2014 New York Auto Show: Dodge introduces refreshed Charger sedan
Despite a grim outlook for full-size sedans, Dodge used the New York Auto Show to reveal a thoroughly updated Charger.
Marketed as a four-door muscle car, the Charger keeps its V-6 and V-8 power trains, but wraps them in a more contemporary body that does away with a retro-infused look.
“Our Dodge designers have resculpted nearly every single body panel of the Charger for 2015, giving it a sleek, nimble appearance,” said Tim Kuniskis, president and CEO of the Dodge brand.
When the 2015 Charger goes on sale at the end of the year, the new styling will be directly aimed at a younger buyer than typically heads to the full-sized section at a dealership. It will also hope to steal sales from peers like the Ford Taurus, Toyota Avalon, Chevy Impala, Hyundai Azera and Nissan Maxima.
PHOTOS: 2015 Dodge Charger R/T
Last year was a strong one for the Charger. Sales were up 19% to nearly 100,000 cars sold, making it one of the best-selling full-size cars. Yet it hasn’t been able to keep up for the first three months of this year, with sales dropping 4.4% versus the same time in 2013.
PHOTOS: Highlights of the 2014 N.Y. Auto Show
Those lagging fortunes foretell worse news for the full-size sedan segment as a whole.
“Frankly, 10 years from now, I think it’s questionable whether this category will even exist,” said Tom Libby, auto analyst for IHS. The market share for these cars has dropped from 5% in the first two months of 2009, to just over 3% in 2014.
Blame the midsize sedans. They’re only a tad smaller, more efficient (many full-size sedans don’t even offer a four-cylinder engine), and cheaper. “They have nearly all of the positives of full-size sedans, without the negatives,” Libby said.
Other buyers are choosing midsize crossover SUVs that offer a similar footprint to a full-size sedan, but more usable space inside.
Dodge is clearly paying attention. An eight-speed automatic transmission standard on all Chargers improves fuel economy. This means rear-wheel-drive Chargers with the 3.6-liter, 292-horsepower Pentastar V-6 engines will be rated at 19 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
Those numbers drop to 18 mpg city, 27 mpg highway on all-wheel-drive V-6 models. A 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with cylinder deactivation will remain the optional engine. It pumps out 370 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque and comes in rear-wheel-drive form only.
Safety was another focus. The new model will be available with options like adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking, lane-keeping assist, and backup camera with cross-path detection.
The interior gets an overhaul with an emphasis on refinement. The instrument panel now comes with a standard 7-inch digital screen, and the dashboard comes with a 5- or 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
But the most noticeable change is the car’s exterior. Gone is the retro look that played up Charger’s muscle car roots from decades past. In its place is a sporty, modern look.
The front grille is sleeker and now flows into wrap-around headlights that are highlighted by LED daytime running lights in the higher-end models. At the back, narrow LED taillights span the width of the trunk and are similar to those on the smaller Dodge Dart sedan.
The look should help Dodge move the needle toward a younger buyer, and possibly more of them. But its long-term viability remains unknown, and it may even be hurt from within. In the coming months, Chrysler will put on sale its redesigned 200 sedan -- a midsize option.
