For a full-sized family car that delivers a side of fun, look no further than the Dodge Charger. A full-sized sedan with all the bells and whistles, the Charger has a he-man side delivering a rush of speed and throaty rumble.
The 2016 Dodge Charger is a full-size sedan offered in SE, SXT, R/T, R/T Road & Track, R/T Scat Pack, SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat trims. This review will focus on the SXT with the Blacktop trim.
The SXT comes equipped with 18-inch wheels (19s with AWD), LED foglights, heated mirrors, remote ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, an eight-way power driver seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, an 8.4-inch touchscreen interface with Uconnect Access smartphone-app integration and voice commands, satellite radio and an upgraded audio system.
There are plenty of extras you can add to the SXT trim like my review model had including the Plus package adding xenon headlights, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a power front passenger seat, heated steering wheel, driver memory functions, heated rear seats and LED interior lighting. The Premium Group adds 20-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension (rear-wheel-drive models only), automatic high-beam control, automatic wipers, adaptive cruise control, a frontal collision warning and mitigation system, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, power-adjustable pedals, a navigation system, satellite and HD radio and an upgraded 10-speaker Beats audio system.
My test model also included the Blacktop Appearance package that added 20-inch gloss-black wheels, various black trim elements, a sport steering wheel and a sport-tuned suspension.
With an eight-speed automatic transmission and the Rallye Group package, the 3.6-liter, 6-banger produces 300 horses and 264 pound-feet of torque. Even with all that power mileage comes in at 19/city, 31/highway and 23/combined mpg.
A performance car usually overlooks the interior, not so with the Charger. Its dash holds plenty of nice materials and the instrument cluster along with the touchscreen are well placed. Seating is cavernous in the front with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. Backseat passengers will be comfortable too. Storage capacity is good with 16.5 cubic feet, of course there is more when the back seats are folded flat.
Built for speed, the Charger zooms down the road taking corners with precise handling. But it has a softer side, the inside, where the driver will hear a minimum of road noise and feel just a touch of uneven road surface.
Built for speed but tweaked for comfort, the 2016 Dodge Charger SXT Blacktop makes a statement in the full-sized sedan segment.
