 Dodge Charger at Zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Downers Grove
Dodge observes its centennial this year, and its bread-and-butter full-size rear-drive sedan is one of the prime players in the celebration. The roof and rear doors are the only exterior panels that carry over unchanged. When the 2015 Charger lands on showroom floors near the end of the year, it'll represent just how far the automotive industry has come since Dodge's beginnings 100 years ago.
Powering the Dodge Charger
The new 2015 Dodge Charger's muscular persona is certainly undiminished, and it's backed by Chrysler's 5.7-liter Hemi V-8-370 horsepower, 395 lb-ft of torque-in R/T and R/T Road & Track models. With the V-6, the Charger is EPA-rated for 31 mpg on the highway, which Dodge says is best in class. A Traction Control system makes use of sensors which monitor to identify if any wheel suffers a loss of traction, and adjusts the vehicle's power and handling so as to help the driver with regaining and maintaining control. If road conditions lead to a loss of control, even just a little bit, an Electronic Stability Control system will activate and work with the brakes to guard against over or understeering. A new electronic shift feature delivers brisk shift times-400 milliseconds, according to Dodge, diminishing to 250 milliseconds in sport mode, which also holds the selected gear to redline.
The 2015 Charger's Design
The new 2015 Dodge Charger rates as an extensive freshening. There are new aluminum axles and axle housings, but the chassis is otherwise unchanged. The sheetmetal is almost all new: grille, headlights, hood, fenders, and rear fascia. The roof and rear doors are the only exterior panels that survive, although the base of the rearmost roof pillar has been angled aft, giving the rear window a faster slope and visually reducing the rear overhang. Inside, the redesign includes new seats, extensive soft-touch materials on the dash, center console, and door panels, and eight different trim packages, including cloth and leather upholstery choices. Inevitably, new telematics abound. A standard seven-inch TFT screen nestles between the speedo and tach, with programmable info including Dodge Performance Pages. As predictable as such gadgetry is in thus fill-size segment is the abundance of nanny aids: lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise with emergency braking, and forward-collision warning all are available.
Conclusions
Paying homage to its late-1960s muscle cars, Dodge cites the 1969 Charger as the inspiration for the 2015 redesign. Whether the 2015 model achieves the smaller/lighter illusion is up to the beholder, but the exterior dimensions are essentially unchanged. While we're appreciative of such progress, it's heartwarming to know that some things, like the Charger's bad-boy attitude, never change.
