Why you should buy this car: You're an American Jeremy Clarkson, a mix of power freak and schoolboy, looking for an icon that'll turn heads on the road (or track) and — most importantly — lavish you with more horsepower than you think you can handle. That, plus you have a family to lug around and earn slightly less than the Sultan of Brunei's personal shopper.

Why you shouldn't buy this car: It weaves like a drunken horse under anything but blue skies. Also, it sucks fuel at the rate of a developing nation. Of course, if you're worried about that kind of thing, you'd have soiled yourself at a glimpse of the up-to-no-good front end.

Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: Yes
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: Yes
· Tuner Crowd: No
· Hairdressers: No
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: No
· Working Stiffs: Yes
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: No
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: Yes
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals:
· Manufacturer: Dodge
· Model tested: Charger SRT8
· Model year: 2006
· Price as Tested: $44,450
· Engine type: 6.1-Liter SRT HEMI SMPI V8 Engine
· Horsepower: 425 hp @ 6000 rpm
· Torque: 420 ft.-lbs. @ 4800 rpm
· Redline: 6000 rpm
· Wheels and Tires: 245/45ZR20 (front) 255/45ZR20 (rear) Performance
· Drive type: rear-wheel drive
· 0 - 60: 5.4 seconds
· 1/4 mile: 13.6 seconds
· Top speed: 165 mph
· Fuel economy city/highway: 14 / 20
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: 5/5/4

[By Ray Wert]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Charger SRT 8 Part 1, Part 2 [internal]