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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  Nice Ride, Needs true Manual tranny - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Joseph - April 24 - 2:43 am

  Bought the car because I really wanted rear-wheel drive and dont want to ride with the snobs in their BMWs. Very nice ride/handling...doesnt feel as big as it is. My only gripe is the fact that American manufacturers refuse to put manual transmissions when connected to their best engines!!! I know, Mustang/Corvette...right, but I needed the full backseat...and I dont have Corvette kind of money. Come on Dodge, toss in a 6-speed and well call it a day. But overall, very happy with the car.

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  AMAZING CAR - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By benji smith - April 19 - 7:32 pm

  I love this car, it has 19000 miles on it and it is running strong, the only bad this is that i warped my rotors but that is my fault lol. The gas millage car be awful but when you get on the interstate i get 32 miles to the gallon! I had to give the car to my mom because of multiple speeding tickets and was tired of paying fines. I love the car will defiantly get another one when i get out of the military.

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  Charger SRT8 Modern Muscle Car - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By RussL - April 19 - 1:26 am

  When I sold my 73 Challenger in June of 2005, I thought that was the last time I would ever feel the power of a stroked big block V8, I was wrong. This SRT8 is equal in quickness and greatly exceeds the top end speed of the 73 500" Challenger. Plus its practical. Having a wife and two children under 4 makes this an ideal family car. To be honest, my wife drives it more than I do. She loves the power. Driving on two lane highways can be a pain if you dont have the torque to get your vehicle through the passing window of time. SRT will not let you down!

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  Daytona R/T Rocks - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Rob - April 13 - 1:06 pm

  Handles well, very powerfull, roomy, comfortable w/ four hefty passengers, Have to remember to stop back about ten feet more than normal when at street lights - difficult to view light w/ angle of windshield, huge trunk w/fold down rear seats if needed, 18 inch wheels with all four anti lock brakes stops on a dime, I noticed after 4000 mile break in a little jiggly in the front end, rack and pinion steering.

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  Charger Daytona R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By TopBanana - April 9 - 8:06 pm

  The special edition Charger Daytona R/T is an absolute blast to drive! I have now logged more than 3000 miles on the car and am very happy to report that there have been zero items requiring warranty repair. The Edmunds reviews paint a good picture of the car and options, so Ill focus on the drivers experience: This is a large car --plenty of room on the inside that performs like a nimble sedan. I traded a 2001 BMW 330xi for this car and I am very pleased with the choice. The Charger is much more powerful, and it handles better! I can take familar curves at higher speeds and havent yet reached the performance limit of this car! Everything is the way it should be.

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  Plenty of power - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Bob G. - March 29 - 12:06 pm

  Car has more then enough power and is fun to drive. Interior design is a little on the plain side but doesnt matter when you tap the gas to go around some slow poke. Just got to be careful and not give it to much gas.

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  Great car,/poor workmanship with motor - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Charmaine - March 28 - 8:34 pm

  I believe I was ripped off from the start. I paid 42,000 for my car in 2006. One of the salesman had been driving g it back and forth home before I bought it. I had it for seven years and the motor acted up. I took it to the dealership and they charged me 400 dollars to tears down theotor to find the problem. I was told that a part of the feul injector broke off and fell down in the cylinder and scratched it up real bad. It was sounding like a truck with lou d pipes. I think that everybody that bought a 2006 dodge charger, that had problems with the hemi motor, the shift, and the tie rod ends should sue the makers of the hemi motors for all the troubles, and for being falsely mislead about the 2006 dodge charger.

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  A fun car and a great car to drive - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Lute - March 27 - 11:30 am

  This car is a real pleasure to drive and I can merge into traffic with ease from the power. My car is a Mango Daytona R/T (#3913 of 4000). I have averaged 22 MPG in local driving since I have not been on any trips with it yet. I imagine I would get at least 25MPG on a trip. Everywhere I have been with it, I get all positive comments about the looks of the car.

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  Its Worth It ! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By gthorn - March 18 - 1:50 pm

  I wasnt planning on even buying a car, but I test drove the new Charger, just to check it out, and after 5 minutes, I was sold. This car is unbelievable. It has unlimited acceleration and can turn on a dime. This is a great car!

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  2016 Charger RT - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Warren Rodrigues - March 7 - 4:51 pm

  Nice mix of performance, particularity, comfort, technology and value.