My daughter’s dream car, the Charger is a classic, inspiring passion among all ages! A muscle car from out of the past, it is an icon for current fans and promises to continue to ‘wow’ the market on into the future. My weeklong test drive lived up to all expectations, proving itself powerful, fast, attention getting and just downright sexy. I’m sure some teenage boys found it mightily unfair for this grandma to be sporting around in such a hot vehicle! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment behind the wheel.
The Daytona Blue Pearl exterior paint and the black/blue interior with performance seats complement the sporty impression. I am ready to push the ignition button! The 5.7-liter V8 engine with fuel saver technology growls to life and I am ready to roll. Backing out of the driveway, I appreciate the ParkView rear backup camera, which enables me to avoid the trees and shrubs on the other side, as well as the dog, which is curious about how far I am going and how long I will be gone. (Sorry, Pepper, I have a full tank of fuel.) Down the driveway and off the property I head for the county road, an ideal area to test the responsiveness and maneuverability of the Charger. This is the R/T, standing for Road and Track, so I have high expectations. Some of our East Texas roads are a little bit hilly and quite curvy, so I plan to enjoy the performance steering, sport suspension and 3-mode electronic stability control. No disappointment! With 5-speed automatic transmission and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters I have great control. I feel a bit like I’m in a television commercial, rounding a curve, climbing a hill, accelerating along a straightaway with pine trees lining the shoulders. East Texas is beautiful! Coming to a stop at an intersection, the anti-lock 4-wheel disc heavy-duty brakes make it quickly but smooth. I choose to turn on to the highway and try out the adaptive cruise control, one of my favorite features. Once again the performance is perfect. Coming up behind a slower vehicle, the Charger automatically slows and maintains the distance between cars until the one in front turns off the road, speeds up or allows me to pass. Then it automatically resumes the speed set on the cruise control. Returning home I greet an ecstatic dog and feel an odd combination of relaxed and pumped. What a wonderful drive!
My test vehicle had a very long list of added optional equipment. As a matter of fact, the standard features would probably equal a fairly plain car. With a base price of $29,995, the extra options brought the price up to $41,645, a pretty significant increase! Estimated fuel economy is 19 miles per gallon combined city and highway driving. The greenhouse gas rating is 4 and the smog rating is 6. The overall safety rating score is 5 stars. The Charger is 65% U.S./Canadian parts content.
The Charger is a lot of fun, but can also be practical for transportation to and from work or for family travel. Not at all what would be considered utilitarian, it is still practical for every day driving. See one at your Dodge dealership soon!
