Pros :
- First and foremost--Hemi power!
- Head-turning shape.
- Decent ride quality.
- Infusion of German technology.
- Good value for money.
Cons :
- A four-door Charger?
- Truck-like front end.
- As big as its Chrysler cousin--just a rebodied 300C.
- No manual transmission.
- Rearward visibility issues.
Interior :
Press Coverage :
The much-anticipated 2006 Dodge Charger muscles its way back to streets and racetracks across America. The Charger will create a new reputation for the Dodge legend, featuring a modern design to back up its 21st century muscle car power, sports car handling and cutting-edge technology.
With a 340-horsepower HEMI® engine powering large 18-inch rear wheels, the all-new 2006 Dodge Charger R/T races into the car market with bold, provocative styling and substance without losing the convenience of a modern sedan. The 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine produces 340 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. It offers more power and torque than any Dodge passenger car engine since the legendary 426 HEMI of the ’60s and ’70s. The modern HEMI engine has been engineered to deliver outstanding performance and reduced noise, vibration and harshness, resulting in a highly refined powerplant.
The Multiple Displacement System (MDS) on the Dodge Charger’s HEMI engine seamlessly deactivates four cylinders in just 40 milliseconds – quicker than a blink of an eye – when full V-8 power is not needed, improving fuel economy by up to 20 percent. The HEMI engine with MDS completed more than 6.5 million customer-equivalent miles through the Chrysler Group’s development and durability testing.
Featured on all Dodge Charger models, a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick provides a full range of transmission performance to match a variety of driving styles, situations and road conditions. AutoStick offers the choice of a fully automatic or manual shift selection. Compact yet robust for high-torque rating, the Charger’s five-speed transmission uses highly advanced electronic shift controls for a responsive, smooth feel without harshness. The system monitors the transmission as shifts occur and adjusts the hydraulic pressure as needed.
The all-new 2006 Dodge Charger features rear-wheel drive with near 50/50 weight distribution and advanced technologies that offer superb ride and responsive handling in all surface and traction conditions.
Dodge Charger engineers included a Short- and Long-arm (SLA) front suspension in the car for excellent handling and ride characteristics. The multi-link SLA suspension provided the opportunity to tune bushing compliances for a dramatic reduction in road noise, while maintaining vehicle dynamic handling performance. The five-link independent rear suspension allows independent tuning of handling and ride comfort so that each can be maximized. The Dodge Charger’s rear suspension complements the performance of the front suspension, resulting in a balanced ride. All rear suspension components, except coil springs and shock absorbers, mount on a steel cradle that attaches to the body structure through four large rubber mounts that effectively isolate the passenger compartment from road and axle noise.
Eighteen-inch tires and tuned dampers will offer added performance on HEMI-equipped Dodge Charger models. An optional Performance Handling Group, designed exclusively for the Dodge Charger, also will be available for an exceptional ride with firmer damping and enhanced steering. The Performance Handling Group suspension package includes wider 18-inch performance tires, a 9-land steering gear and Nivomat™ self-leveling shock absorbers. This suspension will be tuned to offer slightly more feedback from the road to enhance the glued-to-the-road feel of this driving machine. The package’s performance front seats with perforated suede inserts offer significantly improved lateral control in both the seat cushion and seat back.
The Dodge Charger’s standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is designed to electronically detect and assist in critical driving situations. It enhances driver control and helps maintain directional stability in adverse driving conditions – automatically. ESP constantly compares the driver’s intended course with the vehicle’s actual course and compensates for any differences. ESP, combined with an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and All-speed Traction Control with Emergency Brake Assist, improves the Dodge Charger’s traction, maneuverability and stability in all weather conditions.
Pulling into the newest spot in the Dodge garage, the 2006 Dodge Charger offers a bold, powerful and exciting choice in the passenger car market. The Charger features comfortable room for five adults and enough trunk space to meet the demands of active, modern lifestyles.
Dodge Charger offers the clever functional use of interior space that has become a trademark of the Dodge brand and adds the convenience of four doors. The Charger features an exciting, modern and unique design, both inside and out, that stands out from the crowd.
The 2006 Dodge Charger races forward with modern coupe styling and four-door functionality. A bold front, strong shoulders and fastback grab the attention of muscle car enthusiasts, while the car’s performance, handling and power complete the package.
The Dodge Charger interior has a driver-oriented cockpit designed with a performance mind-set. It is sporty, functional and simple, featuring a sleek instrument panel and Viper-inspired tunneled gauges highlighted with white faces and satin silver accent rings. A silver trim bezel surrounding the shifter and additional silver accents in the center stack add just the right touch of brightness to the comfortable interior. The two-tone interior features a darker upper color and a lighter lower color, giving the cabin an open feeling.
The 2006 Dodge Charger offers standard safety and security features such as advanced multi-stage driver and front passenger air bags, a front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) for controlled airbag deployment, constant force seat belt retractors, pretensioners and Child Seat Anchor System. Also available on the Dodge Charger are side-curtain airbags for additional protection for all outboard occupants and an optional tire pressure monitoring system to alert drivers of low tire pressure.
After a 30-year absence, Charger returned to the track beginning in February 2005. The historic Dodge Charger nameplate returns to NASCAR Nextel Cup competition as the successor to the race-winning Dodge Intrepid race cars of 2001- 2004, and to the storied Dodge Charger race cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s that earned several national championships.
DaimlerChrysler Media
The Charger includes a Mercedes-designed five-speed automatic with a slick manumatic that is perfectly positioned and quick to respond—bump left for downshifts, right for upshifts. During our tests, the transmission seemed telepathic about summoning the correct gear and snicked off seamless WOT upshifts. Our lone beef was one of those Are-you-sure-you-want-to-do-this? pauses before kickdowns from fifth.
Mercedes likewise penned the steering rack, and it's a beaut. On freeways, the front tires evince fierce dedication to straight-ahead, and the slight on-center slack you notice in a 300C, which we drove back-to-back, has been eliminated. For the most part, effort is on the high side—and we'd have preferred to feel a little more road texture—but the heaviness disappears at parking speeds. In any event, the wheel itself is NASCAR large, so there's no trouble deriving leverage.
We hammered our Charger around Virginia International Raceway and were surprised at the car's balance and general neutrality. It's difficult to rotate the tail—the stability control can't be completely disabled and is not enamored of power oversteer—but you can slide the car in modest but controllable drifts that would have amused even Mel Kenyon.
Brake feel is terrific and allows your foot to reliably sense the transition to anti-lock. Better still is the 169-foot stopping distance, impressive for a two-ton anything. The R/T's rotors are big (13.6 inches fore, 12.6 inches aft), and we noticed virtually no fade, even at the racetrack.
Throughout, the Charger's body motions remained as studiously supervised as a Vassar faculty party. The firmer optional dampers eliminated even the minor dive and squat we've noticed in the 300C. In fact, during an 800-mile two-stop blast from VIR to Detroit, the ride-and-handling trade-off proved nothing short of miraculous until we encountered Michigan's Baghdad-quality potholes. Even then, the platform held as firmly and shiver-free as a bridge abutment, and no subassemblies rattled or squeaked. Nevertheless, if you dwell in a frost-heave state and want to ensure that your Charger remains an all-star long-distance cruiser, you may want to dial back to the standard R/T suspension. At least sample it.
Car and Driver
After a long absence, Dodge is reviving the Charger but in a decidedly new form. And the decision to go from a muscular two-door coupe to an edgy four-door has sparked a decidedly divisive debate.
The look is a lot more edgy than the Chrysler 300 sedan, which shares the same platform as Dodge’s reborn muscle car. The goal, claims Chrysler Corp. designer Rick Anieros, was to give it “a fast, coupe-like character.”
Ironically, what has evolved into a modern four-door design started out as a two-door fantasy car, penciled by one of the stylists at Chrysler’s advanced California design center, Pacifica . “Over time,” Anieros explains, “it evolved a little more Dodge design (cues).”
And, like the original muscle car, which was introduced in 1966, the reborn Charger is all but certain to keep beefing up. Expect a truly high-performance version, wearing the automaker’s SRT badge, sources hint. It will boast the new, 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower HEMI under its hood.
The original Charger went through a series of changes – and powertrains, including the original, 426-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 that was one of the fastest street-legal engines ever sold in the United States.
If past is prologue, Dodge is likely also to follow up with an array of accessories, from appearance packages to performance parts. The automaker has already begun making forays into the profitable aftermarket for other models in its line-up, and it would be natural to appeal to this need-for-speed with the reborn muscle car.
The Car Connection
History:
2002-2004 Dodge Intrepid SXT
3,518 cc / 244 hp / 250 lb-ft / 3487 lbs / 0-60 mph 7.4 sec.
All images and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. No part of this website may be reproduced without the explicit permission of the owner of this site.
