Brian Chee’s opinion of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8’s Design:
Whoever the hard working designer is who came up with the Charger’s styling, he or she should get a hefty increase in pay, and, maybe a day in their honor. This is one sweet-looking ride, from the aggressive shoulders to the strong, vertical rear, and that wonderful cross-hair grille. It looks mean yet also smooth, all at the same time. Inside, the design is too much like the Magnum, with too much cheap-looking plastic and a wide, flat expanse of a dashboard that seems to lack refinement in design and execution. What people see as you drive by is a strong and sexy sedan; what you see on the inside smacks too much like a parts bin car that lacks its own unique personality. That said the Charger SRT-8 functions properly, with controls within easy reach and plenty of compartments. The function of the design lends itself to a day-to-day driver, but, sadly, the style of the design is one that many people will tire of after a few months.

Christian Wardlaw’s opinion of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8’s Design:
“Wow, now that’s a man’s car.” That was the response of a family member upon pulling up to his home in the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8. This car drips testosterone, from its angry scowl, sharp-edged fenders, and gaping hood scoop to its oversized rear wing, giant chrome exhaust outlets, and broad shoulders. Massive 20-inch wheels front red-painted brake calipers. Long, low, and lean, the Charger SRT-8 says: “Don’t screw with me” at a glance. But, of course, every Corvette, Porsche, and BMW wants to take you on.

Inside, the Charger SRT-8 is plain, dressed up with white-faced gauges that glow a cool blue hue at night, embroidered sport seats, and a badge on the dash. Otherwise, the cabin is straight out of a standard Charger, a two-tone affair with silver trim and chrome accents. Nice, but not very nice.

As for control layout and design, there are few faults. The biggest has to do with the steering column, which is straight out of a Mercedes. That means the cruise control stalk can sometimes be mistaken for a turn signal stalk, and that the clunky turn signal stalk also incorporates the wipers. The other main problem is with Chrysler’s navigation radio, which employs the company’s confounding corporate station pre-set methodology that requires a two-step button-pushing process. And while the display screen is bright and features high resolution, it’s not a touch screen which means lots of toggling to scroll and select before pressing the “enter” button. The good news is that there are big volume/power and tune/audio knobs for the stereo located right where you expect them to be, and that the station presets are arrayed on driver’s side of display. Otherwise, I had no complaints.

Thom Blackett’s opinion of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8’s Design:
There are two common approaches to building powerful sedans – confine all of the work to below the surface, creating what is commonly referred to as a sleeper, or take the approach Dodge has with the 2006 Charger SRT-8 and bolt on a more aggressive front fascia, a hood scoop, honeycomb grille inserts, shiny 20-inch wheels, Brembo brake calipers, a rear spoiler, and a few SRT-8 badges so folks will know this isn’t just a tire and body-kit job. And for the truly inconspicuous wall flower of a car buyer, there’s the interior’s red stitching, SRT-8 logos embossed into the headrests, and SRT gauges. As such, the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 is sure to be a favorite of laser-gun toting deputies out for a little target practice.

Ron Perry’s opinion of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8’s Design:
The Dodge Charger SRT-8 is a nicely designed car. The exterior is bold, powerful and instantly recognizable even at a distance. Designers chose aggressive 20-inch wheels and highlighted them with big red Brembo brake calipers. With its broad shoulders and large diameter wheels, the Charger SRT-8 really looks like it is ready to pounce.

Inside is where the designers went all out. From the red stitching on the seats to the subtle carbon fiber motif engraved into the leather on the steering wheel, there is no mistaking that you are in the Charger SRT-8. The use of aluminum-look trim along with the subtle use of chrome on the handles, shift gate and ashtray really accent each other nicely. Designers also used nice big gauges all lined up in a row directly in the line of vision. The interior is a nice piece of work and had Dodge chosen better plastics, the interior would be spot on.