2006 Dodge Charger SRT8

Another spin on the definition of SRT-ness.

If you're the type of person who looks at the day's news and forecasts nothing but doom, gloom and societal collapse for the future, the Dodge Charger SRT8 simply isn't the car for you. Not because you won't appreciate its surplus of power or the composure of its chassis but because this car is hopelessly optimistic. This car spits in the eye of "peak oil" theorists, global warming doomsayers, and every member of the Sierra Club and slurps down fuel in giddy gulps with the sort of confidence that only comes from certain knowledge that tomorrow will be better than today.

It's the sheetmetal manifestation of everything the rest of the world hates about Americans. And precisely why so much of the rest of world wants to come here.

The SRT-ness formula

The essential element in the transmutation of the Charger R/T into the Charger SRT8 is the 6.1-liter version of the current (at some point it stops being "new") HEMI V-8. That's no surprise since the upsized HEMI is also part of what turns the Chrysler 300C into the 300 SRT8, the Magnum R/T into the Magnum SRT8 and Jeep's Grand Cherokee into the Grand Cherokee SRT8.

As in the Magnum and 300 SRT8s, the 6.1-liter HEMI is rated at 425 horsepower in the Charger SRT8. And, surely no coincidence, it's the same rating that the classic street-bound 426 HEMI carried throughout its production run between 1966 and 1971. And it's up 85 horsepower over the 5.7-liter HEMI used in the Charger R/T.

Here's another way to put this engine's output in perspective: After a four-year absence, Dodge brought back the Charger name in 1982 on a version of the Omni 024 front-drive coupe. With a "big" 2.2-liter four under its nose it was the most powerful Charger (or Omni) then offered to the public. That engine made 84 horsepower. So you could buy a 2006 Charger R/T (a powerful car in its own right) and a 1982 Charger (no slouch back then) and add their horsepower ratings together and you'd still be a horsepower behind the SRT8. So the SRT8 literally has the power of two Chargers under its hood. Or, to take this to the absurd extreme, since the 1983 Charger's standard 1.7-liter four pooped along with only 62 horsepower, the SRT8 has the power of 6.85 old Chargers on tap.

The HEMI's additional displacement comes from bore diameters 3.5 millimeters larger than that of the 5.7-liter version. But the makeover moves well beyond that with new flat-top pistons that bump the compression ratio from 9.6:1 to 10.3:1, cylinder heads that flow more efficiently, and oversize intake valves with hollow stems. The block itself is reinforced and there are oil squirters aimed at the butt-end of the pistons to cool them during high-speed operation. Of course the intake, exhaust, and engine management systems have all been optimized to work with increased output as well.

Putting aside the engine's thirst for premium-grade fuel another moment, this is a simply glorious engine with which to romp. The 420 pound-feet of peak torque is produced at 4800 rpm and there seems to be enough torque just off idle to pull the truth out of Scooter Libby. It's not particularly loud but the sounds it does make have the driver feeling like Don Garlits when the road is straight and like Richard Petty when it turns to the left. And when the road turns to the right… um… er… you feel like… uh… some other famous HEMI-borne race driver from the late Sixties. The engine revs quickly, there are no hiccups in the power curve, and the throttle is linearly progressive. Clearly this is the best high-performance V-8 ever installed on a Dodge production line - better than any old 340 or 440 Six-Pack and, yes, better than the old 426 Hemi. A lot better.

The only transmission offered with this engine is a five-speed automatic featuring the "AutoStick" manual control system. The shifts are noticeably firmer than in the R/T, but not so firm as to be annoying and the AutoStick works okay enough. Still, at some point this engine deserves to be lashed to a good six-speed manual in some vehicle so that the driver can stir in its mechanical glory more directly.

Now, about the fuel economy. To use the word "economy"