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| 2006 Dodge Charger in Wildwood, NJ. |
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CAPE MAY, NJ (CNN/Money) -
Nine months earlier I had taken a 2005 Ford Mustang on this same drive down the Garden State Parkway from New York City to Cape May, N.J.
It was the first "new" Mustang that most people along the way had seen.
This time, the 2006 Dodge Charger I was driving got a few curious gazes and a thumbs-up from a couple of guys in a Chrysler Sebring convertible. But people weren't hanging out of their car windows with cell phone cameras like they were for the Mustang.
Back then, my older brother and I were heading down for a short weekend. All we brought with us were a couple of overnight bags.
This time, it was my wife, our toddler son and I heading to the beach for a week. We brought beach toys, a huge suitcase full of clothes and even food and a case of bottled water.
My wife rode in the back seat, manning the "video entertainment system" for my son while I drove. The little guy's potty seat served as an extra cupholder.
Like the Mustang before, the Hemi-powered Charger had plenty of toll-booth-exiting power, but this time my wife threatened to throw up on the white leather upholstery if I punched the gas like that again.
My brother had been a little more understanding about the extra g-forces applied to his sternum in the Ford.
Still, the fact that I could unsettle my poor wife's stomach while hauling a few hundred pounds of luggage is testament to the 5.7 liter V-8's substantial capabilities. I laid off a little after that.
Even with back doors and a big trunk, the Charger is fun to drive. Just like its Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum RT siblings, the Charger R/T has mountain-moving power but, with a lower center of gravity than the Magnum and sportier suspension than the 300, it feels even better in the turns than either of those cars.
Still, the Charger is a big car and, unlike the Mustang or the Pontiac GTO, it has a decent dose of that "big American" feel as it goes through turns and over big bumps. There was also a bit too much power steering help for my taste.
The Hemi engine, which puts out 340 horsepower, packs a firm punch. A decent shove on the gas pedal -- without the family and all of our luggage in the car -- set the back tires squealing as it started on its way to 50 miles per hour. Gear changes from the five-speed automatic transmission were punctuated by little yelps from behind as the tire treads struggled to keep up.
The 250 horsepower base-line V-6 offered in the SE and SXT Chargers is still a plenty potent motor and should satisfy those looking for a roomy daily driver with aggressive performance.
The Charger's design is controversial, to say the least. At first, it struck me as the Pillsbury Dough Boy's idea of a mean ride.
All of its aggressive angles are softened by roundness at the edges. After a while, though, the design started to grow on me. Kind of like a buttery crescent roll in the oven.
My only serious complaint about the Charger, considering its roominess, practicality and performance, is its uninspired and uninspiring interior design lifted straight from the Magnum. In a car with this much to offer, the generic interior -- it gets downright ugly around the back windows -- is a let-down.
A drive in the Ford Mustang always feels therapeutic to me. I feel like a better, cooler, more confident man stepping out of a Mustang. A drive in the ritzy Chrysler 300 makes me feel like my pockets are full.
A big part of the reason is that each of those cars adds to its impressive performance and intimidating exterior with a richly detailed interior. They make the driver's seat a fun place to be even when the car is parked.
When I parked the Charger, though, I felt like a guy who just got done driving a Dodge. It was nice while it lasted, but the fun stopped when the car did.
Despite its muscle car name, the Charger really competes against several other mid-sized to large family sedans -- Ford Five Hundred and Toyota Avalon, for example. Most are more-or-less as practical and some will probably prove more reliable, but none sport the Charger's up-front machismo.
Modern muscle? Maybe not. But at least it puts the muscle someplace where real men, the kind who take their kids along for the ride, can use it.
The Dodge Charger R/T's base price is about $29,000. V-6 versions start at about $22,000. The rear seat video system, which uses a pop-up screen in the back of the center console, is a $1,500 option.
2006 Dodge Charger R/T details and photos
Muscle round-up: GTO, Mustang and Charger
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