Having spent a few days driving Dodge’s new product range in California, can I just say that I recommend the Toxic Orange. No, it’s not some bizarre Californian beverage, it’s one of the many colours available for the 2011 Dodge Charger, and as anyone over the age of 40 knows perfectly well, Chargers should be orange.
Let’s not forget that they also need a Confederate flag on the roof and a large ‘01’ painted on the doors. If I was being pedantic I’d point out there should only be two doors not four, but look, I can only test what I’m given. Oh and don’t forget a set of air horns playing Dixie.
Because if the words Dodge Charger don’t evoke visions of Bo and Luke Duke, or as is more likely, Daisy Duke, then you’re too young to remember The Dukes of Hazzard and that’s a great shame, since you’re precisely the target market the guys at Dodge are aiming for. They’d love for you to remember that it was a ’69 Charger which starred in one of the cheesiest TV series ever made, but would probably point out that these days, Chargers come with a few more creature comforts than the Duke boys’ ‘General Lee’.
Fast forward to 2011
You’ll be pleased to know that the glass in the 2011 model is larger than that of the previous models, ostensibly to give 15 per cent greater visibility but, I suspect, actually to give greater access should you ever feel inclined to climb in through the windows Luke Duke style.
Revised bodywork includes the new Dodge signature crosshair grille, a more steeply raked windscreen, flared body side sills and slimmer door pillars. Although still clearly a Charger, I think the new look is a considerable improvement over the previous model, which to me had always looked rather thickset and base heavy. There’s certainly no mistaking the new model Charger from the rear, since it features a 164 LED lamp ‘race track’ graphic, and flashy twin chrome exhaust tips for those who like that sort of thing.
Once sat inside the new Charger, any comparisons with the General Lee have to go, appropriately enough, out of the window. If the quality of build and level of detail are evidence of Fiat’s influence on the US-designed, Canadian-built Chargers, then Dodge customers should be writing to Italy to say grazie mille.
The Charger shares its architecture with the new Chrysler 300C (see wheels issue 311) and is built at the same plant in Brampton. The Fiat effect has seen wholesale changes at the factory in terms of build and quality control methods and the results are clear, with not just a cleaner, solid, more aesthetically pleasing interior but a distinct lack of shake, rattle or roll within its components.
The 12-way power seats in the front proved to be perfectly comfortable for a couple of two-hour journeys, whilst power adjustable pedals, with set memory positions, are available amongst the options. The UConnect infotainment system is a delight and I recommend the optional 8.6in colour touchscreen for its clarity and ease of use.
The back seats split 60/40 and it has to be said that, as with the 300C, the space available to rear passengers is excellent. If you’re looking for a four-door family saloon and your teenage children are beginning to develop the proportions of NFL linebackers, you should definitely put a test drive of the Charger on your to-do list.
Out on the road, the Charger continues to pleasantly surprise. It seems the mantra “American cars don’t go around corners” may have to be consigned to the history books. Dodge made a great effort to stiffen the 2011 Charger’s body and this, combined with multi-link suspension front and rear, leads to excellent grip and control. It also has the added benefit of creating a very quiet cabin thanks to better fitting doors and consequently, less wind noise.
During our time in San Diego, not once did I find the Charger lacking in its ability to tackle narrow, tightening bends or rolling sections of road where the car’s suspension was in a constant state of flux. It’s not silky smooth, but better than average control of body roll probably best sums up the experience. Brakes are 340mm vented front discs with twin-piston callipers and 320mm vented rear discs with single piston rear callipers on the Charger R/T.
Obviously with a name like Charger you can’t just put a 1.6-litre under the bonnet, so instead Dodge gives US customers a choice of either a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 (292 horsepower, 352Nm of torque) or a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engine, (370 horsepower, 536Nm and fitted with four-cylinder mode Fuel Saver Technology). Chances are that we’ll be seeing the R/T model, which has the V8 engine, first in the Gulf.
All that power is delivered to the rear wheels (or to all four in the R/T all-wheel drive model) through a five-speed auto gearbox. This is perhaps the weakest link in the car’s drivetrain, since although by no means a poor ’box, the Dodge’s rivals feature more recent designs, and at some point soon Dodge is going to have to rethink the choice of auto gearbox to keep pace with them.
The list of options and special packages to be fitted to the Charger is simply enormous — there are more than 70 items listed as safety related devices — but as standard the Charger comes with Electronic Stability Control, ABS, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution and Brake Assist, a dozen front, side and thorax airbags, plus a host of other safety gizmos.
Overall the Charger is a thoroughly modern Dodge, and better for it. Time will tell if the improved interiors stand up to heavy use, but I’m inclined to think that they’ve been put together with enough sufficient care and thought that they will. The level of standard equipment is impressive and in the time I used the car, I found all the interior controls logical to use. If you can get into a new car, drive onto a foreign road system and within seconds work out the GPS, traction control, cruise control and radio, without being distracted from driving, then all is well with the design. Such is the Charger.
Verdict
GM and Ford have had international divisions influencing their product design for years but the same can’t be said for Chrysler. And whilst the name Fiat may not have the cachet of say, Audi or Lexus, the Italian group knows a thing or two about building cars with mass market appeal. Still up to its eyeballs in debt repayments to the US government, Chrysler quite literally couldn’t afford to develop cars which appealed only to the American market. With Fiat’s input, it does seem to have turned a corner — at speed — whilst keeping all four wheels on the tarmac.
Can you imagine Bo and Luke climbing into an Italian influenced Dodge Charger? Nope, neither can I. But Daisy Duke in Italian designer cut-off jeans? Could you imagine that? Oh yes, me too.
Specs & ratings
- Model Charger R/T
- Engine 5.7-litre V8
- Transmission Five-speed auto, AWD
- Max power 370bhp @ 5,250rpm
- Max torque 536Nm @ 4,200rpm
- Top speed NA
- 0-100kph NA
- Price Dh122,800
- Plus Great interior and ease of use, price
- Minus Minor dynamics issues
