Real World Reviews: 2012 Dodge Charger

Welcome to America. We're a country trying to rebuild. In the last few years we've seen several new (or mostly new) cars break free from the pack. The following chronicles how I set out to determine if the 2012 Dodge Charger can keep up. 

I had the Charger for three days and a stretch of I-95 with blissfully few police. The plan was to test what is a very comfortable highway car in one of my least favorite cities to drive; Philadelphia. Aside from streets riddled with trolly tracks, the 5 hour drive each way, and the gleeful look on the hotel valet boy's face, the City of Brotherly Love seemed a comfortably appropriate place to test a car that harkens back to the muscle car era of the 60s and 70s. 

One thing about Philadelphia: the gap in between the classes is huge here. Glistening sky scrapers tower over ramshackle brick buildings. On the street doctors eat from the same food truck as the homeless but I doubt the richer man would even offer to buy both meals. It's exactly the kind of world the charger seems to rebel against. The idea of the original charger, and the muscle car as a whole, was power and freedom for everyone. While today's Chargers occupy a higher range of the price bracket, more expensive cars still get out of its way. On 95 South I passed a Bentley Continental in Connecticut, a few Corvettes in New York and New Jersey and a number of expensive imports. Every single one moved to let the Charger pass. Now let me remind you the Charger I was driving goes for just over 25 thousand dollars, but clearly that doesn't matter when you're using headlamps as an intimidation tool. 

Looks: I'm absolutely obsessed with the taillights on the Charger. They're one of the funkiest retro revivals I've seen, and as an update to the car they just give it so much personality. Dodge calls them "racetrack" taillights, and that iconic look is created by 164 LEDs.

The nose of the car along with the curve of the headlamps and fenders conjure images of an angry wild bore. That charging up into your rear view mirror can certainly make you think twice about putting the peddle down or getting out of the Charger's way. The rest of the car is sadly cookie-cutter Chrysler, but there are more interesting visuals than expected monotone ones.

Preformace: The suspension feels very Mopar; it's comfortable but you can feel the road. At least there's no drum breaks; the Charger is discs all around, vented front and solid rear, with anti-locking breaks and traction control, which if you'd like to go sideways can be turned off. This Charger's powered by the good ol' 3.6L Pentastar V6 which boasts 27 highway miles per gallon. I didn't get quite that, but I also drove it like a Charger. You can have up to a 6.7L V8 if you're game with the SRT-8's $46,795 price tag... which for 470HP, actually isn't too bad. Its brother the 470HP SRT-8 Challenger is $44,995, but for the extra two grand the Charger's much faster, 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds in the Challenger and an astonishing 4.3 in the Charger. That's just a hair behind the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z1 which will cost you almost $10 grand more. I've driven the 2011 Camaro and while it looks good the blind spots are killer and it doesn't come with the Charger's toys standard.

Features: The console is fantastic, with lots of space for keeping things handy and adjustable LED-illuminated cup holders that look like they belong on the Starship Enterprise. You can also close a cover over them to hide things you wouldn't want to tempt car thieves with.

The driver's seat is 6-way power adjustable and very comfortable on long drives. The entry level car comes standard with 17-inch painted aluminum wheels, which if you're into such a thing look far more expensive than they are.

I'm rather surprised that the "Uconnect Touch Media Center", the dash board basically, comes standard, since it is very cool and very good. There's audio ports that allow integration with every media player imaginable, and synced quite well with my iPhone. It could use a USB input on the radio itself; the port is in the center console but the most convenient place for a phone would stretch your ipod cable over the gear stick.
There's also audio controls on the steering wheel where your finger tips fall if you're holding the wheel properly.

I LOVE push-button starters, they're just cool. The car knows when the key is close and allows you to start the engine with the push of a button. This is a 25 grand car with a push button starter.

Practicality: When it comes down to it, the Charger is just a four door sedan. It has a large, useable back seat, and trunk that can fit your 300 pound drunk friend. There are plenty of aids in the car to make driving easier when you’re trying wrangle a dog or a child. The dome lights are over the driver’s head, not in the roof’s center, so they’re easier to reach, and even have storage for glasses or a radar detector.

Pros: Starting at just $24,420, the bang for your buck is monumental. The digital screen between the dials records miles per gallon; I ranged between 18 and 24.7mpg. Still less mpg feels worth it, the car is fun to drive in my opinion and is very comfortable on the highway. The cruise control is better than I expected, it's smooth and fairly intelligent as computer-drivers go.

Cons: The button to open gas cap is in driver's door, hidden from sight until you open the door. In states such as NJ that are full service, you won’t get out to fill up, it’s not so obvious if you need to find it. This is at least, unless you get amnesia frequently, a one-time problem.
There is notable body roll in sharp corners, typical of a heavy four door sedan, which while true to the Charger's roots gets old fast. Times have changed, we turn corners now. This should however be much reduced in the higher end models.

Overall; this is one of the best cars I've tested in a while. I drove the 2010 before all the updates and it was a boring cookie-cutter standard four-door compared to the 2012. A couple of years ago it seemed Dodge didn't want to give you anything standard, but with the Charger they've gone almost overboard. If this is Fiat's impression on the final product from Dodge, I'm all in. I can't wait for the new Dodge Dart if this is is the new definition of a reasonably priced Dodge.

In short, I want it. I want to buy one for every can-do kid, every underdog and every hero that makes this country great. American cars were really awful for a while, we got lax. But when challenged, when tested, we have never been a country of quitters. We can be nostalgic and still blaze forward, hanging on to what made us great and dreaming of what will define us tomorrow. I'm not sure if I agree with Clint Eastwood about it being "half-time" in America; it feels more like 4th and long throwing a hail Mary. Chrysler has seen some rough times. It took Italian giant Fiat to save them. But Based on this car, Dodge is still Dodge, without the rusted broken bits.

As tested:
$25,615 Net Price
292HP / 260 Torques@4,800rpm
Full specs at Dodge.com