Brian Chee’s 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 Driving Impressions:
Dodge says that the Charger SRT-8 will go 0-60 mph in under five seconds. That’s great – just great – if you’re lucky enough to try it out. As far as that goes, count me out, as my driving time was spent on busy city streets going stoplight to stoplight. Ah well – it’s already abundantly clear how much fun the Charger SRT-8’s 6.1-liter Hemi engine is, and safe to say that few powerplants offer as much golly-gee-whiz fun as its 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of peak torque. Loved it in the 300C SRT-8, loved it in the Magnum version, dug it in the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8…and the Charger is just the same. Indeed, what you’re buying when you shell out the premium for that SRT-8 badge is the engine and the suspension. Just one question: why not a manual transmission? Sure, the five-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting works fine, and is tuned to the SRT-8’s engine. But still – here sits a rear-wheel-drive beast, and it just seems so, uh, corporate to have an automatic transmission managing the output.

Perhaps that’s the problem with the Charger SRT-8. It’s a roughneck car in a corporate world, whereas the 300C SRT-8 and the JGC SRT-8 fit in better with the suits but still have the muscle for a bar fight. Perhaps the Charger version is just a little closer to rocking a mullet, and just doesn’t fit in with what people expect from a $40,000 car. It goes like a bat, sounds great, and handles nicely, with a suspension that has been tuned and dropped compared to the regular Chargers. The brakes are huge, they’re Brembos, and they stop the thing on a dime. All this is true. Yet, while it’s fun to drive, and makes one thirst for more time and an open road on which to spend it…it also leaves you secretly wishing that it was one of its brothers, preferably the 300C SRT-8.

Now that’s as fine a car as there is on the road – dollar for dollar. And maybe that’s the problem with the Charger SRT-8. It’s compared to the more grown-up Chrysler 300C SRT-8, with its more affluent appearance. The thing about the Charger is that it never lets you forget what it is, unlike the Chrysler 300C SRT-8. In the 300C version, the low rumble is muted, and the car feels more sedate during day-to-day driving. The Charger, on the other hand, drives like a jumpy cat when you’re going from stoplight to stoplight, with its hard ride, loud engine and, okay, the overt temptation to light up a radar gun when the light goes green. Just one thing, though, before you punch that throttle: with a gas guzzler tax and lousy fuel economy, playing hide-and-seek in the Charger SRT-8 is quite an expensive proposition.

Christian Wardlaw’s 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 Driving Impressions:
How can anyone complain about this 6.1-liter Hemi V8, unless they want to perform a smoky burnout? Good luck with that – even brake-standing this thing, you barely get wheelspin. That’s probably for the best – keeps people in line. Nevertheless, the car moves with alacrity, more so when you manually shift. It sounds great, thumps at idle, shrieks at redline, features astounding mid-range response, and shifts with precision. Upshifts lag too much when toggling the AutoStick, and fuel economy isn’t great, obviously. Our 16.6-mpg average included lots of highway driving.

Around town the brake pedal feels OK, and the binders indefatigable, but running hard the pedal has too much travel and feels mushy, like there isn’t enough pressure in the system. I pumped the brake once to build some boost, and that seemed to resolve the issue. I don’t recall this happening in our Chrysler 300 SRT-8 last summer, so maybe a problem with our test car? One thing common with the Chrysler is slow steering, with little road feel and too much column shake. Though the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires offer extraordinary grip, the suspension feels a little woozy when it should be stiffer, and too stiff when it should offer better compliance. Plus, there’s more body roll and head toss than I expected. Lumpy pavement is not this car’s friend – it likes glass-smooth blacktop, and that’s especially true when it comes to ride quality. The Charger SRT-8 is stiff, rough, like a truck. Lots of shake comes up through the steering column, and severe bumps upset directional stability. Sectioned concrete produces plenty of head bob. Grandma will not like to ride in this car.

But this isn’t supposed to be a cushy cruiser. It’s supposed to be fun to drive. And it most definitely is, in a meat-headed, run-fer-pinks sort of way. It’s great fun to listen to, it goes fast and stops quickly in a straight line, and inspires men with confidence issues to challenge you at every traffic light. But it’s work to drive on a twisty road with less than perfect pavement.

Finally, outward visibility is a problem with this car. It’s hard to see overhead traffic signals if you pull too close to the intersection. The C-pillars are quite thick, making it hard to reverse from slanted parking spaces. The rear decklid spoiler cuts view of cars behind you, making it tough to discern unmarked patrol cars (though it also cuts headlight glare at night). The greenhouse is squat, contributing to a feeling of claustrophobia. However, the side mirrors work nicely, and the corners are easy to judge for parking. I also liked the view of the hood scoop from the driver’s seat.

Thom Blackett’s 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 Driving Impressions:
Having had a few quick laps behind the wheel of a 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 at Willow Springs raceway, I was particularly interested in experiencing this car as an everyday driver. On the track, the Hemi worked its magic in throttling me down the straightaway at triple-digit speeds, with an exhaust roar that unapologetically interrupted numerous conversations along pit row. No surprise there, as 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque have a tendency to get things moving quickly. Power delivery is fairly linear, though there’s a definite surge after the revs climb a bit, accompanied by the “WHOMP” of the exhaust. However, in the sweeping and tight corners the front end felt disconnected. The steering could have been tighter and more responsive, but that wasn’t the real issue. What bothered me was how subtle undulations in the pavement made the Charger SRT-8 feel unsettled, not a welcome occurrence when dancing around a gradual arc near full throttle.

It didn’t take long driving around Orange County to realize that’s just this Dodge’s way, be it on the track or the street. That big steering wheel still feels disconnected and, at times, a bit too light. Ah, but yes, there’s the power from that Hemi, enough to authoritatively launch more than 4,100 pounds, though engineers have all but neutered the powertrain in terms of burnout capability. Turn off the traction control, crank the wheel to the side to unload some weight from the rear inside tire, and you get the 20-inchers to sing a bit, but exercises in pavement penmanship are all but impossible. Maybe that’s just as well, as SRT-8 pilots will only have to worry about speeding tickets and not those having to do with excessive noise and dangerous driving.

Ron Perry’s 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 Driving Impressions:
Have you ever anticipated something like a dream vacation, a meal at a five-star restaurant or maybe a first date with the girl (or guy) of your dreams and then after experiencing it, you’re so disappointed you sit there in disbelief? That was my experience with the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8. From the moment I heard it was on the schedule I couldn’t wait for it to roll into the parking lot. After driving the Charger R/T model (I loved it by the way) I was excited to see what 75 more horsepower would add to the experience. To my disbelief, I exited the SRT-8 at the end of the day shaking my head and wondering why Dodge had tuned it like this.

Now don’t get me wrong here, the Charger SRT-8 is fast. Really fast, if you are already moving and have the rpm’s up. Power off the line is minimal. Even with the traction control off and in manual mode, it won’t spin the tires. Not even when doing a brake stand. From a dead stop, stomping the pedal gets you a delayed response until the tach hits about 2,500 rpm and then you’d best be holding on tight and paying attention. The Charger SRT-8’s manners at speed are wonderful. I just would have enjoyed myself a lot more if the Charger had the ground pounding, off-the-line torque I was expecting. I was happy with the throttle response at speed and the overall ride and handling – though the ride is a bit stiff. Proper use of the horsepower can force the car through turns and the feedback as to what is happening at the rear wheels is excellent. I was never surprised by the suspension doing the unexpected. Steering and brakes are just right, delivering the right amount of feedback.