When we imagine a muscle car, several thoughts come to mind including power, speed, and rear-wheel-drive performance. What doesn't immediately come to mind is practicality. Dodge is changing that perception with their Charger lineup which offers muscle car performance, seating for 5, and now a winter-ready 2020 Charger GT AWD. The Charger SXT was previously available with AWD and now the Charger GT also gets all-weather capability thanks to Dodge's all-wheel-drive system with an active transfer case and front-axle disconnect.
Most sports cars will be locked up in the garage through the winter season, only to hit the roads again in the spring or summer, but that's not what the Dodge Charger GT AWD is intended for. "Most people think of Chargers and Challengers as high-performance muscle cars, which clearly they are, but they can also be four-season capable AWD performance cars," said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America.
Performance Features
The Dodge Charger GT AWD is unmistakably a muscle car, and it flexes that muscle with exterior features like a standard performance hood, aggressive front and rear fascia, sculpted side sills, and spoiler. Under the hood is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine which delivers 300 horsepower and 264 lb-ft of torque. There is no V8 engine for the Charger GT AWD, and it won't beat the power output of V8 muscle cars like the 2020 Mustang GT Fastback (460 horsepower). Practical performance is the name of the game for the Charger GT's V6 which gets paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, providing a responsive and confident driving experience.
The 2020 Charger GT AWD's performance-focused features carry through to the interior where you'll find a performance steering wheel with paddle shifters, Houndstooth cloth high-bolstered performance seats, Dark Dub Plate instrument panel and Dodge Performance Pages which show real-time stats like engine performance on an 8.4-inch Uconnect screen.
All-Weather Capability
Unlike some rear-wheel-drive muscle cars, the 2020 Charger GT AWD won't have to stay in the garage all winter thanks to Dodge's high-performance all-wheel-drive system. A class-exclusive active transfer case delivers excellent all-season performance and fuel economy. The Charger GT AWD transitions between rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive with no action required from the driver. This preserved the true rear-wheel-drive experience for the muscle car enthusiast since the system only engages the front wheels when the sensor picks up the need for additional traction. Alternatively, there is an option to activate the AWD system full-time.
With its all-wheel-drive system and Vehicle Dynamic Control, the Charger GT AWD gets enhanced traction even in winter conditions like snow and slush. Additional performance and safety features designed to tackle any driving conditions include all-season performance tires on 19-inch aluminum wheels, Projector LED fog lamps, a performance rear spoiler, ParkSense rear park assist, and ParkView rear backup camera. The 2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD starts at $34,995 MSRP and vehicles are scheduled to arrive at dealerships in the first quarter of 2020.
