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Solid Dodge: 2009 Charger SXT AWD |
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Written by Jeff Zurschmeide
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Monday, 01 June 2009 |
When I first encountered the new Dodge Charger back in 2006, I was impressed with the sheer size of it. For a car that Mopar was trying to sell as a sports car for guys in their 40s, it was…..not a sports car at all.
 Nice Looking Big Car
But over time, the big ol’ Charger has grown on me a bit. I’ve driven one for a week every year, and I have to give Chrysler their props – this is a nice car. It’s also a powerful car. This year I had the SXT all wheel drive version of the Charger, which features Dodge’s standard 3.5-liter V6 engine. That engine makes 250 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque, and it gets a modest 17/23 rating for fuel economy.
It’s that fuel economy rating that bugs me this year. You see, if you get the V8 version of the car, you get fuel economy of 16/23 – just one measly MPG less, and you get a hemi V8 with 368 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque! And you can still get that with the AWD transmission, which is really nice in the Pacific Northwest.
Everything else about the car is very well-done. The ride is solid, the V6 is fast, the AWD is transparent – you’ll never even know it’s there until it snows.
 Fast and Solid on the Road
Inside, the Charger SXT is well-appointed. Seats are available with leather as an option, and it’s got all the usual family car options, including GPS navigation, hands-free cell phone support, iPod attachment to the stereo, multi-disc changer and satellite radio. The SXT also comes with a power sunroof. The trunk is positively cavernous. The car seats 5 adults in reasonable comfort.
Unlike its wilder brother the Challenger, you can’t get any Charger with a stick shift transmission – the Charger is strictly automatic-only. But you know, an automatic in a Mini Cooper or a Miata feels weird, but in the Charger, you just expect an automatic, so it’s OK. It’s a very tight automatic, anyway, and drives very smoothly and doesn’t waste a lot of power.
 Well-done interior
Base price on a Charger SXT is $29,490, and as tested with nav, leather, seat heat, nice stereo, zone climate control, and run-flat tires, the Charger I tested booked out at $36,315. I’d skip the sunroof for $950 – I just don’t like sunroofs that much. But I’d take the rest of the options and spend the extra money on a Hemi V8. It’s the right engine for the car, and it’s what Mopar has always done best. And that’s the bottom line for the 2009 Charger.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 June 2009 )
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