Autoblog - 2012 Dodge Charger Ralleye Pentastar

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Autoblog - 2012 Dodge Charger Ralleye Pentastar

Postby njrupp » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:26 pm

Some Things Never Go Out Of Style
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The year was 1966. The muscle car era, which arguably began two years earlier with the introduction of the Pontiac GTO, was in full swing. In order to have a chance at attracting the young, affluent buyers so craved by American automakers of the day, a car needed to offer equal doses of style and horsepower. Dodge, with its brand new Charger fastback, offered plenty of both.

But it wasn't until 1968 that the Dodge Charger truly hit its stride, earning it legendary status in the annals of automotive history. Coke-bottle styling, a full suite of powerful V8 engines – including the 440 Six Pack and 426 Hemi – and plenty of success on the NASCAR circuit meant that the Dodge Boys had a winner on their hands.

Sadly, the heyday of American muscle was nearly over by the time Dodge figured out the formula, and the car was just a shell of its former muscular self by the end of 1974.

The rest of the 1970s were not kind to the Charger, and sales slowly faded away until the model name was canceled altogether after the 1978 model year. We'll gracefully skip over the front-wheel-drive years from 1983 through 1987 and move straight to the nameplate's reintroduction in 2006. The Hemi was back in action, the new car's styling was aggressive and generally well received and sales took off. But by 2010, yet again the reborn Charger was seriously showing its age, having received nothing in the way of significant interior or exterior updates during its five years back on the market and being saddled with a fully uncompetitive line of V6 engines and even an ancient four-speed automatic transmission in base models.

Dodge has finally given the "new" Charger some attention with an update for 2011 that includes new looks, new engines and the complete absence of a four-speed transmission. Does this mean that Dodge is done letting the Charger nameplate wither on the vine? Without spoiling the rest of the review, let's just say we have some good news to share.

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The first bit of evidence that Dodge is serious about reinvigorating the Charger comes the first time you lay eyes on it. Sheetmetal is much more sculpted than before, with flowing, feminine lines that instantly recall those of the much-loved 1970 model. This is purely intentional. The large scallops that indent the front doors and aluminum hood, and the subtle double-diamond effect in profile (not nearly as pronounced a 'Coke-bottle' curve as the Chargers of yore, but still welcome in today's era of me-too organic wedge-shaped cars) are clearly meant to evoke warm and fuzzy memories of a bygone era. And for the most part, it works, even for those of us only old enough to witness such bold styling motifs while watching Barrett-Jackson on SPEED.

It's not until you begin to dissect the details that you remember this is a fully modern automobile. Panel gaps are tight and the wheels tuck up nicely into the wells cut out of the fenders. Nothing sticks outside the tight confines of the bodywork, an obvious concession to airflow management, resulting in as quiet a ride as possible and improved fuel efficiency at speed. Chrysler claims that, with a coefficient of drag that measures just 0.29, the 2011 Charger is eight-percent more aerodynamic than the car it replaces.

Another welcome styling touch worth mentioning are the rear taillamps, which are made up of 164 individual LED lights. Dodge says the design is meant to mimic the look of a racetrack. If that's the case, it's sort of an oval track with one really long sweeping chicane. Whatever the case, we like the implementation and you certainly won't Image
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Where we find chrome or other brightwork, it's strategically placed in areas like the grille (a refined version of the macho Ram-bred crosshair design), dual exhaust tips and jewel-like headlamps. Although the glass-to-sheetmetal ratio is similar to the Charger it replaces, the 2011 model's engineers went to great lengths to improve the sightlines from the driver's seat. Unlike the gangsta-style 2010 machine, this new Charger is blessed with actual airiness in the cabin, due mostly to a larger, more aggressively sloped windshield and thinner pillars all the way around.

Speaking of the cabin, this is where all memories of past Chrysler interior sins are banished for good. According to the men and women behind the transformation, Lexus was the benchmark that Chrysler set out to match in interior fit, finish and materials. The majority of the dash is made of one single piece of high-grade plastic with a rubbery finish, which helps banish the kinds of squeaks and rattles synonymous with haphazard assembly and bargain-bin materials.

The gauge cluster is rather shallowly inset into its own binnacle that brings to mind the design of the aforementioned taillamp treatment. Inside that cluster are two LCD screens, one of which is a monochrome affair situated between the two circular gauges. Plenty of useful information can be found here, directly in front of the driver's prying eyes; things like miles to empty, current and average fuel efficiency, distance traveled, compass and outside temperature.
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And then there's the 8.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen that sits atop the center stack. This latest Uconnect infotainment system, which is appearing in all of the most recent models under the Chrysler umbrella, is a huge step forward from anything Dodge has offered in the past. There are the obvious things you've come to expect from modern technology packages, such as touch-sensitive dual-zone climate controls and the ability to control audio with MP3 player capabilities and satellite radio (complete with a hard drive so you can record and play back songs).
*96 Z28 A4..mostly stock.
*04 Subaru WRX, 1.73 60ft 12.65@110 @ 301awhp
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Re: Autoblog - 2012 Dodge Charger Ralleye Pentastar

Postby njrupp » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:27 pm

Imagesex
*96 Z28 A4..mostly stock.
*04 Subaru WRX, 1.73 60ft 12.65@110 @ 301awhp
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Re: Autoblog - 2012 Dodge Charger Ralleye Pentastar

Postby Balt21 » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:24 pm

I like the subtle changes they made to it. I saw one the other night that sounded like it had an aftermarket exhaust on it (or maybe they're just louder now?) and it sounded pretty good. Those tail lights are BRIGHT at night though haha.
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