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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  2006 Charger R/T Riddled with Problems - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By motorhead62 - November 7 - 4:51 pm

  Poor build quality. There was a recall for the shifter assembly that my vehicle was not a part of, that I had to pay out of pocket. Terrible Chrysler customer service. Constant rattle in the front end that the dealer could not resolve. Terrible ride over broken pavement. HVAC never worked properly and it developed a fan rattle in the dash. Parking break never worked. Dodge could not fix. The battery for the car is a M. Benz marine battery and hard to locate. This car was my first and LAST Chrysler product. Never again.

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  valve seat nightmare - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By imkutap1 - September 29 - 8:36 am

  this car is made with cheap parts on the interior. ac vents and headliner fell off after 12000 miles. carpet on the flooring pulls out of the seems as well. MOSTLY is the fact I have run on synthetic oil every 5K miles since day one. I have a cold air intake and custom cat back exhaust so it can breathe better and stay cooler. high performance thermostat to turn the fans on sooner too. valve seat dropped blew the engine, intake and O2 sensors. 100K miles and 7500 to repair, car worth 10K now. research shows hemi engine does this a lot! really bad investment and a horribly made car all the way through. DO NOT BUY!! you cant prevent the failure and Chrysler doesnt care so many have failed

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  SRT8 - Greatest Supercar on Planet Earth - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By hbtmd - September 8 - 6:44 am

  I now have about 5,600 on "White Lightning". I still look forward to every day that I can jump into this awesome machine and drive anywhere at all. I frequently have people at gas stations, parking lots, and drive-throughs comment on how gorgeous she looks. Turns heads everywhere. I still LOVE the 6.4 liter Hemi with 470 hp. What I love almost as much as the power is the safety-tech features. The Blind spot warning and back-up assistance with cross traffic warning is AWESOME!! They have worked flawlessly and prevented at least one accident so far.

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  Great Ride, Highly Recommended - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By rickdad - August 7 - 9:16 pm

  I have a 2013 SXT Plus AWD Charger V6 with 8 speed auto transmission with the bells and whistles. Great Ride! Pluses: 35 mpg on the highway due to Econo Mode where 2 cylinders shut down on road trips. Very stable in turns, it is a heavy car, just over 2 tons. Very nice and smooth acceleration, interior very comfortable. It has many amenities that much more expensive vehicles have. Love the styling. AWD works great. Minuses, really minor. The head room with the sun roof is barely enough for me at 62". Rear headroom is low. Trunk is roomy, but trunk entrance is not. Need funnel to add fuel additives or else spill occurs out wheel well (surprise!). Overall best car I ever drove!

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  Amazing HEMI! - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By thedriver93 - August 4 - 7:53 am

  Traded my VW Jetta for this baby! All I had was 4 cylinders with a max of 170 HP, to upgrade to 370 was awesome! Almost 400 ft lbs torque is simply sensational. The Uconnect 8.4 inch screen was easy to use, Beats sound system is great, cooled and heated leather seats are comfortable, remote start is a favorite. Its a dream to drive, I dont get passed up all the time anymore, just put my foot down and Im instantly thrown back in my seat and Im gone! MPG is a bit low as Im averaging about 18-20 MPG but I do kind of have a lead foot but with this car, who wouldnt?! Definitely a keeper

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  R/T Road & Track - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By skiertx - July 30 - 9:06 pm

  I bought my R/T with Road & Track package in Feb 2013. Options on the car are Nav and forged aluminum wheels. Color is Redline with red interior. I knew I was interested in the R/T with Road & Track. When I saw the Redline Red with red interior, I was partially hooked. Now I had to test drive. The test drive (one hour) sealed the deal!! After driving nearly 11,000 miles, this car is excellent, fun to drive, solid build. I get 21mpg to 21.5 on my commute to and from work and get 25mpg on the HWY. I get weekly compliments on the car, the color, the interior and the wheels. If the dealer would have had an SRT8 other than black....I think I would have bought it!!!

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  SRT8 - Greatest Supercar on Planet Earth - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By hbtmd - July 25 - 6:18 am

  I now have over 4,000 miles on this Beast. Over 2 tons of American muscle, however, it consistently gets 0 to 60 times of 4.6 to 4.7 seconds. Build quality is superb. Better than my 4 previous Acuras and 1 prior Lexus. Base sound system is wonderful. I have not found a single flaw or problem with it yet. The 6.4 liter hemi that puts out 470 hp is beyond description. Acceleration is so wonderful that I am addicted to it. Every day I wake up eager to drive this incredible vehicle. My son has a 2012 Challenger SRT8 with the same 6.4 liter hemi. His experience is the same. Like me, me plans to drive his SRT8 forever.

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  200,000km and still counting - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By phatgreatwall - July 12 - 10:00 am

  had absolutely no issues with this vehicle, had it since 33000km. all the repairs to this vehicle are of regular maintenance, ball joints, steering ujoints etc. never had to "repair" due to a defect on this vehicle. gets 750km to a tank on highway, mix local highway gets about 350. parts are dirt cheap, especially aftermarket. if you are in the market for a used sedan, definitely test drive a charger with a v8.

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  What a hearbreak! - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By kreb17 - June 28 - 7:22 pm

  Purchased the vehicle in March and enjoyed driving it until the transmission went at 5,000 miles. Still waiting for new transmission and its been about a month. Very dissatisfied with Dodge.

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  Great car at a great price - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By tonyinnc - June 3 - 7:19 pm

  I thought I was crazy trading my MB GLK350 in for a Dodge. I can say right now it was definitely worth it. The car is built as solid as my MB and has better technology and a lot more personality. Dont know if the service will be as good but hope I never find out. Between the rebates I got this car for $30.5K. The car has plenty of pickup and so far I have not noticed that this car only has a 5 speeds.