|
The Charger, new for
2006, is a resurrection of a classic nameplate on the mechanicals of the
Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum station wagon that were introduced last
year. Like those models, its styling and its available V8s suggest that it is
something of a performance sedan. The base V6 version is nothing of the kind,
it lacks both the power and the driving dynamics to wear such a name, and is
nothing more than a mainstream sedan in a fancy outfit. And unfortunately, it
is also rather poor as a mainstream sedan. It has a stiff, noisy ride, and its
styling cuts into visibility and rear-seat access and headroom. It has no draw
as either a sporty or as a family sedan, failing in each area.
The Charger has a
well-controlled, though very stiff ride. There are no high-speed floaty
motions, few jittery motions, and quick recovery from bumps, but any road
imperfections register prominently, sometimes jarringly. Body roll is minimal,
but the Charger never feels nimble, a side effect of its size and weight. The
steering is quick to respond, but is almost disconcertingly light. In general,
the car isn’t any more fun to drive even than most other similarly-sized cars
despite its ride-comfort tradeoff. The 3.5-liter V6 used in the SE and SXT
Chargers is adequately powerful, but it does not live up to the vehicle’s
sporty pretenses either, and fills the cabin with an excess of its rather
rough note under acceleration. Road noise is also excessive. Fuel economy is
good by this group’s standards.
Inside, the roomy front
seats have flat cushions and little lateral support, but are otherwise
comfortable. The large rear seat is well-padded but flat, and could use a
little more foot space and a good deal more headroom. The high beltline and
the shape of the rear windows limit passenger visibility as well. The somewhat
austere  interior uses a few
cheap plastics, but all trim pieces fit together well. The recessed gauges are
large enough and clear, but the manual climate control adjustments are too
low. The multiple seat, steering wheel, and pedal adjustments help drivers get
comfortable, but visibility is poor in all directions, a side effect of the
styling. Front-seat entry/exit is easy enough, but the rather low seats, low,
sloped roof, and smallish footwell hurt rear access. The back doors are large,
but extend further than they need to, another complication in tight quarters.
The trunk is sufficiently roomy, but has a small opening.
The Charger
itself has not been crash-tested, but its Chrysler 300 platform-mate has done
very well. It earned a Good in its IIHS offset crash test, the highest of four
ratings, and its head restraints were rated Acceptable, the third highest. The
IIHS has not subjected either the 300 or the Charger to its side-impact crash
test. The 300 earned five out of five stars for both the driver and for the
front passenger in its NHTSA frontal crash test, as well as four stars for the
driver and five for the rear passenger in its NHTSA side crash test, even
without the side airbags that are optional on both the 300 and Charger.
The Charger
SXT reviewed here came well-equipped at a decent price with standard traction
and stability control and a tire-pressure monitor, as well as such options as
front-seat torso-protecting side airbags, curtain-style head-protecting side
airbags for front and rear occupants, dual heated power front seats, a 6-disc
CD changer, satellite radio, power-adjustable pedals, and a UConnect
hands-free cellular telephone linkup. It lacks automatic climate control,
however, which ought to be available on this $28,960 vehicle.
Overall,
this Charger does not impress either as the sporty sedan it pretends to be or
the family sedan that it is. It is reasonably priced, and should do well in
crash testing, but those aren’t exactly unique attributes in this group. It
compares well against the very similar midsize Pontiac Grand Prix (which also
has sporty styling but fails at both comfort and sport in its base form), but
that is no reason to buy one.
|
