2015 Dodge Charger SXT

Reviewed by Dom

It’s easy to subliminally equate big with bulky (or with stodgy), but that would be a mistake with the 2015 Charger. An aunt of mine once described a rather-large friend of mine as “husky,” and that almost sounds like the Charger, come to think of it.

No, even though it’s got some heft, the Charger never forgot its muscle car heritage, and still longs to sprint. Imagine some of the oversized NFL running backs who got a head of steam and ran like gazelles.

That’s your Charger.

This year the full-size sedan comes in seven – seven! – different trim styles, all of which feature rear-wheel drive at the core. However, two of the choices, the SE and the SXT (which I drove), have available all-wheel-drive options.

Outside the car produces a few turns of the head with its sleek styling, and the redesigned exterior is an improvement.

Inside, it’s obvious that Dodge has stepped up its game. The overall quality of the materials has moved up a notch, with a good feel to the seats and the controls. I like the layout of the control panel, and the touch-screen interface works well. The Charger has a pleasant mix of modern conveniences and classic touches, which gives it a comfortable feel.

And because of its full-size status, you won’t be cramped, nor will your passengers. As for various option packages, there are several, but even the base-model’s standard features are generous.

Of course, when you tell someone you’re tooling around in a Charger, they often ask about the power. Well, truth be told, I never felt blown away by the car’s power plant, even though I realized that it was partly an image thing. To be fair, a V6 engine shouldn’t be expected to explode off the starting line. However, the test model I drove had The Rallye Group package, which boosted the horsepower up to 300.

(Wanna get ridiculous? Check out the Charger’s SRT Hellcat edition, with its 707 horses. Dude, I don’t think you could be trusted with 700 horsepower, so stop it right now.)

The drive itself is pleasing. As mentioned above, this car isn’t handcuffed by its weight; you might not necessarily use the term “nimble” when describing it, but it’s no granny car, either. The Charger does a good job smoothing out the bumps, and the steering – while not excessively sporty – is tight and reliable.

Props to Dodge, too, for improving the mileage over the past few years. This ’15 SXT, even with AWD, still closes in on 30 mpg on the highway (27, to be exact). Because of that all-wheel-drive option, the base sticker was just under $33k – go with the standard rear-wheel version and you’ll knock off a couple thousand.

With options, including the Rallye and Nav groups, brought the total cost to about $38k.

For those who are responsible grown-ups, but still want to play a bit, the Charger is a good choice to throw into the mix.