WELL-ENGINEERED CHARGER A FUN AND SOLID RIDE

It’s been two years since I last drove the Charger SXT Rallye AWD — and that was after an almost four-decade absence from Dodge’s iconic muscle car. In my youth it was all about the power, which I experienced mostly from the shotgun seat of my buddy’s 383-cubic inch, B-body ’68 Charger. Two years ago, impressed by the grip afforded by the SXT Rallye’s all-wheel-drive system, I mused whether the full-size four-door could be considered a legit alternative to the pricier Europeans.

Now, however, I’m left wondering how long Chrysler — check that, FCA — can hang onto this model. After all, it’s been sitting on the LX-platform since 2005 and, if you believe the insiders, won’t get the new Alfa Romeoderived platform until 2020. Sure, the Charger has seen a couple of redesigns — the seventh-generation model debuted in 2011 and was updated in 2015 — but this car has some old bones.

That said, those bones are still pretty good. Chrysler was DaimlerChrysler when the Charger was resurrected in 2005, and that LX platform has more than its share of Mercedes DNA. Sure, the primary competition — Ford’s Taurus, the Chevy Impala and Nissan’s Maxima — are newer, but the big, made-in-Ontario Dodge isn’t exactly sucking wind. The Charger was the top-selling large car in Canada last year (the Chrysler 300 was second). That’s the good news. The bad is that sales for the four-door were down 17 per cent from 2015 and, just as telling, the entire large-car segment was down 11.4 per cent. (Conversely, the large SUV segment for 2016 was up 49.5 per cent.)

As much as I don’t hate big SUVs — I grew up driving Jeep Wagoneers and Cherokees (the full-size first-generation version, not the current half-pint) — there’s not a single one of them that will handle better when roads get slick than a well-engineered car with a proper all-wheel-drive system. And the Charger, aged it might be, is a well-engineered car with an available AWD setup that’s rock solid.

Without getting overly techy, the main thing is that there’s no noticeable transition or driver intervention between rear-drive and AWD. When not required, the system automatically disconnects the front axle, enhancing the performance and handling inherent in a rear-drive car. Not only is the Charger SXT suitably grippy when the snow flies, it’s just plain fun to drive — with winter tires installed.

Under the Charger SXT’s hood is the smooth running and effortless power of Chrysler’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, the only engine offered with the all-wheel drivetrain.

Realistically, though, there’s little hardship having to make do with the V6. It turns out a solid 292 horsepower and 260 poundfeet of torque in standard form. And if you check off the option box for the $1,395 Rallye Appearance Group, not only do you get go-faster-look bits such as a gloss black fascia appliqué, R/T frontend “appearance,” Rallye badge and rear spoiler, the engine gets up-rated to 300 hp and 264 lb-ft.

The 3.6-L engine is bolted to a slick-shifting eight-speed manumatic, complete with paddle shifters to play with should you so desire, though there’s not a ton of reward for the effort. Even when leaving the transmission to its own devices, the big Dodge moves with a confidence that belies its bulk (a robust 1,920 kilograms).

Inside, the Charger SXT’s cabin is laid out with a sporting driver-focused interior that includes soft-touch materials, a seven-inch customizable gauge cluster and — new for 2017 — the fourth-generation version of the Uconnect system, which includes performance improvements with faster startup time, enhanced processing power, multi-touch gesture capability and sharper graphics. There’s plenty of legroom and headroom in the front seats for taller occupants, not quite as good (but still reasonable) for those riding the rear seats. Other than the sombre note of the tester’s all-black interior and the sweep of the dash panel, which leaves the front passenger with a mass of plastic to look at, the layout is quite acceptable. The touch screen is easier on the eyes and user-friendly, although the heated seat controls should be given their own switches on the centre console.

There are no fewer than seven versions of Charger available in Canada, ranging from mild-mannered, full-size family sedan to old-school muscle car — SE, SXT, SXT Plus, R/T, R/T 392, SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat.

Growing up during the 1960s when the muscle car horsepower wars were in full swing, I can’t help but gravitate to the SRT rumblers. Thinking with my head instead of my heart, though, the $41,145 SXT AWD is, despite the Charger’s overall “maturity,” still a very suitable four-door sedan for our winter-dominated country.