheel drive acts like rear-wheel drive when it has to and when you start fast, the rear wheels skid a little. In fact, when the traction control is deactivated, you can even fishtail by accelerating out of turns (on a race track, of course!).

A big engine tasked with moving a significant mass consumes a good deal of fuel. When we returned the car, the onboard computer displayed 12.0 L/100 km. I must admit that we were guilty of a few untimely accelerations and that a friend of mine, a Yaris owner, had fun accelerating just for fun. If the sound of engine hadn’t been so muffled, she would have been even happier!

On the road, you don’t need to go far to realize that this is a big, heavy car. The handling much better than it once was and the body bends a little in curves. But at least the steering, although it doesn’t give much feedback, is reasonably precise. I would have expected the suspensions to be limp but they weren’t, and they were just firm enough to strike the right balance between sportiness and comfort. However, the various electronic systems that control lateral stability and traction are somewhat intrusive.

Maturity: it’s relative…

The 2011 edition of the Dodge Charger has matured. With an improved finish and mechanics that are vibrant rather than economical, the Charger R/T that we test drove was very pleasant to drive. However, you have to be ready to live with very poor rear visibility, due to the wide C-pillars and the rear spoiler, which was designed to be as bothersome as possible. There’s also the blind spot vehicle warning system that’s way too sensitive. In my opinion, this $1,125 option isn’t really necessary, but then you’ll have to do without the backup camera, which is a blessing... The 8.4-inch GPS screen is easily obliterated by sunshine and the radio puts out a nice sound – though my son’s fine ear for music wasn’t overly impressed.

Yes, the Charger has matured. Too bad that it’s at the driver’s expense.