AutoWeek
Dodge regained its stride with the revamped 2011 Charger, and for 2012 reaches deep into its muscle-car roots with the 470-hp SRT8—a “menacing hunk of Mopar muscle.” Behind the Neanderthal-like front fascia, smart features include customizable performance readouts on the console touchscreen and an adaptive suspension that allows for comfortable cruising or “locks in a stiffer, track-ready setup” when you feel a need for speed.
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High horsepower, dynamic performance, and “chest-thumping exhausts” are what these cars have always been known for, and the new SRT8 is no exception. But this is not your father’s hot rod—it’s improved in almost every way, from interior refinement to handling to the engine room. The Charger is “still a badass, but it’s now a better car to live with.”
Automobile
“Street and Racing Technology” is alive and kicking in the Hemi-powered Charger SRT8. We love its muscular styling, abundant power, and compliant handling, even though imperfections abound. The carryover five-speed transmission is “somewhat archaic,” the otherwise excellent navigation system suffers from “cartoonish” graphics, and fuel economy—improved by an estimated 25 percent—still disappoints. But we’re being picky. This car is what Dodge “should have offered five years ago.”
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