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2012 Dodge Charger

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This latest version of the American full-size sedan is engineered, styled, and manufactured to go toe to toe with the best competing models the world market has to offer. Without effort, it meets that challenge and welcomes the battle. The Charger is proof that American carmakers have learned that they can no longer market shoddy design and haphazard assembly. To that end, the Dodge Charger is a proud product of the new Detroit. It's handsomely designed and has world-class fit and finish. From crankshaft to door handles, everything operates with fine precision and the promise of long-lasting service.The Dodge Charger was redesigned for the 2011 model year, and there are no significant changes for the 2012 Charger except that a new 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 has been added to the model lineup. The 2012 Charger is the second year of the second generation of the modern Charger. The first generation ran 2006-2010. The original was launched as a '66. The General Lee Bo and Luke Duke drove was a '69. 

Interior of the '12 Dodge  Charger

Beautiful plum-shaded Nappa leather upholstery is furnished throughout. The front-seat display is mildly spartan, but not in the sense of being cold or under-supplied. Rather, the instrumentation has attractive, classy white-on-black dials. The display, uncomplicated and straightforward, is simple modern. The dashboard has a sleek, scooped-out titanium-look central motif. Below the tachometer (which no longer has a redline because automatic shifting prevents over-revving) and speedometer are a water temperature gauge and a fuel gauge. Also included in the instrumentation is a compass and an exterior temperature readout. Between these instruments, an Info board delivers a list of performance parameters, including coolant temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, transmission temperature, engine hours, tire pressure and several measures of instant and trip fuel mileage.

Exterior of the '12 Charger

The body of the second-generation modern Charger is crisply styled throughout. It is considerably edgier and more muscular than its immediate predecessor, which had great promise but was, by comparison, a bit of a lump. Along the sides of the car are slanting, angular indentations that echo the racy rear-facing engine-room vents made so famous on the all-conquering Dodge Viper supercar. In the Charger, these are unmistakably bad looking in all of the right street-savvy ways.The 2012 Dodge Charger lineup is composed of the Charger SE, Charger SXT, Charger R/T, and Charger SRT8.Continuing this street look, in profile, the car's dramatically low roofline tapers downward rapidly at the car's mid-point. In combination with its high waistline and compressed greenhouse, the car expresses a secretive, almost hot-rod chopped appearance. Occupants seem to peer outward from sinister gun slit-like windows. Yet for all of its hunched-over appearance, the occupants' outward visibility is quite good enough. 

Model Lineup

Charger SE comes standard with a 3.6-liter 292-hp V6, rear-wheel drive, 5-speed automatic transmission with manual selection, cloth upholstery, 6-way power driver's seat, 60/40 split rear seat, cruise control, manual tilt-telescopic steering column, power windows with express front up/down, rear window defroster, 4.3-inch touch-screen audio and media center, six audio speakers, USB port with iPod control, auxiliary input jack, power door locks, keyless remote, push-button start, power trunk-lid release, two 12-volt outlets, intelligent battery sensor, LED-illuminated front cup holders, rear seat armrest with cup holders, map pockets front and rear, illuminated sun visor vanity mirrors, front overhead console, LED-illuminated rear handles and reading lamps, electronic color vehicle information center, urethane shift knob and steering wheel, trunk cargo net and full trunk liner with emergency deck-lid release, dual deck-lid lamps.

Charger SXT upgrades with halogen fog lamps, heated power mirrors, dual-zone front climate controls, humidity sensor, LED-illuminated front/rear map pockets, front overhead console with dome lamp and universal HomeLink, LED front-row illumination, 8.4-inch touch-screen display with voice command, premium Alpine 8-speaker audio, 12-way power driver's seat, heated front seats, 180-amp alternator, automatic defog, remote start. Connectivity Group for SXT includes voice command with Bluetooth, auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and leather-wrapped shift knob. Charger R/T features the 5.7-liter 370-bhp Hemi V8 with Decel Fuel Shut Off (DFSO).

Charger SRT8 boasts a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 470 hp plus a special SRT heated steering wheel with paddle shifters for manual shifting, a two-mode adaptive damping suspension, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon 900-watt audio system.

Conclusions

The 2012 Dodge Charger is a dynamic, forceful road car that starts, stops and corners with poise. If Dodge had come anywhere near to this kind of Charger years ago, the company would have been every buyer's hero. This is an American sedan to be proud of.  If you are in the market for a new car, take a look at the Dodge Charger.

Some of the information for this review was obtained from newcartestdrive.com