First Test: 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8

It wouldnt be surprising for the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 to show up wearing an American flag like a cape

Transcript

00:00 This is the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.

00:14 You half expect it to come wearing an American flag like a cape, smoke pouring out of the

00:18 rear wheel wells, fireworks exploding overhead, and a bald eagle at the helm.

00:24 This is pure American muscle.

00:31 So it comes with no shortage of irony then, that the Charger SRT8's styling answers the

00:35 hypothetical question of what a four-door Nissan GTR might look like.

00:40 That angry, gaping, all-black fascia may be the modern look of performance, but it's the

00:45 Japanese who popularized it first.

00:49 The car's personality makes you quickly forget such musings.

00:53 Underneath that exterior, it is identical to the 300 SRT8.

00:57 The same 470 horse, 470 pound feet, 6.4 liter V8, the same five-speed automatic, the same

01:06 adaptive dampening that continually monitors a variety of sensors and adjusts to suit driving

01:11 needs, the same flat-bottom, thick-rim steering wheel, and the same seats with massive side

01:17 bolsters that you need to get in red.

01:21 There is one difference though, with its suspension tuned along the lines of the Challenger SRT8,

01:26 the Charger is stiffer.

01:28 That change doesn't make a dramatic improvement in the test results, but the Charger does

01:32 feel slightly sharper.

01:34 It registers a 25.8 second lap around our figure 8, and a 0.89 average lateral G around

01:41 the skid pad.

01:43 Both are quite respectable performances from a 4,360 pound sedan, putting it in the ranks

01:48 of sport coupes like the Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track and Camaro SS.

01:54 Its best stop from 60 miles per hour takes 112 feet, and though that distance remained

01:59 consistent, the Grand Cherokee SRT8, which rides on larger Pirelli P Zeros, stops six

02:05 feet shorter from 60 miles per hour.

02:08 An acceleration run in the Charger requires little effort.

02:12 From 4.3 seconds to 60 miles per hour and 12.8 seconds at 111.5 miles an hour through

02:18 the quarter mile, the Charger bested Camaro SS and rivals a DCT equipped M3 sedan.

02:26 Unencumbered with trivialities like an ending road, the Charger will top out at a drag limited

02:31 175 miles per hour.

02:34 There is no artificial speed limiter, just as the SRT team likes it.

02:39 Beyond the aging transmission, our biggest disappointment comes from the hard, cheap

02:43 looking plastic that covers the Charger's dash.

02:46 Then again, its base price undercuts the 300 SRT8 by $1,375, so some minor interior quality

02:54 decline should be expected.

02:56 Otherwise, the Charger SRT8 excels at being big, brash, and a wild ball of fun.

03:02 Or in other words, being a four door Challenger.

03:10 (rock music)