The Honolulu Dollar Car Rental agent eyes our weary family and copious luggage and senses an opportunity to upsell. “The standard-size car you booked holds two medium bags. Would you like to upgrade to full size for $90?” I consider the cost and decline, deciding to squeeze us into the Chevy Cruze we paid for. (Never mind that the Cruze is so substandard that it was discontinued in 2019.)
When we reach the parking lot, I see we’ve called the agent’s bluff. There are no compact cars, and the lot employee directs us to a full-size Dodge Charger, which easily swallows our large suitcase, rollaboard, stroller, and three backpacks. Now exhausted and smug, I start Charger, eager to begin our Hawaiian rest and relaxation!
Everyone has personal reference points from which they judge new cars. Lay people often compare new rides against their daily drivers. The best journalists use their extensive test experience to work around their biases and write objective evaluations of the test vehicles. Me? I fall somewhere in between, so I’ll simply disclose that my most recent point of reference was a Mercedes EQE 350 SUV.
Though there are Mercedes genes in our rental Dodge’s heritage, the contrast between the Charger and EQE couldn’t be more stark. It is a low-slung sedan vs. a tall SUV, Walmart interior vs. Neiman Marcus decor, and long-in-the-tooth internal combustion vs. newfangled electric motors. No wonder I need to recalibrate my senses as I extract the Charger from the rental lot!
The Charger’s grainy backup camera, slow steering, long hood, and low seating position cause me to drive cautiously through the lot. I crane my head to and fro as I strain to see—and avoid!—the numerous concrete pillars. (This would be much easier in the EQE!) With some luck and care, I exit the airport without incident and hit the highway.
…which is a new challenge because Honolulu has squashed in four lanes of traffic where there should be three. The Charger requires close attention to keep in the tight lanes, as its steering is slow and somewhat sloppy; I make many small corrections as I fight to stay centered. There is little reward in the wheel for a steering feedback fetishist like myself, though a modest amount of road texture and bump impact does bubble through the chassis to my hands and feet.
Honolulu’s downtown freeways have an absurd 45 mph speed limit, which may be a mitigation for their tight lanes and ridiculously short onramps. Regardless, the locals like to trot at 55 mph, and at that speed, the Charger upshifts and hums along 1500 rpm. When I need to accelerate, the 8-speed gearbox downshifts quickly and smoothly, raising the revs and building torque.
The 3.6L V6 engine is naturally aspirated—a breath of fresh air these days, pun intended—and produces 292 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The oomph adequately motivates the 3964 lb Charger SXT, though my rental’s tire-torturing V8 brothers—the Charger R/T, Scat Pack and Hellcat—would undoubtedly be more exciting. The only place the V6 betters its siblings is in fuel economy, and even so, our Charger reports a piddling 20 mpg on its trip computer.
Baking in the tropical sun, I fiddle with the A/C to beat back the heat. As I jab buttons and twiddle knobs, my temperature and fan speed adjustments are shown on the Uconnect infotainment screen. To my amusement, this base Charger lacks a climate control system that sets the cabin temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, I can only set how hot or cold I want to be by pushing a 10-pixel arrow up or down on a minuscule red-to-blue gradient. How charmingly anachronistic! And frustratingly cheap.
The car’s Uconnect system has pages for radio tuning and telephone connectivity, but it’s missing built-in navigation. I assume Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supposed to fill that gap, but I plop my phone in a cup holder and use Google Maps for directions. Ironically, the Charger’s closest charging port is broken, but this is a Dollar rental car, after all.
After a 30-minute transit across Honolulu, we pull into the three-story garage of our Waikiki apartment block. Our Airbnb condo is rough around the edges with chipped paint and threadbare furniture, but its jaw-dropping beach and city views make up for it. The Charger sits for a few days while we settle into a routine of sunrise walks, gourmet brunch buffets, beach lounging, and people-watching. Life is good!
Our first long trip in the Charger takes us to the surf-haven North Shore to visit Waimea Valley. The Charger easily cruises Oahu’s highway network, with its V6 running smoothly and its plush suspension absorbing the bumps. With better seats—the cloth seats are slab-shaped—the Charger could be a fine road trip chariot. My only annoyance is the touchy shift programming when climbing highway grades; I must keep my foot steady to avoid undesired downshifts.
Waimea Valley wins my heart with its gorgeous botanical gardens and swimmable waterfall pool. After a very satisfying swim, I find a curvy side route to take us back to Waikiki. Tackling the sweeping corners at a moderate pace—my kids’ stomachs won’t tolerate aggressive driving—I learn that the Charger has classic rear-driven dynamics and a willingness to turn. Yes, there is some basic goodness to this 20-year-old LX chassis!
On the penultimate day of our vacation, we drive to the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout, a cliff-top overlook with views of Oahu’s windward shore. The view is impressive, but the 60 mph gusts nearly knock us off our feet. We quickly retreat to the Charger and then follow Highway 61 east as it dives 1000 feet into the valley below. The bitey brakes boost my confidence as the road switchbacks down the mountain. It is confidence I need when an unexpected stop light brings traffic to a halt in front of me. On the return to Waikiki, rainbursts drench the road, and rainbows brighten the skies. The Charger remains surefooted in the wet on its 215/65R17 Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires.
And before we know it, our Hawaii getaway is over. When I surrender the Charger’s keys to Dollar, an extra 250 miles are on the clock.
It turns out the Charger is as advertised: it’s a big rear-wheel-drive sedan with the space, comfort, and cheapness one expects from a bargain-bin Dodge, Ford or Chevy. I like the Charger for what it is, and I’d take it over a Chevy Cruze any day…but maybe not for an extra $90.
Mike's Steering Column 