The Pioneer Times

Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Google Images

Hemi. Hearing the name causes one to conjure Mopar muscle burning rubber - and the competition. Dodge's legendary power plant is back, alive and kicking in the top-of-the-line 2008 Charger SRT8. And boy, does it kick!

Displacing 6.1 liters, this bad boy motor cranks out a thundering 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque! You feel every last one of those ponies when you floor the throttle. The soundtrack is one of the sweetest you'll sample: that baritone rumble is unmistakably V-8 sourced. And this hot rod sure looks the part. All black, with 20" chrome rims, red calipers lurking behind, and a functional hood scoop, my test car appeared downright menacing. Awesome.

Some of the Charger faithful were turned off by the fact that their latest Hemi Hero is a sedan. While I agree that coupes tend to be the "lookers" of the car world, this is one handsome four-door. Like many cars, the Charger looks even better in person. It is not without flaws, however. I feel the rear end could be turned up a notch or two (the taillights are a bit ordinary). Otherwise, the styling is solid. Charger's face and "coke-bottle flair side" are spot on, and the twin pipes just rock.

Don't spend all your time admiring the SRT from the outside. It's mighty nice within, too. The standard leather seats are comfortable and supportive, the four-barrel gauges are legible and pleasing, and the steering wheel is leather-wrapped and meaty. The SRT also comes loaded to the gills with every modern amenity.

Overall, the Charger SRT8 is a great ride. It's fast, furious (looking), and not fuel-efficient (what do you expect?). The big bad Dodge even corners flat. But the one thing that leaves me wanting is the only transmission available: a 5-speed AutoStick. While better than nothing, it is surely no substitute for a stick and third pedal. And the engineers really need to change the shift action: once you slide the shift knob into manual mode, left downshifts and right upshifts. Shifting down to upshift and up to downshift would make more sense. Just ask BMW.

Then, there's the price. SRT8s easily break $40k, with your best bet being around $38k. But hey, how many 425 horsepower Hemi-powered sedans do you see out there? I count only one other: the Chrysler 300C SRT8, Charger's corporate cousin.

So, if you have the means, then you, too, can be a Hemi Hero!

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