Street hooligan takes on upscale rides
Charger expands its horizons
Three things that came to mind whenever someone mentioned the Dodge Charger:
1. A misspent youth cruising Yonge Street in my buddy John’s B-body 1968 version (383-cubic-inch V8 under its massive hood mated to a three-speed automatic); 2. Charger Pursuit police cars (so much cooler than Ford’s Taurus Interceptors and the venerable Chevy Impala); and 3. The 707-horsepower Charger Hellcat ( insanity at its best/worst), touted by Chrysler as the world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful rear-wheel-drive sedan.
In other words, my impression of the Brampton, Ont.-built Charger was as a traditional, old-school Detroit bad-ass; this despite the fact that the current (and revamped for 2015) model lineup comes in no fewer than eight versions for Canada, ranging from mild-mannered, full-sized family sedan to escalating road warriors — SE, SXT, SXT Plus, R/T, R/T Road & Track, R/T Scat Pack, SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat.
Here’s the weird thing, though: Thanks to some odd twist of timing and availability, I have never driven the most modern iterations of the Charger, which was resurrected in 2006 after a 19-year absence. In fact, it’s been about four decades (my aforementioned youth and the ’68). A re-acquaintance with the iconic Mopar name was long overdue. Yet it wasn’t to be in one of the muscle-car bad boys, but one of the more proletariat models, an SXT AWD — which, with its all-wheel drivetrain, makes it a particularly suitable four-door sedan for our winter-ravaged country.
The 2015 versions benefit from a full makeover, including a thorough tweaking of the exterior panels, which, if you are to believe Chrysler, is “spiritually inspired by the iconic secondgeneration Charger from the late 1960s, specifically drawing on cues from the historic 1969 model, which include the unmistakable Coke-bottle design and scalloped body sides.”
Personally, I can’t drink enough Kool-Aid to buy in. What I see, though, is a clean, strong design with front and rear LED lighting, and interior design elements that now include a thick-rim three-spoke steering wheel, customizable colour driver information display cluster and decent cabin materials.
Chrysler also cites upgraded rear-wheel-drive architecture, electric power steering, new cast-aluminum axles and housing, plus more comprehensive Sport Mode II, which enables sport-tuned steering, pedal, engine and transmission calibration. In addition, AWD models have rear-biased torque for livelier handling.
This is all good stuff. Considering the SXT AWD’s huskiness — tipping the scales at a sport ute-like 1,900 kilograms — it has more than passable handling dynamics. So much so that an almost heretical thought began to form in my deeply warped mind. It first started percolating as I sat behind a late-model Mercedes E 350 4Matic at a stoplight. Could the Charger, in this model iteration, hold its own on the street against the established Eurosedan all-wheel-drive heavyweights — Audi A6, Mercedes E 400 4Matic and BMW 535i xDrive?
The crashing sound you just heard is from a bunch of well-off baby boomers dropping their snifters of Courvoisier on the floor at such audacity. But I’m not talking about cachet, just the performance aspects.
That said, the $45,490 tester, aided by a pricey ($5,295) yet comprehensive AWD Premium package, was not lacking for either creature comforts or a semi-upscale vibe. Plus, even so equipped, said tester was $20,000 to $25,000 less expensive than any of the Teutonic trio.
Interestingly, it’s Chrysler’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 that powers civilian AWD versions of the Charger. No 370-horsepower Hemis here. Yet the Pursuit cop version is available in V8/AWD form. The motor head in me is righteously indignant!
No matter, the Pentastar is not exactly a 98-pound weakling in the engine department, pushing out 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque in standard form. For Charger SXT customers craving a bit more power, Chrysler throws them a bone in the form of the Rallye Group, which bumps up the V6 to 300 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque, thanks to a coldair induction system, sporttuned exhaust and engine re-calibration. This puts the Charger on par with the 535i and within spitting distance of the other two Germans (329 hp for the E 400 and 333 for the A6).
Mated to a slick-shifting eight- speed manumatic, complete with paddle shifters, the big Dodge moves with a confidence that belies its size, even more so when the console-mounted Sport mode button (part of the Rallye Group) is given a push. And though I’m not the biggest fan of paddle shifters, shifting is crisp and clean when they’re used.
Fuel economy wasn’t outstanding — 15 litres per 100 kilometres during my week with the tester, a mix of highway and in-town usage, with a little more emphasis on the latter. However, on a pure highway run of 200plus km, the car averaged a much more palatable 9.4 L/100 km. A bonus is that the V6 runs on 87 octane.
As for the “intelligent” AWD system, it features an active transfer case and front-axle-disconnect system to improve fuel economy. There’s no noticeable transition or driver intervention between rear drive and AWD. When it’s not required, the AWD system automatically disconnects the front axle, enhancing the performance and handling inherent in a rear-drive car.
The SXT’s ride and handling are skewed toward the sportier side of things, with a solid weight to the steering wheel — which can be a little slow to self-centre, especially in sport mode — and a firm suspension with minimal roll when cornering.
Inside, the Charger SXT’s cabin is nicely laid out with a sporting driver-focused interior — the black/ruby red colour combo especially bright and cheerful — that includes greater use of softtouch materials, a new fullcolour seven-inch customizable gauge cluster and a new instrument panel centre stack with the Uconnect system and 8.4-inch touchscreen display. The touch screen has easily decipherable icons for the various menus and the graphics are excellent.
As a proper five-metre-long full-sized car, there’s beaucoup head- and legroom for the front-seat occupants. It’s a bit more of a compromise for rear-seat passengers, though. There’s enough legroom for six-footers — albeit not acres of stretch-out room — while the fastback styling of the roofline can cut into headroom for those of taller dimensions.
I doubt those thinking about upscale mid- and fullsized European or (rarer) Japanese AWD sedans are suddenly going to add the Charger to their shopping list — though they would certainly be in for a surprise.
More realistically, Ford’s AWD Taurus is the Dodge’s main competition; possibly even the Buick Regal AWD. Against those two upright citizens, there’s definitely a younger, sportier air to the Charger, with a whiff of street hooligan, even in the SXT. Still, with the 2015 model’s makeover and upgrades, the Charger has expanded its horizons — and my perceptions — of what a big four-door car can and should be.
Overview: Full-sized family sedan with AWD and a sporty vibe
Pros: Good power and handling dynamics, far less expensive than typical AWD Eurosedans
Cons: Heavy, thirsty in city cycle Value for money: Good
What I would change: More aluminum beyond the new hood to reduce the car’s weight
How I would spec it: As is