2011 Dodge Charger

Vintage nameplate, modern performance

The classic Dodge Charger was best known to many as the General Lee on the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, and Inside Line actually rounds up one of the few surviving General Lees for a head-to-head shootout. The new Charger lacks the General's raw thrills (blame modern noise control and safety standards), but the new car proves "faster and better-handling É without a doubt the car you want to be in if Roscoe and Enos are on your tail."

You can choose between two engines. Testers say the new 292-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 feels plenty strong in the rear-wheel-drive Dodge Charger SE (Base MSRP: $25,395), but fuel economy isn't great: 18 mpg city/27 mpg highway/21 mpg combined.

The one that beats the General Lee is the Dodge Charger R/T (Base MSRP: $29,995 to $32,345). Its 370-horsepower, 5.7-liter Hemi V8 powers the two-ton Charger from 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds in Car and Driver's test (versus 6.5 seconds for the V6). Fuel economy drops 2 mpg all around (16 mpg city/25 mpg highway/19 mpg combined), falling another 1 mpg with all-wheel drive (15 mpg city/23 mpg highway/18 mpg combined). All Chargers get a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift feature, which experts find outdated (most rivals have six or eight gears) and upshift-happy in an attempt to eke out the best fuel economy. (An eight-speed transmission is in the works for both the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300.)

In short, if fuel economy is important to you, experts say you'll be better off with a 23-mpg Toyota Avalon (Base MSRP: $33,195 to $36,435) or Buick LaCrosse (Base MSRP: $27,130 to $33,205).

Quality interior, but crowded backseat

"Maybe the most shocking thing É is how modern and ergonomic the interior feels," Inside Line says of the new Dodge Charger. Compared with the "Chinese-car interior quality" of last year's model, Car and Driver says, Dodge swaddles the new Charger in a soft-touch dash and elbow rests and real aluminum trim. Sound-deadening impressively mutes even the Hemi engine, and Dodge slimmed down the roof pillars so "pilots no longer have to peep like a Tom to see hanging stoplights." The Charger technically seats five, but testers say there's really only room for four adults: The sporty, sloping roof sacrifices backseat headroom, and there's a bulky floor hump thanks to accommodate the car's driveshaft. The 15.4-cubic-foot trunk fits three big suitcases, one source says, while most full-size sedans fit four.

The Dodge Charger SE comes with remote engine start, keyless ignition and entry, cruise control, 17-inch wheels, a 60/40 split folding rear seat, CD stereo with auxiliary audio jack and iPod interface, a 4.3-inch touch-screen interface for the cabin controls and more. The Hemi-powered Charger R/T adds heated front seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, upgraded Alpine sound system, satellite radio and an 8.4-inch touch-screen interface with voice control, among other features. Options – a long list ranging from bigger wheels and better brakes to leather seats and heated/cooled cup holders – are sorted into packages, with most options available on either the SE or R/T trim.

The 2011 Dodge Charger had not yet been crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but it gets the highest possible ratings in all crash tests at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which names it a 2011 Top Safety Pick. Standard safety features include antilock brakes, traction and stability control and front, front-side, curtain and driver knee airbags.

Reliability has been subpar for Chrysler (and, by extension, Dodge) vehicles in recent years, one source reports, although the 2011 Dodge Charger is too new to have any reliability history of its own yet. It carries three-year/36,000-mile basic and five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranties.

Research sources

ConsumerReports.org tests the V6 version of the 2011 Dodge Charger with an emphasis on practicality, ranking it against other family sedans. We found tests of the more performance-oriented V8 Charger at Car and Driver, TheTruthAboutCars.com and Inside Line (which has some fun pitting the modern Charger against the original General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard). Edmunds.com, Autoblog.com and Kelley Blue Book test both the V6 and V8 versions of the 2011 Charger. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash-tests the 2011 Charger, and FuelEconomy.gov lists official fuel-economy estimates.