Dodge Treats Family Movers, Muscle Models to SRT8 and R/T Makeovers

Although Chrysler Group introduced new models for its three brands at both the Los Angeles and Detroit auto shows, it reserved a bit of marketing heat for the Chicago show, which opened to the news media on Wednesday.

The Dodge division of Chrysler introduced five R/T models and previewed one future product on Wednesday, including what was perhaps most pleasing to Dodge performance fans, a 2012 Charger SRT8. The brutish muscle car, which had its debut as a 2006 model but was discontinued after 2010, roars back with 465 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque from a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8. It’s no coincidence that 6.4 liters translates to 392 cubic inches, evoking — at least for enthusiasts of a certain age — memories of the 392 Chrysler Hemi of the 1950s. While the previous SRT8 was not known as a prodigious road machine, the new version will reportedly handle twisty bits better thanks to adaptive suspension. Making noise inside is a 900-watt Harman Kardon stereo system.

With less muscle and a smaller price tag, the 2011 Charger R/T is equipped with a 370-horsepower, 5.7-liter version of the automaker’s Hemi V-8, and wears similar sheet metal to the standard Charger introduced in Los Angeles in November — though exterior and interior trim items distinguish the R/T from the base specification.

Challenger performance offerings are back as well. Here, the 6.4-liter Hemi logs 470 horsepower in the SRT8 while the 5.7-liter, when paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, generates 375 horsepower in the R/T Classic. Reminiscent of the eye-searing colors that Dodge offered in the ’70s is the so-called Green with Envy paint scheme, available on the SRT8 and R/T Classic.


Even two family movers, the Grand Caravan and Journey, receive the R/T treatment. Called the “man van” by Chrysler’s marketing team, the Grand Caravan R/T runs the same 283-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 as in the standard Grand Caravan, but spring rates and shock damping have been stiffened to give the vehicle a more sporting feel and greater handling prowess, while the exhaust note has been tuned to speak with some authority. R/T dressings include 17-inch wheels and a special black leather interior. Neither the Caravan nor the Journey — which also receives the 283-horsepower V-6 — would be mistaken for hot rods, but the R/T distinction imbues them with some needed personality.

The 2011 Durango R/T S.U.V., meanwhile, gets different suspension tuning, load-leveling rear shocks, steering tweaks, a lower ride height and 20-inch wheels with all-season performance tires. Under the hood is a 360-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. Fuel economy numbers for the warmed-over Durango are 14 miles per gallon in the city with rear-wheel drive, and 13 m.p.g. for the all-wheel drive version. Both achieve 20 m.p.g. on the highway