How about a little trip down memory lane? The year was 1970. I was 17. I was dating my girlfriend who 5 years later in June would become my bride…still is. If nothing else that girl has perseverance! I worked at Smitty’s Sunoco in the center of Middleboro pumping gas. Amazingly we actually pumped gas for people, washed their windshield and asked if we could check their oil. My friend Paul Rebel (Yes…THAT Paul Rebel, now retired from the Middleboro Fire Department) worked there with me and he had a black on black 1968 Dodge Charger that, as I look back for some inexplicable reason, he would let me use from time to time as long as I replaced the gas (because as we all know gas was 35 cents a gallon back then). How I loved that car and I always wanted one. Last year I found one and came real, real close to going to buy it, but it was in Atlanta, it was $38,000.00 and it was Orange and a divorce most likely would have been the result of that purchase…need I say more? Paul, I am not sure I ever properly thanked you, but if I didn’t then, let me give you a great big Thank You now. I met Paul’s grandson Jacob a week ago, and I was telling him how cool his Grandfather was in that car, and he just smiled…probably trying to envision his grandfather beingcool, but indeed he was.
Why the long story about a 1968 Charger, because after a 27 year hiatus, Dodge reintroduced the Charger in 2005 and last week the car fairy dropped of a bright red 2013 Charge for me for the week. I was in 7th heaven. Since 2005, the new version now comes only as a 4 door. In my humble opinion, I think the Dodge line of vehicles but especially the Charger is the best looking newly engineered American car line being built today. The aggressive front end, the swept back roof lines and the throwback full tail end lights just make it look like it is moving when it is standing still. While the original Charger was basically a Dodge Coronet with roof extensions when it was introduced in 1964 in 1968, the Dodge Charger was all new and they were imagined by designers and engineers who were not constrained by CAFÉ mileage rules, and were free to design a car that was simply cool looking. Think back to the 1968 models, and think of all of the distinctive shapes and sizes. Man, those were the days. Hats off to Dodge for sort of throwing out the generic, designed by a wind tunnel car of today, in favor of cars with soul. I am truly impressed with the “Imported from Detroit” cars and the swagger that goes along with that.
Inside, the 2013 Charger has a distinctive dashboard design (not as cool and distinctive as the 1968 version but…) and comes with bucket front seats and console that extends to the back seat giving back seat passengers access to their own heat and air conditioning controls. The 8 ½ inch control screen is I believe the most well thought out, best executed touch screen bar none. I have been in cars that are much more expensive with adequate at best interactive screens. The Dodge screen is intuitive, well-marked with symbols that make sense, and are at least as large as a dime. When you take your eyes off the road to change a setting, it takes a second once you are familiar with the car to get to what you want, unlike cars with smaller interfaces. The car I had had heated seats, heated steering wheel among the creature comforts. The radio, the satellite stations, the heat controls, as well as telephone are interfaced there in that screen. Hooking up the phone interface is effortless in the Dodge.
The ONLY thing on the interior I did not care for and no matter how long I was in the car, I could not nail it every time was the shift knob for the 8 speed automatic transmission. Since 1894 (no that isn’t a misprint although they really came into prominence in 1940 when GM got behind them) automatic transmissions have been around and their design was simple. You moved the lever through a series of letters that referred to gears like D for Drive, R for reverse. (Phyllis Diller did a great comedy bit about how bad a driver she was and that for years she thought she was driving a PRNDL…it will come to you…you have to be an old car person to get it) Well, Dodge has been fooling with a simple system for years, starting in 1956 coming out with push button transmissions, and for some reason they can’t help themselves again. They have a shifting knob that is just unnecessarily difficult to use…not complicated just not easy to use.
I had the all-wheel drive version of the Charger which was good to have when I had the car as it was spitting snow during the week I drove it, and would be a great New England option especially this year. The engine in this car was the 292 horsepower 3.6 liter Pentastar V-6. They couple this with an 8 speed automatic and get an EPA estimated 31 MPG highway. Of course for about $4k more, you can buy the 370 horsepower 5.7 liter HEMI V-8. I am really having a hard time with this choice. The Good doo beepart of me is trying to be responsible and say “here you have a cool car with a nod to the environment” and that other part of me is saying “just give me the Hemi” .The cost difference is discouraging but the Hemi upgrades the whole vehicle not just the engine. Too bad they didn’t have a $2000.00 option to upgrade just the engine and corresponding suspension. Then again, as amazing as you may find this, Dodge (or for that matter no other manufacturer) does not come to me for design advice.
With the all-wheel drive feature and the V-6, the car was adequate, but somewhat underpowered. The mileage difference of 6 miles per gallon hardy seems enough to justify this feeling of being underpowered, but that may just be me. Admittedly, the $4,000.00 price difference may enter into the equation as well.
The base Charger which is well equipped is $25,995. The base model with a standard Hemi is $29,995. The top end SRT8 has a base sticker of $45,995.00. My press car Charger was just over $41,000.00
If you want a big car (the trunk has 16.5 cubic feet of space), a car with aggressive styling, and one that simply stands out, I recommend…no I URGE you to go to your Dodge dealer and try the Charger. For the money, I don’t think there is another car being manufactured today to give you that space and value.
