 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8. Click image to enlarge |
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Test Drive: 2011 Dodge Charger R/T AWD
Manufacturer’s web site |
Review by Mike Schlee, photos by Mike Schlee and courtesy Dodge
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2013 Dodge Charger
So it is time to replace the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and upgrade to a new vehicle to transport your brood. You are not too keen on a minivan or a crossover, but want something big in the way of a family sedan. Not just any four-door sedan will do, though; you want something a little less sensible, something aggressive, and something that will stir your soul. Well, you are in luck. Dodge will be more than happy to put you behind the wheel of a 470-hp 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 complete with 900 watts of ear-blasting stereo power.
 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8. Click image to enlarge |
Behold the 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8. Let’s get this out of the way, right away; this car is excessive in every way—including excessively fun. The Charger SRT8 represents a dying breed of excessive, heavyweight high-powered muscle cars. Did I mention it’s excessive? This is either a tragedy or a revelation depending on what side of the muscle car fence you sit on. I, for one, find it a bit tragic that these brutes may one day disappear from our roads, as there is a giddy, almost juvenile fun elicited by the SRT. But, as manufacturers scramble to meet today’s ever changing social, economic, and environmental challenges, there appears to be no other solution in the short term other than to start downsizing and reducing power. Thankfully, we are not quite at that day yet.
For 2013, Dodge has given the SRT Charger an enhanced adaptive damping suspension that allows for three settings that adjust the suspension tuning. Also new for 2013, there is standard launch control and the return of the Super Bee model.
 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8. Click image to enlarge |
At the heart of every SRT8 product is Chrysler’s hairy chested 6.4L Hemi V8. In the 2013 Charger, it produces 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. For 2013, all SRT products receive an in-dash performance tracker that can record 0–100 and quarter-mile times as well as g forces achieved while accelerating, braking, and turning. Even with 1,980 kg to haul around, on the closed roads of the Chelsea Proving Grounds, I was able to achieve 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.9 seconds and complete the quarter-mile in 12.8 seconds according to the computer readout. Considering this was achieved on dusty, broken pavement, that is quite impressive.
Launching this car is difficult, though, and I did not have time to learn how to operate the new launch control system. The rear tires easily light up in a smoke show from a stop so careful applications of power are needed to get the most out of this car.
