Test Drive: 2012 Dodge Charger powers up the 'Wow' factor

Big whoop, you chide. Tell us interesting stuff about the car.

OK. It has an eight-speed automatic transmission.

And boy, does that make all the difference. The Charger, as did many Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models, got a makeover for the 2011 model year. But so many updates are arriving on 2012 models that 2011 is kind of a lost year. It almost seems as if Chrysler ought to apologize to buyers of 2011 models for giving them half loaves.

The eight-speed that you now get standard on all but the very base Charger SE V-6 models (and it's a $1,000 option on that one) replaces a five-speed that depressed the performance and hurt the fuel economy of the 2011 Charger and 300.

It's hard to put into words how much better the 2012 drives, feels, flings and fuels than the 2011, but let's try.

Wow.

For the practical-minded who believe cars have no soul, no identity, no chemistry, get this:

The new transmission gives the car better low-speed scoot (making less-tedious that stop-go routine most of us must abide). It takes small steps up through its gear ratios so the engine never sags and leaves you wishing you'd bought the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 instead. The V-8 continues to use a five-speed. It's scheduled to get an eight-speed in the future, but Chrysler won't say when.

The eight-speed finds the just-so gear if your olfactory sense requires you to rocket past that hog-hauler on a rural two-lane road in hilly terrain. And it provides overdrive gears aplenty (the three top ratios are overdrive) so the car can cruise at naughty speeds while the engine loafs, thereby using little fuel.

How many "wins" is that? Win-win-win-win?

For the passion privileged among you: The 2012 drives like a dream.

It feels the way your euphoric (and erroneous) recall would portray the big, old American sedans of yore. It helps turn today's auto reality into the good ol' days, erasing whatever silly shine Detroit sedans of the (name your decade … '50s, '60s, '70s, whatever) might seem to have had.

Those same small steps among the eight ratios that make the car smooth and fuel-efficient, also make it a royal, howling hoot to drive. It flat goes. Never mind what a stopwatch might say, it's that grin on your face that measures acceleration.

Dodge has graced the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 (292 horsepower as used in the Charger) with a growl proportionate to the thrust of your right foot. It presents itself, as do European six-cylinders, as a full-fledged powerplant, not a wanna-be anything. Not the engine you bought because you couldn't afford the Hemi, or were terrified of $6 gasoline, or to placate your spouse or mollify your neighbors or avoid brimstone from the eco-preacher down the street.

Nope. None of those. The V-6, because of that eight-speed transmission, now is very much the package of choice. Lighter and thus, nimbler, than the Hemi V-8 (because the V-6 weighs less) and, ta-dah, available now with all-wheel drive formerly reserved for the V-8.

Surely Dodge must have done other things. It can't have banked solely on a transmission update that salespeople can't show you and that you might not appreciate enough to buy the car.

Right. There's also the color dashboard display, instead of a black-and-white view. Bright-hued readouts on the driver information display, and on the center screen for stereo, climate settings and more. Silly? No, easier to see and read, so less distracting. (OK, it looks sweet, too.)

Big display with Garmin navigation, such as the ones familiar to people who use the popular aftermarket navis, and you can tell it what to do by voice while underway. Big improvement.

A traffic report can be set to come on only when the satellite radio traffic station plays an update for your location. What good is Atlanta when you're in Portland?

There's a suspension tweak — hydraulic bushings instead of hard urethane — that better targets the elusive blend of comfort and control that a proper suspension provides.

Also enjoy the airlock sound of the power windows and reassuring thump of the doors as they close. Plus the handy control and gauge locations and attractive textures.

But — there's always a but, it seems — some annoyances remain.

•The voice-control for the navi can't always understand you. Never could find the Obama residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., no matter how clearly or casually the address was enunciated. It did manage to find an amazing number of other cities with a 1600 Pennsylvania.

•The big doors swing open so wide that you're about fall out of the car reaching for the door handle. You have to take care to let the door stop at a partly open position.

•Trunk lid lifts too high for less-tall users to easily reach and close. And the trunk, while adequate, is space-stingy by full-size car standards.

•Seats might not suit all. Too much lumbar bulge for some. Physiques differ, and yours might be well served.

•Styling, nicely updated for the 2011, remains not quite "adult" enough for people who might otherwise appreciate the car's high-level execution. Sure, it'll look fun and fierce for a year or two, but will it then begin to seem like the auto equivalent of 1960s bell bottoms?

Reasonable people often disagree on matters of taste, so you might think otherwise.

All the negatives are worth considering, but they don't seem to add up to deal-breakers.

Rather, the 2012 Charger easily triumphs on its strong points: As much as 31 mpg on the highway, a smoothness that'll trump fancy German brands, a level of driving satisfaction that is almost unbelievable in a big Detroit sedan and, now, all-wheel drive with the V-6 for the folks whose weather often is uncooperative.

Dodge keeps doing that kind of thing and it's likely to get taken seriously, even regarded as a premium brand.

2012 DODGE CHARGER

•What? Eight-speed automatic replaces five-speed on V-6 versions of the full-size Dodge Charger (and mechanically similar Chrysler 300), boosting mileage, improving performance. V-6 now available with all-wheel drive (AWD). Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is standard. No change to Hemi V-8 drivetrain.

•When? On sale this month.

•Where? Made at Brampton, Ontario.

•How much? Base SE RWD with eight-speed is $27,320. Eight-speed is $1,000 option on that model, standard on all other V-6 models. SXT Plus, well-equipped V-6 model expected to be popular, is $32,820.

•What makes it go? 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 rated 292 horsepower at 6,350 rpm, 260 pounds-feet of torque at 4,800, mated to new, German-designed eight-speed automatic transmission.

•How big? Classic big Detroit sedan. Slightly shorter, wider, lower than Ford Taurus, on a longer wheelbase. Charger is 199.9 inches long, 75 in. wide, 58.4 in. tall on a 120.2-in. wheelbase.

Weighs 3,961 to 4,450 lbs.

Passenger space, 104.7 cu. ft.; trunk, 15.4 cu. ft.

Turning circle diameter, 37.7 or 38.7 ft., curb-to-curb, depending on model and tires.

•How thirsty? Rear-wheel drive rated 19 miles per gallon in town, 31 on the highway, 23 in mixed driving. All-wheel drive: 18/27/21 mpg.

All-wheel-drive test car registered 18.4 miles per gallon (5.43 gallons per 100 miles) in suburban driving.

Burns regular, holds 19.1 gallons.

•Overall: Eight-speed automatic makes a huge difference. Smooth, quick, very satisfying.