Overview & Reviews

Popularized by NASCAR dominance and later a hokey TV show, the Dodge Charger is one of America's most revered performance nameplates. Originally an icon of the muscle car era, the Charger was reborn as an affordable performance sedan -- and it's one of the better ones available in this market niche.

The current Dodge Charger may not be the two-door muscle car you remember from the '60s (to the chagrin of traditionalists, it's a four-door sedan), but it does a fine job of being a modern interpretation. As a bonus, the latest Charger has a usable interior and plenty of standard equipment. Think of it as a muscle car the whole family can enjoy.

Current Dodge Charger
The current Dodge Charger is based on the same platform used for the Chrysler 300. As such, the Charger has four doors and is a fairly large sedan. Its front-end styling is much more aggressive than the 300C's, and the rear roof line slopes downward in a coupelike fashion.

The current Charger is available in five trim levels: SE, SXT, R/T, SRT8 and SRT8 Superbee. The SE and SRT8 trims are only offered with rear-wheel drive, while the SXT and R/T can be rear-drive or all-wheel drive.

The SE and SXT come with a 3.5-liter 292-horsepower V6 engine that achieves good fuel economy given its output. Adding the Rallye Appearance Group or Blacktop package raises horsepower to 300. A five-speed automatic is standard on the SE; an eight-speed automatic is optional for the SE and standard for all SXTs.

Stepping up to the R/T gets you a 370-hp 5.7-liter V8 engine along with a sport-tuned suspension and a variety of luxury, convenience and technology items that are mostly available as options on the V6 trims. The R/T's Super Track Pak gets you additional handling and braking upgrades, including a three-mode adjustable stability control system.

The SRT8 ups the performance ante further by essentially pairing the Super Track Pak items with a 470-hp 6.4-liter V8. It gets an abundance of luxury features standard, but should you be OK with less stuff, the decontented SRT8 Superbee should do the trick. We hope you like yellow or black paint, though, as they are mandatory, along with some not-so-subtle Superbee graphics.

The current Charger scores points not only for the plentiful power output of its big V8 engines, but the ample grunt and decent fuel economy of the entry-level V6 as well. The spacious cabin, improvements in ride quality and interior design also contribute to the overall appeal. There are a couple downsides, notably a lack of rear headroom and lifeless steering, but overall the Dodge Charger is one of the most fun-to-drive large sedans on the market.

Used Dodge Charger Models
The current Dodge Charger was heavily overhauled for 2011. Although it maintained the platform of its predecessor, it is largely a redesigned model. Besides styling changes, interior quality, driving involvement and overall refinement were dramatically improved. Its new V6 engine was also a huge step up from the old six-cylinders. In the current Charger's first year, only the SE and R/T trim levels were available.

Although it's closely related to the current model, the Dodge Charger from 2006-'10 differed in many ways. At its debut, only SE, R/T and SRT8 trims were available. The SE had a 250-hp 3.5-liter V6, while the R/T had a 340-hp version of the current car's 5.7-liter V8. The SRT8 came with a 6.1-liter V8 good for 425 hp. All came with a five-speed automatic transmission. For 2007, a 190-hp 2.7-liter V6 engine became standard on the SE, while the 3.5 became optional.

From 2006-'10 Dodge offered a couple performance packages for the Challenger R/T -- the Daytona and Road/Track packages included sport-tuned suspension and steering. There was a SXT trim level from 2008-'10; it came standard with the 3.5-liter V6. Other notable changes for this period included an improved interior and new features in 2008 and an increase to 368 hp for the R/T for '09.

Overall, we were impressed by this revived Charger's spacious cabin, comfy ride, affordable price and available all-wheel drive. Of course, the big V8 was a nice bonus as well. However, the V6 engines were always disappointing, especially the 190-hp 2.7-liter, which was both underpowered and inefficient. As such, we would avoid it. The cabin also had a low-buck feel (even after the interior was improved for '08), with subpar materials and forgettable design. Rear seat entry was also hampered by the sloping roof line. But overall, this Charger will be a solid choice for a large sedan.

From a historical standpoint, the Dodge Charger originally debuted as a1966 model. This Coronet-based coupe had a unique look, with a sweeping fastback and concealed headlights. But it's the second generation of the Charger that was most popular. This was the one that served as the basis for the winged and race-wining Charger Daytona of 1969 and, later, the bright orange "General Lee" from the 1980s television show The Dukes of Hazzard.

Less popular were three successive generations of Chargers. Third- and fourth-generation models from the 1970s were emasculated by new emissions regulations. A fifth generation, made available from 1982-'87, was a variation of the front-drive Dodge Omni 024 economy hatchback. Near the end of its production, there were sporty, turbocharged versions modified by Carroll Shelby that culminated in the Shelby Charger GLH-S.

User Reviews:

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  Daytona R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Kip Kiener - August 27 - 5:20 am

  The car is so comfortable and after only one weekend of driving, it rides very smooth. The sound system is well balanced although the bass is heavy and seems to be for those who like their music to go boom. I was able to get comfortable behind the wheel right away and all the options on the console make it a gadget bugs dream. And as far as performance, its a Hemi.

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  Great American Muscle Car! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By GRC - August 24 - 2:13 am

  I absolutely love this car! The styling is first rate. I have the base SE with the V6, and it has plenty of power with good gas mileage. The handling is excellent for a big car. It corners and rides very smooth. There is plenty of room in front and back. I highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Love the Charger - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Dave - August 14 - 5:29 pm

  Checked out lots of cars and SUVs prior to purchase. The Charger beat all of them hands down. The car looks great, drives like a sports car and rides like a Cadillac. One of the few that offered AWD in my price range and had an excellent rebate as well. I needed something to haul the kids around in that wasnt boring.

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  Fast...fun...fantastic! - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Andy - August 14 - 9:57 am

  Now Ive only had my RT for a short period of time, but Ive been amazed at the quality of the handling and the ride. I moved up from a Saab 9-3 so its nice to feel like I have enough room to stretch out. This car is big. Very big. Yet it drives like a sports car. The ride is soft, though not too cushy, and the handling is quite responsive. In fact, I was debating whether to buy a new Charger or a lightly-used Jaguar XJR. Yes, I actually preferred the ride and handling of the Charger over a car that costs nearly $90k new. The downside: the mileage. It actually does get pretty good highway mileage (20+ mpg), but I average about 12 mpg in Southern California commuter driving.

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  Awsome Machine by Dodge - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Eric Reed - August 11 - 6:36 pm

  I wanted one of these cars and finally found the right one. It is a thrill to drive and very popular with the family. Dodge has done it ! Ive had Challengers, Cudas and others and this awsome ride surpasses them all. All I can say is " Hemi baby " and I have always loved the 383 engine.

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  Worth my dollars! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Covenant64 - August 7 - 3:53 am

  The Daytona RT I purchased is turning out to be the dream car I never knew I wanted till I got it. It is fun to drive, its gas mileage is awesome for a V8 Hemi, it looks incredible, and most importantly, its a Dodge. My previous 2 vehicles were Dodge and in my experience Dodge = Dependability. You can feel the MDS kick in to improve the gas mileage and it doesnt take much learning to figure out the proper way to drive this car. If you want power, its got plenty to spare.. when your cruising at 75 and need to pass someone, when you press the gas pedal, you GIT... Worth every penny.

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  Wind noise drives me crazy - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By b. mccarthy - August 6 - 4:13 pm

  I love this car, but there is a terrible whistle when the car reaches 90-100 km/hr. Very annoying when driving long trips. Chrysler is trying to fix this problem. Anyone else having the same problem?

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  2006 Charger R/T 5.7L - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By LuckyBoot - August 3 - 8:46 pm

  Excellent car. Fuel mileage is so-so (16.6 combined), but we expected that before purchase. Rides great, handles good, accelerates quickly and smoothly. Cant go anywhere without getting comments or questions about the car. Electronics Convenience Package, Premium Stereo and Convenience Package II are excellent options, making the perfect driving position a possibility for ANY sized driver. Only drawback about the car is that the "chopped/low roofline" requires you to "bend forward" at intersections to see traffic lights if youre first at the light.

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  ScatPack provides loads of fun - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Tom J - July 28 - 6:51 pm

  This car does many things great, with always a few areas of improvement. 1) Great engine, fantastic sound, well mated to the 8spd transmission so always has plenty of power. And the sound of this thing is just awesome....coworkers have told me they wait in the parking lot just to hear it start up. It sounds powerful, and can back it up. I drove up Towne pass in Death Valley (9%) in top gear (8th) at 80mph at only a 1/4 pedal. 2) Very good mileage considering what it is. I can get 27-28mpg at 75mph as long as its not too hilly and can stay in 4cyl mode. In suburbia, more like 18mpg. 3) Fun electronics. The instrument cluster has a hi-res screen in which you can display many things (even a horsepower gauge!) and it all works well. The navigation works fairly good, although Google Maps is still better. Backup camera is very clean on the 8.4 inch screen. 4) Seats are very comfortable. 5) Brakes are nice and linear, with a good pedal feel. And there are always some room to improve. Note that none of these areas are that bad, but they could be better: 1) I wish for a bit more visibility out of the car. The high beltline and shorter windows makes the car look great, but Id like to see more. 2) The tranny downshifts when you come to a stop, and at times its a tad rough. Not bad, but could be improved. 3) The styling of the ScatPack includes a hood bulge which hurts front visibility of knowing exactly where the nose of the car is for parking. Add in the fact that the car had a low nose, and is big, makes it easy to hit curbs. I wish they had either a front camera or extended the parking sensors to the front. 4) The Beats audio system upgrade is very bleah. Its not bad, but certainly not work the money. 5) The car is big. That is what it is, but I wish it was 10 inches shorter. 6) Interior materials are good, not great. But with a scatpack, you paid for the motor and had to make up the cost somewhere. Overall, a very very fun car. Its hard not to keep driving around with the windows down listening to the motor rev.... Update: Almost a year into it now (10k miles), and everything I wrote is still true. Avg 21mpg overall with 4.6 0-60 and 12.9 @ 109.3 in 1/4mi.

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  Awesome ride - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Donna - July 26 - 7:59 am

  It is a great car and really fun to drive. Powerful and fast. Thank God for cruise control. I am really pleased and excited to drive my Charger. What a big change from driving the Camaro, no longer have to fall in or crawl out. Love it!