Ask your average car buff to define what a traditional American four door sedan is. After pondering the question for a moment, what may come to mind is a big, rear wheel drive sedan with plenty of room, a big trunk, and definitely available V-8 power. It is a formula that worked and was extremely successful in America for decades. In 2012, however, the Charger is in a class by itself. The Ford Taurus is a fine car, while Chevys Impala has been in need of replacement for years, but neither of those companys largest offerings have the formula of the classic, American full-size four door sedan. The question is, does that old formula still work in 2012? Or is the Charger just a rolling anachronism of a time gone by? Read on to find out.

The Charger returned to the Dodge line as a 2006 model after a long absence, and was a radical departure from the front-wheel drive Intrepid it replaced. Instead of the smooth, jellybean Intrepid, the Charger was in your face with aggressive styling. Well received at first, the Charger suffered from the malaise and lack of product development that was rampant at Dodge for the latter half of the 2000s. As we know now, Dodge has undertaken an enormous initiative to update its cars, and the Charger finally received its first major revision in 2011.

The Charger remains the most aggressively styled mainstream full-size sedan available today. While the Charger may have Mercedes-Benz sourced bits mechanically, from the outside the Charger is full on, wave the flag American and proud of it. The sculpted hood and sides recall the muscle car the original Charger was, but xenon and LED lighting keep the Charger from being a rehashed retromobile. Our test car, finished in Redline Pearl was easy to spot, and you wont mistake the Charger for any other car. With the Charger, Dodge has managed to style a full-size sedan with serious muscle car undertones yet manages the fine line from going over the top. Yes, its aggressive, but you wont feel like a fool at the country club or rolling up to the valet at your favorite restaurant.

If the Charger had one glaring flaw, it was its interior. Plagued with cheap materials, blocky, uninspired styling, the cabin of the Charger was pretty depressing. Dodge has thankfully righted the ship, and I am happy to say the new Chargers cabin was a revelation. When Dodge delivered the Charger, I swung upon the door, and upon seeing the gorgeous black and tan interior, I was dumbfounded at the light years of progress the interior designers at Dodge had made. Our Charger was brimming with the latest in technology but managed to be very user friendly. And the basic ingredients that made the Charger a success at first were there-a roomy cabin, spacious rear seat and large trunk.

Buyers have some compelling choices for engines with the revised Charger. In the past, a V-6 Charger had rental car written all over it. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. The base Charger receives Chryslers new Pentastar 3.6L V-6, good for 292hp. The Garage first sampled the new engine in the Chargers little brother, the Avenger, and we came away impressed. While a five-speed automatic is standard on the base car, a new eight-speed automatic is available that offers substantially better fuel economy. Our test car was an R/T, which means we had the 5.7L Hemi V-8, belting out a healthy 370hp, paired to a five-speed automatic. V-6 and V-8 Chargers are available with either rear or all-wheel drive. In spite of a powerful honking Hemi residing under the hood, our Charger R/T was very low key on start up and puttering around town. You really had to stomp on it to hear the wrath of that glorious V-8, which pushed the big, heavy Charger with ease. The Charger never lets you forget it is a big car, but that said handling is pretty sharp, yet far more refined than I had expected. I dont say this often, but the Charger R/T is a car that would be perfect to drive cross country.

The base Charger starts at $25,595USD, which I consider a more than fair starting point. Our test car was the R/T with all-wheel drive, which starts at $32,145, and comes well equipped. Our tester included the Max package, which added ventilated front seats, SiriusXM Traffic, Adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, back up camera, Garmin navigation, nine speaker premium audio, power adjustable pedals, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, and heated/cooled cupholders. Other options included the paint, power sunroof and rear spoiler. Including delivery, our Charger R/T rang in at $40,645. Cheap? No, but for the size, power, comfort and up to the minute technology and all-wheel drive to boot, the Charger R/T represents quite a bargain for what you are paying for.

There are those out there who might consider the Charger to be an automotive dinosaur, but I would have to disagree. Options for people wanting a full-size sedan are plentiful, but how you can you get excited about an Impala or Toyota Avalon? The Charger represents the size, swagger, presence and power that were once the hallmark of the American family car that Chevy and Ford have shied away from. While it pays homage to its past, the Charger is bristling with the latest in technology. For features and bang for your buck, the Charger is tough to beat.

Related posts:

1. Review: 2012 Dodge Journey
2. Review: 2011 Dodge Caliber
3. Video: The Hamster wants a Charger
4. Dodge tries to steal market share
5. Review: 2011 Dodge Avenger

After the season he has had so far this year, Jeff Gordon will take a win anyway he can get it.  Having everything that could possibly go wrong already happen to him so far this season, a little bit of good luck was bound to finally blow his way.  And blow it did, as a major weather system blew in dumping torrential rain in Pocono, effectively ending the Pennsylvania 400 62 laps short of a full race, only 18 laps past the halfway mark, making it a complete race in the books.  Not only was this a win for Gordon on the track, the points race looks a whole lot better from his perspective with this win.  Moving into 13th in points + the win puts him in place for the wild card spot to get into the chase for the 2012 Sprint Cup, a spot he knew he needed a win to get to.

Its nice to know that things can still go our way, Gordon said. The way our year has gone, well definitely take it like this. I tell you what, with all the things that have gone wrong for us this year, Im hoping that this is the one that makes up for it all.

Gordon took the lead when his teammate Jimmie Johnson got loose on the final restart of the race, sliding up the track into Matt Kenseth causing them both to slide back on the track and taking out Denny Hamlins #11 car as well.

Ive never seen the seas part like that, said Gordon. I got a good restart, so I really got up to fifth as we were getting into the braking zone going into 1. I dont know what happened to the 48. I just saw he got loose, and when he got loose, it took everybody that was in front of us up the race track or into the wall.

I just made it right to the bottom, stood in the gas and drove out and we were leading.

Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne also got the benefit of the wreck moving up into the 2nd spot on the track and as the caution came out they realized that his left rear tie was flat and would need changing should the race go back to green, which of course never happened.

And to make the rain soaked miracle even better, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had been knocked back to 32nd because of a blown transmission and was looking at a loss of 3 positions in the points, retained the top spot as Matt Kenseth slid backwards in the wreck with the 48.  Greg Biffle was also moved backwards allowing Johnson to finish well enough to retain his 4th place standings in the points as well.  All 4 Hendrick teams are now in contention to make the chase because of Jimmie Johnsons accident.  Funny how things work out like that.

Dale Jr had what looked to be the fastest car on the track.  Johnson had just taken the lead away from him when his transmission issue happened.

We had a good run going, he said. This Chevrolet was pretty fast. Jimmie [Johnson had] the quickest car out there. But we felt like we might be able to work on ours and get a little better.

We put it in [Saturday] and during qualifying it was fine, said Earnhardt. When we restarted [on Lap 23], it was kind of aggressive, and then [we experienced] a bit of a vibration. The car was just really out of time, and it just kind of started missing some shifts and [was] difficult to get in gear.

Finally, in third and fourth [gear] coming out of the tunnel, it didnt have any fourth. Then I didnt have third.

After Jr. lost his transmission, Kahne started feeling vibrations in his gear box as well.  At first he was worried, but his fears were laid to rest when his crew chief talked with Letarte and they advised Kahne it was not the same issue.

I dont think I really had much of a problem, Kahne said. I think I was worried because Junior broke one or broke something with the transmission, Im not sure what. I was struggling with mine a little bit when that happened so I just quit shifting for a while, and I was a lot slower.

[Earnhardts crew chief] Steve Letarte said it wasnt a big deal. What happened with them was not what I feel was going on with mine. So from that point on, I focused on shifting again and didnt even have an issue. Once I quit worrying about it, we were flying.

So it appears that Mother Nature is indeed a fan of racing, and her team of choice is none other than Hendrick Motorsports.  Why else would all of the bad luck the Gordon has experienced all season be wiped out by a single rainstorm just when the timing was perfect?

Related posts:

1. NASCAR Gordon Wins at Pocono For His Second of the Season
2. NASCAR Mark Martin Takes The Pole For Phoenix Hendricks Teams Look For Big Rebound
3. NASCAR Broken Foot and All, Kesolowski Gets His Second Win in 2011 at Pocono
4. NASCAR Hendricks Leads the Field as Gordon Takes the Pole, Drivers Comment on The 2 Car Push
5. NASCAR Kenseth Wins Another With Martin Runner Up as Late Race Call Wins The Race

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Subaru XV Crosstrek, 2013

Detroit.A city unlike any other city in the world, it calls to me in a way that no other place could. Detroit is the epicenter of car culture in the United States. The Woodward Dream Cruise gives those of us obsessed with everything motoring to get together under a common flag and celebrate the majesty of the automobile for an entire week. What better way than to arrive in one of the quintessential American midsize sedans, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco?

The Malibu Eco has been a hard sell for General Motors lately and I felt a twinge of apprehension as I took posession of the keys for my week long stint. My home town of Bloomington is not where the Malibu is meant to shine. Unlike other hyrids the eAssist system of the Malibu isnt meant to save you fuel in stop and go. Instead its true focus is being as efficient as possible at high speed across hundreds of miles. I logged over a thousand miles in this efficiency cruiser over Indiana and Michigan highways in a dedicated search to find the true purpose for the Malibu Eco. 

My trepidation for the Malibu Eco came from my particular type of driving style. I am an extremely light-footed driver whos main focus is to eak every mile per gallon out of every car I drive - regardless of powertrain. Under certain conditions (such as climbing the hill to my apartment or under very light load acceleration) I expected the 15 horsepower induction motor to kick in and let me accomplish my task with less engine load. This isnt the case. Kevin Kelly, Manager of Hybrid Battery and Technology Communications, explained that engineers wouldnt be able to do that unless they switched to a much larger and more powerful permanent magnet motor similar to full hybrids. I am not going to delve into the technical aspects of the Malibu Eco - thats for another article. Keep your eyes peeled for a full technical review later.

What changed my mind about the Malibu Eco as a car was the first 339 miles between Bloomington and Detroit. The highway is where the Malibu Eco is meant to shine. While the eAssist system isnt strong enough to propel the car, the added 15 horsepower and 79 lb./ft of torque meant I was almost exclusively in sixth gear the entire trip. This is a big help when you need to pass, climb a grade or even when youre pulling onto the highway. Energy that normally would have been turned into waste heat is now on tap whenever you need it to save you a gear or two. This is what efficiency is all about. 

Speaking of efficiency, miles per gallon are extremely important to the midsize segement. Without going into deep technical detail (I will later, I promise) the Malibu uses active aerodynamic radiator shutters, a silky smooth body, and a small electric induction motor to eak out the best mpg possible. In the hands of someone trained in the art of fuel efficiency it can be quite the fuel miser. Sixty to sixty-five miles per hour is the sweet spot of this engine. At that speed over hilly highways here in southern Indiana I averaged 46.1 miles per gallon. That is on par with many of the subcompacts and compacts I have driven. Even at the speed limit of 70 miles per hour in central Michigan the Malibu beat its EPA estimates - a testament to its improved aerodynamics

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Subcompacts and compact cars have long been considered penalty boxes of the automotive world. If you couldnt afford to fuel a midsize sedan you were forced to buy small, uncomfortable yet efficient small cars. Now you can have your fuel economy and be comfortable on long highway trips. Chevrolet has made a very driver-centric car with the Malibu. From features like an easy to use touch screen MyLink radio, leather wrapped steering wheel festooned with easy to reach buttons and three setting heated seats, the Malibu wants to please you. If youre looking for a huge back seat though, this certainly isnt the car for you. Especially if you happen to sit like me with the seat all the way back. Children will fit just fine, but adults may have to find a strange contorted position to properly fit. 

Ride and handling of the Malibu falls into the tight (do not read as sporty) category. The suspension loads up very nice but safe and secure understeer is exactly what you will get if you push it too hard. Steering weight makes it feel very solid on the highway, but there is very little road feel. Progress is coming on slowly in finding a way to make electric power steering feel as confident as the now classic hydraulic system. The suspension does an exceptional and I do mean exceptional job of isolating the passengers from road noise and vibration. While not as quiet as the current generations of Buicks the Malibu is a serene place to be. Add that to the start/stop feature and you hardly hear a thing when stopped at a stop light. 

Start/Stop technology has been a hot button issue when it comes to the refinement and comfort of current vehicles. The Malibus system is quiet, quick and without drama. If youre worried that your car wont stay cool on a hot day with the engine off, think again. In comfort mode the A/C keeps the engine running at idle, but put it in Eco mode and the car will still shut off at stops. The A/C system maintains pressure and you get cold air even stopped for a few minutes. Start/stop systems this smooth will go a long way to convincing consumers that this technology is worth it. Cars today do not need to idle, period.

While there is a lot to like about the Malibi Eco there are a few things that I would change. For starters I need a more powerful version of eAssist. The system has a lot of potential to grow and I hope the system evolves into a direct competitor to Hondas Integrated Motor Assist system. Secondly I would like to see MyLink integrated with navigation. The system looks so great it is a bit of a shame it doesnt come with navigation. Lastly the chrome accents can cause quite a bit of ocular trauma. Chrome around the shifter may add a nice touch, but it is in a perfect location to reflect sun directly into the eye which is tiring especially on the highway. The current Malibu is a step in the right direction, but I believe that Chevrolet has some room to take it to the next level in terms of efficiency and driving dynamics.

As the Malibu heads back into the media fleet I have been reflecting on everything I saw last week. Detroit is a city of vibrant culture and spirit unmatched anywhere in the world. For those of us with Detroit in our heart products like the Malibu Eco make us proud to be a part of the culture. The Woodward Dream Cruise is special to the citizens of Detroit because they can see the fruits of their labor in motion on the historic boulevard. The Malibu Eco has room for improvement, but it is decidely American, extremely efficient, and a car I wouldnt hesitate to recommend to someone who lives life in the fast lane of the American highway.

Disclaimer: Vehicle provided by General Motors Company

Word and Pictures By: Tyler Lipa