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A Week in the Life: 2007 Dodge Charger R/T
Kristen Hall-Geisler
Kristen Hall-Geisler
04/02/2008
Using the remote to unlock the doors of the Dodge Charger R/T turns on the headlights and interior light for safety. This seems pretty standard-issue for cars these days, until you try it with the Charger at night. Then the hooded headlights emphasize the width and aggressive stance of the design, and it's downright intimidating. I love it.
The car looks good in the daylight, too. The new Charger is blocky and unmistakable, with as much interior room as its wide body implies. There's room for four people of just about any size inside, and the trunk is as spacious as a person could want a trunk to be. A small driver like myself may have to reach farther than she would like to reach some of the console buttons, say, for changing the radio station, but there are controls for some of the functions in the steering wheel.
And yeah, it's got a Hemi. (A quick explanation for Hemi newbies: Hemi engines have rounded, or hemispherical, cylinder heads, with two pistons on either side of the spark plug. These were an improvement over the simpler flathead cylinder engines, which had only one piston.) The 5.7-liter, 8-cylinder powerplant in the R/T was super quick, and very smooth, but the car comes equipped with an automatic transmission. A manual transmission isn't even available on this model, for 2007 or the upcoming 2008 version. Where is the fun in that?
For a large car with lots of interior space, the 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway EPA rating isn't tragic. And for families that spend a good deal of time on the highway, there's an optional DVD system with headphones and remote for the back seat that operates independently of the front sound system. Overall, the Charger R/T has plenty of room, plenty of creature comforts, and plenty of power for just about anybody.
The car looks good in the daylight, too. The new Charger is blocky and unmistakable, with as much interior room as its wide body implies. There's room for four people of just about any size inside, and the trunk is as spacious as a person could want a trunk to be. A small driver like myself may have to reach farther than she would like to reach some of the console buttons, say, for changing the radio station, but there are controls for some of the functions in the steering wheel.
And yeah, it's got a Hemi. (A quick explanation for Hemi newbies: Hemi engines have rounded, or hemispherical, cylinder heads, with two pistons on either side of the spark plug. These were an improvement over the simpler flathead cylinder engines, which had only one piston.) The 5.7-liter, 8-cylinder powerplant in the R/T was super quick, and very smooth, but the car comes equipped with an automatic transmission. A manual transmission isn't even available on this model, for 2007 or the upcoming 2008 version. Where is the fun in that?
For a large car with lots of interior space, the 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway EPA rating isn't tragic. And for families that spend a good deal of time on the highway, there's an optional DVD system with headphones and remote for the back seat that operates independently of the front sound system. Overall, the Charger R/T has plenty of room, plenty of creature comforts, and plenty of power for just about anybody.
MSRP of the test vehicle: $32,615; as tested, $38,465
Best for: Most families
(The following are rated out of 5 stars)
Pulling out into traffic: 5
Impressing your neighbors: 4
Hauling your gear: 4
Keeping everybody safe: 3
Pulling out into traffic: 5
Impressing your neighbors: 4
Hauling your gear: 4
Keeping everybody safe: 3
