The Dodge Charger is the embodiment of a classic, full-size American sedan. You get plenty of interior room, seat comfort, features, and a 5.7 liter Hemi V8 all for a relatively inexpensive $35K. It’s an amazing value and surprisingly one of the full-size options that most people don’t really think about. For a the same price as a FWD/V6/CVT equipped Maxima SL, you can get a Charger with a 370 horsepower Hemi engine, an intuitive 8-speed automatic, and a RWD powertrain. Overall, the Charger gives you an amazing amount of power and performance for far less money than its competitors. Below are some of my driving impressions.
First setting off in the Charger, this car feels huge. In terms of its dimensions, the Charger is definitely one of the biggest sedans that I’ve driven. The Hemi model has a hood scoop that jets out in your frontward visibility a little, and the front hood is overall pretty bulgy looking from the driver’s seat. The Charger feels very wide, as I often felt like I was straddling the curb and the yellow line when driving down the road in this thing.
Visibility all around is fine though. The hood gets in your way at times, and the pillars are a little thick. However, the side mirrors are a good size, and the rear window is a very large sheet of glass that allows you to see everything directly behind you.
Despite the Charger’s bulbous proportions, this car drives amazingly well. It feels no different from a Challenger Hemi. It’s very underrated in terms of performance and agility. You get a silky smooth ride, shockingly smooth V8 with gobs of power, an intuitive 8-speed automatic, and relatively flat and competent handling. Despite the hefty curb weight, the Charger feels surprisingly balanced, and it’s absolute joy to drive. The second you put your foot down and hear that V8, this car puts an immediate smile on your face.
Another thing you notice when getting this car out on the road, is that the Charger “moves” really well. Despite the hefty 4,400 lb. curb weight, the Charger rolls pretty quickly and just feels quick on its feet. Mostly everything feels smooth, precise, and grounded. The suspension feels burly and muscular while maintaining a very smooth and composed ride. This car holds the road nicely, and it never tracks with pavement creases or indents. Overall, just a nice, solid, hunkered down feel that really matches the exterior look of this car.
I’ll start off with what, in my opinion, is the best aspect of the Charger. The 485 horsepower, 475 lb. ft. torque, 6.4 liter V8. It absolutely rips, there’s really no other way to describe it. It gives you that tingly feeling in your stomach when you hit the gas. The torque band is very linear, with amazing low-end pull. The power band remains perfectly refined and consistent throughout this engine’s rev range. You literally never feel short of power no matter what gear you’re in or where your RPMs are at. The engine makes the perfect noises, and the sound levels are balanced where the engine is quiet enough to not be disturbing to passengers, but loud enough to really hear all that it has to offer. Even the engine sound correlates perfectly with your speed and throttle inputs, making this car feel incredibly engaging. The throttle tip-in feels perfect, and even though this engine is very powerful, it’s incredibly easy to manage your RPMs and plan out a perfectly balanced acceleration or passing maneuver. Overall, the Hemi V8 makes the Charger into an absolute beast.
The 8-speed automatic is great as well. Most of these Chrysler ZF 8-speeds have somewhat of a clunky backdrop to them, but for the most part, the shifts are silky smooth and refined. The only time you really feel a clunk is if you’re slowing down to around 5 mph, at which point you feel the transmission sort of take itself out of gear, and sometimes it shutters a little if you take your foot off the gas right before the transmission is about to upshift. For the most part though, the 8-speed is a very refined transmission. It really bangs out all the right gears, and it loves to drop a gear and give you some extra power when you need it. Each gear is spaced out really well to match up with the engine’s power band. You hardly even feel when the transmission is upshifting and downshifting, too. The 8-speed definitely one of the smoothest shifting automatics that I’ve driven. I do think the shifting speed could be a little faster, but the shifts still feel really precise and well balanced for a traditional automatic.
Handling of the Charger is actually not bad. This 4,400 pound sedan turned out to be much better around the corners than I was expecting it to be. You feel the curb weight shift around a little, but the chassis actually stays pretty flat and rigid. You can definitely hustle around turns quicker than your average family sedan. It’s not the type of car that you whip around slaloms, but when you see a hard corner coming up, you can definitely whip the Charger around it pretty hard. The tires do squeal on you if you hit the gas early before exiting a hard corner, but it adds to the unique experience of this car, and it never makes you feel like you’re about to lose control or anything of that nature. It’s very safe while still being fun and engaging. Overall, you really can take corners pretty quick in the Charger. I wouldn’t say that it’s a BMW M3, but I will say that it’s a step above cars like the Nissan Maxima and the Mazda 6. The Maxima and the Mazda 6 will feel lighter in the corners, but the Charger really excels in rigidity and raw grip.
One thing that makes the cornering ability feel impressive is the Charger’s shockingly smooth ride quality. This car rides like a Mercedes Benz. It is a little bouncy at times, but for the most part the chassis stays flat and rigid while the suspension maintains really good composure and shock absorption. A German luxury car will probably feel a little smoother and more flat, but I would say that the Charger rides better than the Maxima, Impala, and even the Lacrosse. The Avalon is very plush and squishy all around, so I think that car has the Charger beat in ride quality, but the Charger is impressive because it combines rigid handling with a silky smooth ride.
Steering in the Charger is pretty typical of most FCA products. It will feel similar to the Challenger, Chrysler 300, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and most other vehicles that share this same platform. It has a nice hefty weight to it, but the on-center feel is somewhat mushy and imprecise. While I do think the response could be sharper, I think the precision when rounding bends and corners in the road is really well executed. The steering still makes you feel like you’re carving turns smoothly and accurately, despite the fact that it is generally mushy in its response and doesn’t have much road feel. It’s only when you’re on some really tight and windy roads where the steering starts to feel a little unstable and inaccurate. When you’re cruising down the freeway, the steering allows you to maintain really good lane control, and the Charger points in a perfectly straight line really well. To really summarize it, the steering in the Charger really excels in its overall weightiness and smoothness, but it can feel vague and unpredictable in some more spirited driving scenarios.
As for wind and road noise, the Charger is a very quiet vehicle as well. I couldn’t really hear anything except for the seatbelt warning chime when I got in, and the air blowing out of the climate vents. Really, the only thing you hear is that glorious sounding V8 engine and nothing much else. This car has a very balanced level of road, wind, and engine noise.
As for general response, the accelerator tip in is excellent. It responds right away when you put your foot down. It almost has the response of an old school cable-driven accelerator. You can definitely tell that it’s an electronic throttle, but I think the accelerator just has the perfect level of response and precision.
Brakes are pretty solid as well. They provide you with smooth and robust stopping power. The brake pedal has a fairly stiff bite to it, and it’s easy to modulate the exact amount of stopping power you need. I will say that the brakes feel a little dead at the beginning of the pedal. They also kind of “grab on” when you’re nearing a complete stop, causing you to stop a little short at times. This is something I’ve experienced in a few other FCA products that I’ve driven.
Overall, the Charger really impressed me. I was not expecting this car to be nearly as good as it turned out to be. Everything about this car is satisfactory, including the handling, transmission programming, throttle response, material quality, seat comfort, and interior space. However, that Hemi V8 is what really makes this car stand out. It’s what gives you that instant smile right when you get this car out on the road. If I was going to get this car, I would skip the V6 entirely and go straight for the V8. The additional cost and the lower fuel economy is well worth it in my opinion. I do think this car could feel a little lighter, but the response from the Hemi makes you entirely forget about the curb weight. Handling is great for what the Charger is, at no point did I think this car was missing anything in its handling capabilities. Sure, it could feel lighter, but the chassis remains flat and rigid despite that. To summarize, I think the Charger is an amazing value, and it’s a seriously underrated full-size sedan.