2011 Dodge Charger R/T First Drive

In a stroke of genius, Chrysler picked San Francisco for the introduction of the revamped 2011 Dodge Charger. This city is for winners. Has been since, well, November 1 when the San Francisco Giants, the major league baseball team known for stellar pitching but questionable hitting, won their first World Series title since 1954.

Some of this vibe is bound to rub off on the 2011 Dodge Charger — or perhaps get spilled on it if we park too close to some Giants fans. But you don't need to be in some altered state to appreciate the changes Dodge has made to its big, rear-wheel-drive sedan for 2011. Most obvious is the new sheet metal, which is more faithful to the revered 1968-'70 Dodge Chargers without making the car look too old to cop an attitude. Indeed, the new front fascia is just as scary as Giants' closer Brian Wilson's beard.

Dig deeper into the 2011 Dodge Charger and you'll note that the carmaker has bulldozed the 2010 car's plasticky interior, retuned the suspension and swapped out the wheezy, old V6 engines for a new 3.6-liter Pentastar motor.

While the engineers were busy, the accountants found room to cut the price. You can have a Pentastar V6-equipped 2011 Dodge Charger SE for $25,995 — $200 less than a 2010 Charger with the 3.5-liter V6. Better yet, Dodge has lopped a full $2 grand off the base price of the V8-equipped Charger R/T ($30,995).

The Makings of a Winner
We all like the more-car-for-less money formula, but if the 2011 Dodge Charger wasn't actually a better car, any price would be too high. We're not going to figure that out driving our R/T test car through San Francisco's maze of one-way streets, so when morning arrives, we point the Charger across the Golden Gate. Minutes later, we're on Highway 1 — exactly the kind of road we would have avoided in last year's Charger.

On paper, the 2010 and 2011 models don't look very different. They have the same footprint — 120-inch wheelbase and all — and they use the same basic platform architecture and fully independent suspension with a high-mounted upper A-arm, coil-over-shock, dual-pivot arrangement in front and a multilink rear. But Dodge is using racier camber settings to improve handling on the 2011 Dodge Charger, and the springs, dampers and bushings are all new. Three different suspension programs are available on the 2011 model — Touring (standard on V6 models), Performance (standard on the rear-drive R/T) and Super Track Pak (optional on the rear-drive R/T).

The least aggressive Touring suspension is also standard if you order all-wheel drive ($2,150) on your 2011 Dodge Charger R/T, and our test car has it — in combination with 19-inch wheels and all-season tires. The big sedan feels a little soft through the tight turns on Highway 1, but there's a grace and fluidity to it that the previous Charger never had. This improvement takes on more significance when you note that the new car is heavier — mostly because Dodge had to reinforce the unit body to improve crash performance.

The company has also installed an electric motor to run the Charger's hydraulic steering pump this year. Though such news is usually anathema to an enthusiast's ears, the engineers did a pretty good job tuning the effort levels. There isn't a lot of steering feel, but there wasn't much in the 2010 Charger, either.

Two Tons on the Track
In an effort to prove just how much better the revised car handles, Dodge lets us loose at Infineon Raceway for some hot laps. Feels odd lapping the big road course in this enormous sedan, but once we get over the size issue the 2011 Dodge Charger R/T is pretty entertaining. It's trustworthy for a big lug and it gets sideways in a predictable and endearing fashion.

Here we've traded our R/T AWD for a rear-drive R/T with the redundantly named Road and Track package, which includes the Super Track Pak suspension setup. In addition to upgraded dampers and thicker stabilizer bars, this option group provides Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, better brake pads and more lenient stability control.

Maybe the most shocking thing about our Charger R/T is how modern and ergonomic the interior feels.

The basic brake hardware hasn't changed in this redesign, so just like last year, all R/T models have 13.6-inch ventilated front discs with two-piston sliding calipers and 12.6-inch ventilated rear discs with single-piston sliding calipers. There's a new brake booster to improve pedal feel, but these are of course road-car brakes, so we're not surprised when the pedal starts to soften up during the track session.

One thing we really notice on the track is the improved visibility from the 2011 Dodge Charger's cockpit. The windshield is set at a more laid-back (sportier) angle on the new sedan, and the A-pillars are thinner. The view out the front is panoramic compared to the old car.

R/T Keeps the Hemi, Five-Speed Automatic
Dodge hasn't made any changes to the drivetrain on R/T models, but the fact that there's a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with an estimated 370 horsepower available at all for the 2011 model year should make you happy.

The five-speed automatic transmission is a carryover, too. This transmission gets the job done, but having to slide the shifter side to side in manual mode gets old quickly. Paddle shifters should be part of the Road and Track package.

Charger prototypes have already been spotted with the ZF eight-speed automatic that will eventually replace this transmission, but Dodge officials will not comment on timing. They also won't talk about the ETA for the next Dodge Charger SRT8, which is destined to get the 6.4-liter V8 used in the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392.

On the other end of the spectrum, getting a V6 Charger is now a viable option, as the new Pentastar V6 engine is expected to make just over 290 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque. You're not stuck with a four-speed automatic anymore, either, as the five-speed auto is standard with the V6, too. Look for an 18 city/26 highway mpg rating on the V6 Charger. For now, you can't get AWD with the V6.

We're All Adults Here
Maybe the most shocking thing about our 2011 Dodge Charger R/T test car is how modern and ergonomic the interior feels. There's an 8.4-inch touchscreen (optional on all trim levels) in the center of the soft-touch dash, and it's neatly integrated into the same bezel as the attractive gauge pack. The new steering wheel is a bit heavy on the buttons, but comfortable to grip at 9 and 3. Finding a good driving position is easy, and we'd have no qualms about sticking with our tester's standard cloth upholstery.

The navigation system uses Garmin software, and though the street labeling isn't as consistent as it could be, there's no arguing with the colorful display and simple destination entry. If you've ever used a Garmin Nuvi, you can use this nav system without ever cracking the manual.

Keyless access, a USB jack, a driver knee airbag and laminated windshield and side-window glass are standard on all 2011 Chargers. Dodge is making a point of offering all the upscale extras with either engine. So even if you choose the base V6, you can still option your Charger up with adaptive cruise control (bundled with a collision warning system) and the Driver Confidence package, which includes blind-spot monitoring, a back-up camera and rear cross-traffic detection.

Fear the Beard
Dodge designers call the 2011 Dodge Charger's front fascia "Superman's Chest." We, on the other hand, can't stop seeing visions of Brian Wilson's black beard when we walk up to this car. We're not sure which is the more unsavory image — flexing pectoral muscles or luxuriant facial hair — but there's little doubt that the 2011 Charger is supposed to make you feel uneasy. It's the last rear-drive family sedan standing, and unlike the Pontiac G8 (RIP), it's not meant to be a BMW 5 Series on the cheap. It's a baddie.

Or at least that's the image it projects. Beneath all that, the 2011 Dodge Charger R/T is as quietly effective as Wilson's slider. It has a more refined ride than its predecessor, and its handling is honest and secure. Its cabin has finally made the leap from the 1990s and offers both quality materials and the modern technology you expect in this price range.

And it definitely doesn't hurt that the 2011 Dodge Charger is cheaper than last year's model. This could indeed be the winner that Chrysler desperately needs.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.