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The Quickest Sedans of 2008: $30,000 to $40,000

2008 Dodge Charger SRT8
Base price: $37,0100-to-60-mph time: 4.8 secQuarter-mile time: 13.2 sec @ 109 mph
How does Dodge manage to put more than two tons ahead of such pedigreed track stars as the Evolution and 335i? Simple. Throw lots of cubic inches at it, 370 to be exact. With 6.1 liters of V-8 madness beneath that snorty hood, the Charger SRT8 sends 425 horses rearward for transformation into thrust or smoke—you decide. Driven for optimal speed, the Charger SRT8 hustles to 60 in 4.8 seconds and looks and sounds quick while doing it. Perhaps mindful of the car’s bruiser status, Dodge placed the traction control switch within finger-flicking range of the shift lever, should you want to scratch the burnout itch. Although this isn’t a “10 Fastest Sedans” contest, this car would make the list with an almost three-miles-per-minute, rpm-limited 173-mph top speed (ignore Chrysler’s claim of 165 mph).
It’s faster than its chrome-mawed sibling, the 300C, for almost a grand more. The SRT8 Chrysler leapfrogs the similar Charger by $5250. Aside from price, choosing between them boils down to your preferred projection of self. Charger headrests are just slightly more likely to support mullets than high-’n’-tights. And for all the Motown history, the 300C is more likely to have a disc in the changer from DeathRowRecords.com, and the Charger’s six speakers will probably be broadcasting Alan Jackson. The Charger is the urban 300C’s country cousin—same nature, different nurture.
In either sedan, the benefits are manifold when jumping from the not-a-slouch, Hemi-equipped R/T model to the SRT8. Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology group packs just about everything, mechanical and otherwise, with muscle. Another 85 horsepower arrives for a total of 425, thanks to that growth in displacement from 5.7 to 6.1 liters and fitment of higher-compression (10.3:1) pistons. The five-speed automatic transmission channels 420 pound-feet of torque to 255/45 tires on forged and polished 20-inch alloy wheels, only prevented from looking silly by huge 14.1-inch front Brembo rotors and four-piston calipers. For such a big sedan, the Charger SRT8 hustles through curves and jerks to a halt just as well as it screams in a straight line.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $37,010
ENGINE TYPE: pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 370 cu in, 6059ccPower (SAE net): 425 bhp @ 6200 rpmTorque (SAE net): 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 120.0 inLength: 200.1 inWidth: 74.5 inHeight: 57.7 inCurb weight: 4274 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:Zero to 60 mph: 4.8 secZero to 100 mph: 11.2 secZero to 130 mph: 19.9 secStreet start, 5–60 mph: 5.2 secStanding ¼-mile: 13.2 sec @ 109 mphTop speed (redline limited): 173 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 168 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city/highway driving: 14/20 mpg

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